Broadband News
Mon, 14th Nov 2011
NBN Co signs NT, SA construction deals
The National Broadband Network Company (NBN Co) announced it has signed construction contracts for the Northern Territory and South Australia, the last states and territories to be without such agreements.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Fri, 11th Nov 2011
Opinion: 5 ways ISPs will tempt you in the NBN era
The NBN is going to be a long fight for Optus and Telstra. With Optus pricing now public, Cameron Craig looks at how ISPs will try to lure you in the NBN era.
Source: PC Authority
Telstra, Optus prepare to oppose tower bill
Major mobile carriers and industry organisations are preparing last-minute submissions opposing a plan to give communities more power in deciding the location of antennas and upgrades.
Source: iTnews Australia
How litigation only spurred on P2P file sharing
Do you remember back in 2001 when Napster shut down its servers? US courts found Napster Inc was likely to be liable for the copyright infringements of its users. Many of Napster's successors were also shut down.
Source: iTnews Australia
Citi prices Turnbull broadband plan at $17b
Although Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has been mum on definite costs, Citigroup Global Markets estimates that the coalition's broadband plan would set Australian taxpayers back approximately $16.7 billion, and could be completed by the end of 2018.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Thu, 10th Nov 2011
Tit for tat in AFACT-iiNet final submissions
Ahead of the final High Court hearing of the ground-breaking iiNet copyright infringement case, the Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft (AFACT) has again claimed that there is no evidence that it would cost iiNet to act on copyright infringement notices.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Optus postpaid mobile customers pass five million
Optus added 116,000 postpaid mobile subscribers in the three months to 30 September, taking its postpaid customer based north of five million.
Source: iTWire
Wed, 09th Nov 2011
VHA boosts customer support staff
Beleaguered telco Vodafone Hutchison Australia has increased support staff locally and abroad to manage a raft of customer complaints.
Source: Australian IT
Optus couldn't wait for NBN Co WBA to release its pricing
Optus has announced NBN mainland pricing for consumers only, choosing to forge ahead without a finalised wholesale broadband agreement (WBA) with NBN Co as the process was taking "longer than initially envisaged".
Source: Computerworld
Optus outs trial NBN pricing
Optus has backpedalled on its National Broadband Network pricing plans, unveiling a schedule of trial offerings between $39.99 and $129 for standalone broadband and bundled plans respectively.
Source: iTnews Australia
NBN Co offers enhanced SLA to businesses
NBN Co has unveiled plans to offer enhanced service-level agreements and speed guarantees from halfway through next year as part of three planned product drops targeting the business market.
Source: iTnews Australia
Optus NBN offerings undercut rivals
Optus has beaten Telstra to become Australia's first major carrier to unveil pricing for its National Broadband Network service.
Source: Australian IT
Tue, 08th Nov 2011
NBN Co works towards simplified roll-out
The National Broadband Network Company (NBN Co) is working to simplify roll-outs both to premises and multi-dwelling units, with the aim of having a "single truck roll" for installation.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Telstra bucks complaints trend
Telstra recorded a drop in customer complaints as Vodafone registered a whopping 222 per cent rise.
Source: Australian IT
Telco watchdog sees record complaints
The Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman has today released a damning report into telecommunications customer service, despite the fact that the industry has just released a draft new Telecommunications Consumer Protection Code to improve customer satisfaction.
Source: ZDNet Australia
NBN Co: Greenfield sites and fixed-wireless spurred transit network build acceleration
Nbn Co's transit network has been fast tracks thanks to growing demand for fibre connections in new estates and to speed up rollout of the fixed-wireless network, according to the company's chief, Mike Quigley.
Source: ARN
NBN Co lays out plans for small business
The National Broadband Network Company (NBN Co) today announced plans to offer internet service providers (ISPs) high-speed wholesale broadband services created specifically for the needs of small office/home office (SOHO) owners and the small business market.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Vodafone sends telco industry to record level of complaints
The Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman has described Vodafone as "extremely disappointing", after complaints about the telco almost tripled compared to last year.
Source: iTWire
Venture Consulting predicts patchwork NBN
Telco consultant Justin Jameson has given NBN Co a 30 percent chance of pulling off a complete fibre rollout due to Labor's chances of returning to power at the next election.
Source: iTnews Australia
Mon, 07th Nov 2011
NBN's benefits not being correctly sold to the public
The Federal Government must do a better job of publicly clarifying the objectives of its National Broadband Network (NBN), attendees at the Communications and Policy Research Forum 2011 have heard.
Source: Computerworld
Axe NBN to reach surplus: Abbott
Axing the National Broadband Network would help bring the federal budget back into surplus next financial year, opposition leader Tony Abbott says.
Source: Computerworld
Router issue cuts 10% of Telstra traffic
Telstra's fixed-line internet went down for thousands of BigPond and business customers, with 10 per cent of internet traffic cut across the country today.
Source: ZDNet Australia
NBN Co's fixed CVC pricing comes under criticism, again
The bandwidth pricing that the NBN Co charges retail service providers (RSPs) has again come under fire with suggestions that some RSPs may need to substantially increase the prices on some faster speed planes - particularly in regional areas - due to the economic impacts of fixed connectivity virtual circuit (CVC) pricing.
Source: Computerworld
Sun, 06th Nov 2011
Faster than ADSL2+ - how Telstra is configuring its superfast 4G network
Telstra's new LTE network blows away fixed-line broadband in designated 4G areas in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. We look at how Telstra is configuring it for Australian needs.
Source: APC Magazine
Fri, 04th Nov 2011
Has Telstra made 84,000 reasons to filter?
The heated debate about internet filtering has calmed down this year, with voluntary filtering at several ISPs drawing little of the chanting, marching and petitioning that we saw two years ago. Does this fact, paired with recent statistics showing that Telstra's filter is keeping at least a few sickos from casual child porn access, legitimise the case for moderate internet filtering?
Source: ZDNet Australia
NBN may get mining sector's 457 skills program
The Federal Government is considering a plan to extend a special 457 visa program designed for the resources sector to the telecommunications industry, to allow it to expedite the import of large numbers of skilled workers.
Source: iTWire
AARNet eyes e-health NBN projects
AARNet has unveiled plans to connect hundreds of homes for the first time over the National Broadband Network as part of several research trials it has lined up across the country.
Source: iTnews Australia
Thu, 03rd Nov 2011
Broadband-enabled program for elderly
The Victorian Government continues to push its credentials as a technology-savvy government and to ramp up its efforts to promote Victoria as a 'globally sophisticated ICT market', to attract new investment in the tech sector and to deliver e-services to the community utilising high-speed broadband and the NBN.
Source: iTWire
AARNet to Kinect the elderly over the NBN
The Australian Academic Research Network (AARNet) has jumped onboard a collaborative broadband project to develop enabling technology for the elderly to exercise at home over the National Broadband Network (NBN).
Source: Computerworld
Does Telstra really have a plan?
New revenue streams and better customer service doesn't sound like a plan; it sounds like common sense. So, what is the future direction for Australia's biggest telco?
Source: ZDNet Australia