Broadband News

Tue, 28th Feb 2012

ACCC gives Telstra structural separation undertaking the tick

Consumer watchdog, ACCC, is satisfied with the latest iteration of the SSU after rejecting the initial submission last year.

Source: ARN

Mon, 27th Feb 2012

Telstra unveils NBN pricing

Telstra has unveiled its long-awaited commercial product pricing for the National Broadband Network (NBN), after the telco signed its one-year contract with NBN Co.

Source: ZDNet Australia

CSIRO debuts 10Gbps microwave backhaul technology

The CSIRO has developed a point-to-point microwave technology claimed to be the world's fastest with a bandwidth of 10Gbps in each direction, and a range of 50kms.

Source: iTWire

Federal Government cannot mandate NBN adoption: Liberal MP

Former Optus executive and Liberal MP, Paul Fletcher, highlights flaws with the current NBN strategy.

Source: ARN

Telstra signs up for NBN fibre-optic superhighway

Teltra will start selling broadband and telephone retail services on the government's new fibre-optic network after signing a deal with federal government-backed NBN Co over the weekend.

Source: SMH

Fri, 24th Feb 2012

US ISPs urged to back secure routing standards

The US Federal Communications Commission has called on internet service providers to embrace secure routing standards in a bid to cut down internet route hijacking.

Source: iTnews Australia

Telstra outage falls to procedural error

Network engineers have speculated router configuration and route limiting procedures on Telstra equipment were to blame for network outages that affected millions of services yesterday.

Source: iTnews Australia

Access to fast Internet wins out over NBN tower objections: poll

A majority of Australians would not object to a new National Broadband Network (NBN) tower in their area if it meant access to faster Internet.

Source: ARN

Telstra submits final separation plan

Telstra has today submitted the final version of its structural separation undertaking (SSU) for the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) to approve, so that the company's deal with the government and NBN Co can go ahead.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Video now accounts for half of mobile data traffic

Video now accounts for half of all data transferred on mobile networks, up from 40% during the same time last year, according to ByteMobile's first quarter 2012 Mobile Analytics Report.

Source: Computerworld

Thu, 23rd Feb 2012

Dodo takes blame for internet outage affecting millions

ISP Dodo played a role in causing the outage that affected millions of fixed-line and mobile internet connections across the country this afternoon, Dodo's CEO has confirmed.

Source: SMH

3G, 4G networks unable to cope with tablet boom: Quickflix deputy chairman

3G and 4G networks in Australia will not cope with the growth of traffic generated by tablets, according to Justin Milne, deputy chairman of online DVD rental company Quickflix.

Source: Computerworld

Telstra and Bigpond outage happening now

You'd think the biggest news for today would be the death match between Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard, but an apparent Telstra outage may well eclipse the two politicians as a story of much greater significance to the everyday Australian.

Source: iTWire

Wed, 22nd Feb 2012

iiNet half year result "bad" says analyst

iiNet bragged this week about "record half year earnings with growth across key financial and operating metrics." However one market analyst sees the results in a very different light.

Source: iTWire

Vividwireless 4G a backup: Telstra

High-end spectrum, such as that obtained by Optus in its Vividwireless buy, will be useful to support long-term evolution (LTE) services in lower-end spectrum bands, according to Telstra's chief technology officer Dr Hugh Bradlow.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Wi-Fi Passpoint standard could end hotspot sign-on hassles

The Wi-Fi Alliance will launch a program to simplify the use of Wi-Fi hotspots in July, making it easier for both users and mobile operators to get off strained cellular networks.

Source: ARN

Review: HTC Velocity on Telstra 4G

Much has been said about 4G/LTE in Australia, with Telstra being the first to offer the much lauded data speeds, firstly via USB dongle and now with the first 4G-enabled smartphone available locally, the HTC Velocity.

Source: iTnews Australia

Tue, 21st Feb 2012

iiNet expects to wholesale Optus 4G soon

iiNet expects to be able to offer long-term evolution (LTE) or "4G" services wholesale through Optus when Optus launches its new network in April.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Internode prepares off-net migration to iiNet

Internode has pushed ahead with plans to move 15,000 customers off Telstra or Optus infrastructure onto DSL equipment operated by iiNet "within weeks".

Source: iTnews Australia

iiNet mobile business needs more work: CEO

iiNet chief executive, Michael Malone, admitted the internet service provider's mobile business required more work during the announcement of its first half year 2012 result.

Source: Computerworld

NZ NBN to add NZ$33bn to economy

New Zealand's Ultra-Fast Broadband (UFB) and Rural Broadband Initiatives (RBI) look set to deliver a NZ$33 billion boost to the New Zealand economy, says an Alcatel-Lucent study released today.

Source: ZDNet Australia

iiNet searches for one geek to rule them all

TopGeek 2.0 now with its own fortnightly series hosted by comedian, Lawrence Leung.

Source: ARN

Support for NBN not improving

Various media outlets are today carrying an AAP report of a survey that purports to show increased support for the NBN. Had these outlets dug a bit deeper they might have found that the story was somewhat different.

Source: iTWire

iiNet grows profit by 17 per cent in six months

Perth-based ISP, iiNet, has reported positive results for the first half of its 2012 financial year with a net profit after tax (NPA) growth of 17 per cent.

Source: ARN

56 per cent of Australians support NBN: poll

Australians supporting the high speed national broadband network (NBN) exceed opponents by more than two to one, a new survey shows.

Source: SMH

Telstra's finance division tackles bad data

Telstra has embarked on a fresh data quality initiative in a bid to cut the number of erroneous site visits and returned bills caused by bad data.

Source: iTnews Australia

Mon, 20th Feb 2012

OptiComm wholesale HFC shows up Optus

Greenfields fibre broadband provider OptiComm has opened up its hybrid fibre-coaxial (HFC) network in Butler, Western Australia to wholesale access, something Optus has claimed could not be done.

Source: ZDNet Australia

ACCC chairman talks tough on enforcement

ACCC chairman, Rod Sims, has released a new version of the Commission's compliance and enforcement policy warning that he will make full use of the greater powers conferred on it by the Competition and Consumer Act to impose penalties on companies that fail to do the right thing by consumers.

Source: iTWire

Optus acquires Vividwireless for 4G spectrum

Optus has agreed to acquire Vividwireless, and with it comes a chunk of spectrum suitable for 4G services.

Source: iTWire

Optus buys Perth-based vividwireless

Optus has bought Perth-based wireless provider vividwireless in a $230 million deal that is expected to provide a foundation for the number two telco's forthcoming Long Term Evolution mobile network.

Source: iTnews Australia