Broadband News

Wed, 06th Jul 2011

Filter technically impossible for us: NBN Co

The National Broadband Network Company (NBN Co) confirmed late yesterday that it wouldn't be implementing the limited filtering scheme being put into place by other Australian telcos, noting that the national network it is constructing is incompatible with the type of technology being used in the filter.

Source: ZDNet Australia

NBN Co seeks training providers

The company charged with the rollout of the National Broadband Network (NBN) has called for applications of interest from registered training providers to build the skills of those constructing the network.

Source: Computerworld

NBN Co defends controversial supplier decisions

NBN Co chief Mike Quigley has declined to reveal the extent of risk it absorbed to entice Silcar back to the table mere months after accusing the construction industry of attempting to fleece taxpayers.

Source: iTnews Australia

Optus faces $100m in payouts

Optus could pay as much as $100 million in termination payments as it works to unstring its cable network.

Source: Australian IT

NBN probes Telstra's pits

Nbn Co has begun a 12-week review of the state of Telstra's infrastructure assets to allow it to finalise its rollout schedule.

Source: Australian IT

Tue, 05th Jul 2011

TPG repeats: We won't implement voluntary filter

Well, we already knew that national broadband provider TPG wasn't too keen on the idea of voluntarily filtering its customers' Internet, courtesy of comments made by Communications Minister Stephen Conroy in late May this year. But now the company has come out in a bit more of a concrete way against the voluntary filter.

Source: iTWire

We'll filter when the law says: Internode

Internode has clarified its position with respect to the limited filtering scheme being implemented by other internet service providers (ISPs), saying it will implement the scheme when it's forced to by law, but not otherwise.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Teen finds free net hole on Voda, Optus

A 19-year-old from Grafton, New South Wales has found a hole in the mobile broadband networks of both Optus and Vodafone that allows users free access to the internet.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Photos: Skybridge installs NBN satellites

As part of the NBN satellite trials initiated this month, 200 existing SkyMesh and HarbourSAT users have had the satellite service installed at their homes. This means more than the ONT box fibre and fixed wireless users get - it's an entirely new satellite dish along with their existing one.

Source: PC Authority

Review: VividWireless wireless broadband

VividWireless is a relatively new player in the mobile broadband marketplace. The company itself is a subsidiary of the same group that owns Channel Seven and Hybrid TV, the local distributors of the TiVO PVR.

Source: iTnews Australia

NBN committee calls for bigger greenfields probe

A joint parliamentary committee has called for a bigger investigation into alleged breaches of competitive neutrality rules by network wholesaler NBN Co in new housing estates.

Source: iTnews Australia

Mon, 04th Jul 2011

Optus' filter can be defeated by 'trivial' DNS change

The nation's second-largest telco Optus this afternoon confirmed users would be able to defeat its implementation of a blacklist filter of sites containing child pornography merely by changing the DNS settings on their PC.

Source: iTWire

Optus filter to go live this month

Optus has confirmed that it will follow Telstra and start filtering its customers' internet traffic for a blacklist of sites containing child pornography within the next few weeks.

Source: ZDNet Australia

High speed adult content may drive NBN uptake

While the Federal Government has extolled the virtues of the National Broadband Network (NBN) in delivering e-health and government agency services to every Australian, adult content will be the major driver of consumer adoption, according to content and applications developer, The Project Factory.

Source: Computerworld

ISPs to cop blame for false NBN speed claims

The ACCC has shone a light on contention ratios on the National Broadband Network after threatening to sue internet service providers whose products don't meet the speed test.

Source: iTnews Australia

Telstra's David Thodey 'underpaid': survey

Telstra's David Thodey is among a few ASX100 chief executives with a strong case for a pay rise, according to a study.

Source: Australian IT

NBN deal with Telstra 'absurd and wasteful'

Canberra faces demands to axe plans to pay Telstra to maintain its copper network in the bush where the NBN Co will also roll out a network.

Source: Australian IT

Sun, 03rd Jul 2011

ACCC spells out the reality of "100Mbps" on NBN

The ACCC has published an information paper to guide providers of HFC and FTTP broadband Internet services when they make 'speed' claims about their services. It makes very clear the many factors that will in reality make the speed users really experience much less than the much touted headline figures.

Source: iTWire

Fri, 01st Jul 2011

Don't lie about fibre speeds: ACCC

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is lecturing internet service providers (ISPs) over being truthful in advertisements about the speeds available over hybrid fibre-coaxial and fibre networks ahead of the roll-out of the National Broadband Network.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Vodafone adds 775 mobile network sites, upgrades 810

Vodafone Hutchison Australia (VHA) is ahead of schedule with its $1.1 billion network upgrade with 775 new network sites added and another 810 upgraded.

Source: ARN

AAPT meets NBN with expanded network

AAPT chief David Yuile has revealed plans to extend the telco's fibre network in a bid to reach all 121 points of interconnect under the National Broadband Network.

Source: iTnews Australia

AAPT becomes official NBN aggregator

Aapt is now a certified National Broadband Network (NBN) service aggregator.

Source: ARN

ACCC rethinks Telstra exchange regulation

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has had second thoughts about Telstra exchanges that it had previously exempted from regulation, saying that some may not be living up to its expectations.

Source: ZDNet Australia

NBN to launch rural broadband service

Rural and remote Australians will soon have access to broadband services similar to their city cousins with the launch of the National Broadband Network's (NBN) Interim Satellite Service.

Source: Computerworld

Test finds national wireless network would harm GPS

New tests for a propossed US-wide wireless broadband network have cast doubt over the Opposiiton's call for the wiidespread use of wireless as an alternative to Labor's National Broadband Network (NBN).

Source: ARN

Thu, 30th Jun 2011

Tasmanian NBN cabling stays overhead

The mayor of one of two towns to receive second-stage NBN fibre in Tasmania has flagged the potential for overhead cabling to play a big part at the site.

Source: iTnews Australia

TransACT named as latest RSP choice for the NBN

Regional telco TransACT has been named as the latest retail service provider (RSP) to work on the National Broadband Network (NBN).

Source: Computerworld

Global sites still slow, says NBN early adopter

Menon's point is a good one -- Australia's international internet links still aren't the greatest, and much will depend on the quality of your ISP's links, as well as the general load of internet traffic on the day to particular sites, their database configuration, how many network hops there are between your PC and their server, and so on.

Source: iTWire

NBN second stage under construction in Tas

Construction on the second phase of the National Broadband Network (NBN) has begun in Tasmania.

Source: Computerworld

TransACT seeks Conroy's exemption in Canberra expansion

TransACT has appealed to Communications Minister Stephen Conroy for an exemption to recently passed NBN legislation that had stalled a greenfields network build outside Canberra.

Source: iTnews Australia