Broadband News
Fri, 03rd Feb 2012
Conroy flags law changes from Optus win
Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has flagged potential legislative changes to protect football-broadcast rights following the Optus TV Now ruling.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Govt spies early exit from Telstra contract
The Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy has revealed exit clauses in a 20-year, $2 billion contract with Telstra that can be enacted if the incumbent's copper network is abandoned faster than expected.
Source: iTnews Australia
NBN Co braces for secrecy probe
Government business enterprises have long been able to escape freedom of information (FoI) requests on the basis of commercial sensitivity and confidentiality arrangements.
Source: iTnews Australia
Vendors show voice call hand-off between LTE, 3G networks
Qualcomm this week revealed a key step in enabling voice calls over LTE handsets. Working with Ericsson, the chipmaker says it recently completed the first voice call handover between LTE and 3G networks, and will showcase the achievement later this month at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
Source: ARN
Thu, 02nd Feb 2012
Defence to compete with NBN for skills
The Department of Defence and its suppliers are set to go to war with the NBN Co for skilled workers in the near future as the national shortage begins to take its toll on planned major infrastructure projects.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Abbott paving a telecoms road to nowhere
Fish, barrel; fox, henhouse; Abbott, NBN. Mocking Tony Abbott's ignorance of telecoms has become so easy and habitual that his latest pronouncements would normally hardly merit a response. But with his latest policy speech being seen as an informal roll-up to next year's election campaign, and Telstra's recent behaviour reaffirming the need for government intervention in the telco sector, it's important to once again weigh the implications of Abbott's cost-redirection policy against the reality of the situation.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Exetel founder John Linton passes away
Exetel founder John Linton has passed away from a stroke.
Source: iTnews Australia
Internode customer benefits from iiNet acquisition
National ISP, Internode, says its acquisition by iiNet is already paying dividends for its customers, with its most popular broadband services now available through 450 telephone exchanges nationally.
Source: iTWire
Exclusive: NBN Co withholds fibre upgrade price
NBN Co has refused to reveal the price paid by a Tasmanian resident to receive a fibre connection outside of the planned footprint because the figure could unleash a chain of events that brings the network to a grinding halt.
Source: iTnews Australia
Wed, 01st Feb 2012
NBN to deliver disability support services to regional Australia
Children with hearing or vision impairments who live in regional and remote areas of Australia will soon receive specialist services and therapies via the National Broadband Network.
Source: Computerworld
Optus wins TV-recording case
Optus has emerged victorious in its battle against the Australian Football League (AFL) and the National Rugby League (NRL) sporting codes over its TV Now digital TV-recording app.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Yep, Telstra’s 4G in 4G zones is definitely worthwhile
If you’re in a 4G coverage area and you’re sporting a 4G LTE capable device, it should come as no surprise to discover that 4G devices deliver vastly better ping and download speeds than 3G devices.
Source: iTWire
Optus tops political donations list
Optus has topped the list of IT and telecommunications companies making political donations for the first time, providing $86,252 to state and federal Labor and coalition branches.
Source: iTnews Australia
Tue, 31st Jan 2012
Libs would wind back NBN to fund roads
Funding for the National Broadband Network (NBN) and a number of other tech projects would be redirected to building roads and tax cuts under a Tony Abbott Coalition government, the opposition leader has revealed.
Source: ZDNet Australia
iiNet concludes Internode acquistion
iiNet has confirmed the completion of its acquisition of Internode, some five weeks after it first announced its intention to acquire the South Australia-based internet service provider.
Source: Computerworld
Optus nabs Telstra exec for business
Optus has confirmed the appointment of former Telstra executive John Paitaridis as managing director of the number two telco's business division.
Source: iTnews Australia
Telstra wins bid to expand WA mobile coverage
Telstra has won the contract to expand mobile coverage in regional Western Australia.
Source: ARN
Mon, 30th Jan 2012
Tony Abbott touts Coalition cyber safety push
Coalition leader Tony Abbott has announced plans to set up an Online Safety Working Group to develop the Coalition's online safety policy.
Source: iTWire
Telcos seek ACCC veto on NBN contracts
Internet service providers (ISPs) have used the competition regulator's review of NBN Co's special-access undertaking (SAU) to call for more oversight of the company's one-year contracts.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Greenfields lobby group escalates NBN complaint
A consortium of greenfield fibre operators will escalate allegations of anti-competitive behaviour levelled against NBN Co, after a Productivity Commission investigation resulted in no action.
Source: iTnews Australia
Telstra plans repair to North Bundaberg
Telstra has sped up plans to reconnect some 900 premises in North Bundaberg to fixed-line services by Wednesday this week.
Source: iTnews Australia
Telcos demand more power for ACCC in NBN Co SAU
Telcos are worried about the insufficient powers the Australian Competition and Consumers Commission (ACCC) can wield over the National Broadband Network (NBN) under NBN Co’s special access undertaking (SAU).
Source: ARN
Fri, 27th Jan 2012
Telstra's competitors call for wholesale ADSL to be regulated
Telstra's major competitors, from Optus downwards have been unanimous in calling on the ACCC to regulate Telstra's wholesale ADSL service.
Source: iTWire
Israel plans to rollout its own NBN
Israel's state-owned electric company hopes roll out its own high-speed national broadband network.
Source: Australian IT
Internode adjusts fibre plans to match NBN services
South Australia-based ISP, Internode, has released new fibre broadband service prices for more than 20 real estate development locations to match the speed and pricing of its National Broadband Network plans.
Source: ARN
Thu, 26th Jan 2012
Wireless bandwidth: Are we running out of room?
Wireless bandwidth is like land in Manhattan -- it's extremely valuable because they're not making more of it.
Source: Computerworld
Wed, 25th Jan 2012
Greenfields residents gain terabyte quotas
Internode has begun offering terabyte data quotas to residents in supported new housing estates for the first time in the latest of several changes bringing its greenfield prices in line with National Broadband Network offerings.
Source: iTnews Australia
Telstra opens 4G era for smartphones, but Bondi's off line
Smartphones have just become a whole lot faster potentially. Advantages can run from loading web pages five times more quickly than with the fastest 3G phones to using Facebook and email simultaneously and having video chats with less disruption.
Source: SMH
Vodafone plans Australian restructure
Vodafone Australia has confirmed it will embark on a restructure of the organisation in the "coming weeks" to reduce costs.
Source: iTnews Australia
Tue, 24th Jan 2012
Dodo core routers downed
A fault in Cisco switching equipment on Dodo's core network overnight has been blamed for intermittent and downed connections for thousands of users overnight.
Source: iTnews Australia