Broadband News
Thu, 12th May 2011
800MHz public safety broadband would waste time and money
Using the 800MHz spectrum instead of the 700MHz spectrum for public safety broadband use would be extremely costly and could delay plans for an emergency services broadband network by up to 10 years.
Source: ARN
Optus lifts profit 15 percent through strong mobile growth
Optus as reported steady growth for the full year to 31 March led by its mobile business with mobile connections passing the nine million mark.
Source: iTWire
NBN Co aims to solve the activation blame game
If all goes to plan with the National Broadband Network, internet service providers may no longer be able to use the age-old excuse of "It's Telstra's fault!" for activation delays. According to NBN Co's industry integration manager, an uncomplicated activation should take no longer than five minutes.
Source: Computerworld
Optus, Telstra share the spoils
Optus and Telstra have divvied up the gains from customers leaving Vodafone Hutchison Australia.
Source: Australian IT
NBN Co virtualises with Citrix
Initial rollout to focus on the desktop, Citrix to provide three years support
Source: ARN
Wed, 11th May 2011
ISP filtering not so hot
There's no word yet on whether mandatory Internet filtering in Australia will go ahead, although the government has revealed "limited interest" in a filtering grants scheme.
Source: PC Authority
Optus wireless broadband reviewed
Optus’ network performance remains impressive, but we wish they’d come up with simpler and much better value plans
Source: PC Authority
Budget gives ACMA & ACCC $13.8m to prepare for NBN
The Federal Budget has allocated $34.4m over five years to DBCDE for additional work to support the finalisation of definitive agreements between Telstra and NBN Co and $12.4m to the ACMA and the ACCC to set up the regulatory framework for the NBN.
Source: iTWire
NBN Co lays out timeline for ISP interfaces
NBN Co has revealed a timeline of three major releases of its service portal and B2B gateway that provide the technical interface between the network builder and access seekers (ISPs).
Source: iTnews Australia
Internode deploys multicast to national Agile network
Adelaide-based internet service provider Internode has completed a national deployment of multicasting architecture on its Agile DSLAM network, allowing it to officially launch FetchTV internet protocol television (IPTV) services since first partnering with the company last year.
Source: Computerworld
NBN Co to trial direct calls to ISPs' customers
NBN Co has revealed it will make direct contact with prospective end users of its broadband network if they require an NBN field technician to attend their homes.
Source: iTnews Australia
Tue, 10th May 2011
Broadband users pouring bundle down drain by not bundling
A new survey purports to show that one third of broadband users are wasting money by using different service providers for voice and internet services. Apparently bundling is the key to reducing the financial impost of communications these days.
Source: iTWire
Leighton to build its own Singapore-Perth cable
Australian construction giant Leighton Holdings has signed an agreement with Alcatel-Lucent to build a 4800km submarine cable network between Singapore and Perth.
Source: iTnews Australia
Vocus completes dark fibre purchase
Wholesale telecom operator, Vocus Communications, has closed the purchase of a dark fibre telecom operator for nearly $4 million.
Source: Computerworld
iiNet targets 16 NBN points of interconnect
ISP iiNet has identified 16 points of interconnect it will target for customer growth in the stage one and two builds of the national broadband network.
Source: iTnews Australia
Will World of Warcraft drive ISP IPv6 adoption?
Whether IT networking boffins like it or not, one of the biggest drivers toward IPv6 adoption may turn out to be Blizzard’s massively online multiplayer monolith, World of Warcraft (WoW).
Source: Computerworld
Oakeshott looks for NBN "bang for buck" in inquiry
Nbn Co will be required to appear before a new parliamentary committee at least twice a year.
Source: Computerworld
Telcos score big with $1.85 trillion in 2010
Telecoms service providers throughout the world harvested a fortune in 2010, growing their revenues by 4% in 2010 to reach a massive US$1.85 trillion, according to new figures. Much of the growth was driven by mobile carriers in the new global engine economies, such as Brazil, Russia, India and China.
Source: iTWire
Telstra, iiNet continue DSLAM rollout in wake of NBN
Telstra has defended upgrades to broadband services in northern Tasmania where NBN Co is set to begin connecting customers.
Source: ARN
Mon, 09th May 2011
NBN Co reveals B2B gateway architecture
NBN Co plans to schedule a weekly "change window" between 2am and 6am where it can service its B2B gateway - the IT interconnection point with ISP systems.
Source: iTnews Australia
Budget 2011: AIIA wish list
Ahead of Treasurer Wayne Swan delivering his fourth Federal Budget tomorrow night, the Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA) has released its wish list for what it thinks the government should focus its ICT investment on for the next 12 months.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Westnet delivers on regional broadband upgrade
iiNet subsidiary Westnet has delivered on its promise to roll out ADSL2+ services to homes in Western Australia under a $5 million broadband infrastructure upgrade for regional Australia.
Source: Computerworld
Westnet completes WA ADSL2+ rollout
iiNet-owned Western Australian telco Westnet has announced that it has completed the Western Australian portion of its $5 million ADSL2+ network roll-out across Australia.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Optus to launch converged IPTV service with FetchTV
Optus is partnering with wholesale IPTV service provider, FetchTV to jointly develop a converged IPTV service that will be available over is fixed broadband network and on smartphones and tablet devices.
Source: iTWire
Internode turns 20
South Australia-based ISP, Internode, has celebrated its 20th birthday.
Source: ARN
iiNet begins Netspace billing migration
ISP iiNet has begun migrating Netspace customers onto its billing platform, after having acquired the Victorian company for $40 million last March.
Source: iTnews Australia
ISOC-AU calls on ISP participation for World IPv6 Day
The Internet Society of Australia (ISOC-AU) has called on local businesses ISPs to participate in World IPv6 Day, with Internode the first major Aussie telco to sign up to the initiative.
Source: Computerworld
Stop the free calls rip-off says ACCAN
Australian peak telecoms consumer advocacy group, has called on the big three carriers, Telstra, Optus and Vodafone, to end timed calls from mobiles to the 13, 1300 and 1800 numbers that used by government services and businesses. Such calls are billed as free or at cheap untimed rates of a maximum of 30c when called from landlines within Australia.
Source: iTWire
Fri, 06th May 2011
NBN Co chief expects build to stay on budget
NBN Co chief Mike Quigley has stated his expectation that the national broadband network can be deployed without blowing the $36 billion budget, despite delays in awarding construction contracts.
Source: iTnews Australia
200 remote homes to get 6Mbps NBN satellite trial from Optus and IPstar
NBN Co has announced a new trial for 200 homes in remote regions for its new 6Mbps satellite broadband service, using Optus and IPstar as the service providers. A long way short of city broadband speeds, the new satellite service promises peak download speeds of 6Mbps and uploads of up to 1Mbps.
Source: iTWire