Broadband News
Fri, 06th May 2011
Telcos to pay for slow connections, repairs
Those customers who rage at the ridiculous amount of time that a telecommunications provider is taking to repair a fault or to connect a line may soon have a legal avenue to follow after the introduction of benchmark reforms.
Source: ZDNet Australia
NBN Co confirms Optus, IPSTAR satellite contracts
National Broadband Network (NBN) wholesaler NBN Co has awarded satellite operators Optus and IPSTAR contracts worth a total $300 million for managed satellite services to three per cent of Australian premises, confirming ndustry speculation surrounding the service.
Source: Computerworld
iiNet's IPv6 to hit customers soon
National broadband provider iiNet has told customers not to worry about the impending shortage of IPv4 internet addresses, noting that it was currently running trials with the next version 6 of the Internet Protocol, and that it expected to start including portions of its customer base soon.
Source: iTWire
Telstra 'threatened to dump' NBN deal
Telstra threatened to walk away from an $11 billion deal with NBN Co unless the federal government allowed the telco giant to charge smaller players high prices to access its network, the Australian Greens and telco industry sources say.
Source: Computerworld
NBN boss looks to fix costs of labour
NBN Co chief executive Mike Quigley says he "believes" the $36 billion broadband fibre network can still be built to budget.
Source: Australian IT
iiNet: Online strategy discussion lacking in NBN debate
Australia needs a game plan on how to best utilise the National Broadband Network (NBN, according to Perth-based ISP, iiNet.
Source: ARN
Thu, 05th May 2011
iiNet slams Telstra over VoIP stance
National broadband provider iiNet has responded to comments by Telstra that consumer-grade Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephony isn't yet reliable enough for use by pointing out that it has 170,000 customers using the technology - and they're very happy, thank you very much.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Internode lets loose two Billion IPv6 and an NBN-ready router
The number of routers ready for the IPv6 and NBN world grows, with the addition of the two Billion routers to Internode's lineup.
Source: PC Authority
ACMA puts the brakes on fax marketing
The ACMA has finalised rules governing the delivery of fax-based marketing messages, as part of the Do-Not-Call regime, limiting the times at which these can be sent and their frequency.
Source: iTWire
Selling the NBN dream
A little over a week ago Fairfax and News Ltd each ran a story about a collection of prominent Australians who would sell the benefits of the National Broadband Network to the Australian population.
Source: ZDNet Australia
US judge rules out IP address evidence in file-sharing case
Judge accuses prosecution of "fishing trips" by using IP address evidence to identify alleged file-sharers.
Source: PC Authority
IPSTAR joins NBN interim satellite talks
Australian satellite operator IPSTAR is likely to become one of several sub-contractors to Optus under a deal to provide interim satellite services under the National Broadband Network (NBN).
Source: Computerworld
Wed, 04th May 2011
300MHz spectrum shortfall in 2020: ACMA
Australia's love of mobile internet will increase 1000 times from 2007 to 2020, forcing providers to find an extra 300MHz of spectrum in order to cope with the growing demand in the next nine years, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has warned.
Source: ZDNet Australia
iiNet bucks TIO complaints trend
At at time when complaints to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman are escalating, at least one major ISP - iiNet - is the subject of fewer complaints.
Source: iTWire
NBN must be detailed in budget: Abbott
An honest government would use next week's budget to demonstrate how the troubled National Broadband Network (NBN) would be delivered and at what cost, opposition leader Tony Abbott says.
Source: Computerworld
NBN Co's planned points of interconnect updated
The ACCC has published a revised list of NBN points of interconnect, describing it as "a refinement of the outcome of the public confirmation process about the initial PoIs to the NBN."
Source: iTWire
Vodafone not a scapegoat for TIO spike
The Australian Communications and Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) has warned telcos against scapegoating Vodafone for an unprecedented rise in telecommunications complaints referred to the industry's ombudsman.
Source: iTnews Australia
Vodafone Hutchison Australia joins NBN mainland trials
Vodafone Hutchison Australia (VHA) has taken its first steps to providing consumer fixed-line broadband services by joining the mainland National Broadband Network (NBN) trials.
Source: ARN
ACMA sees demand for mobile spectrum peaking in 2018
Most forecasts for mobile broadband data are for exponential growth driven by increasingly smart devices and video services. The ACMA, however expects demand to peak in 2018 by which time short range wireless technologies accessing fibre to the premises networks will be easing demand for spectrum.
Source: iTWire
Fujitsu in $100m a year NBN hook up
The Gillard government is poised to announce that technology group Fujitsu will handle the rollout of the National Broadband Network.
Source: Australian IT
Vodafone 'main reason' for telco complaint increase
Vodafone customer complaints to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman in the last quarter have risen by 96 per cent when compared to the previous quarter, the telco ombudsman revealed today.
Source: SMH
Vodafone leads the charge as complaints against telcos surge to new high
Australia's peak telecoms users gripe body has slammed the latest complaints figures released by the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO), which show that consumer complaints for the first quarter of 2011 surged by 31%, easily eclipsing the previous record. Vodafone in particular and the other two major mobile providers were fingered as the chief culprits.
Source: iTWire
Tue, 03rd May 2011
Vividwireless switches on 4G for Brisbane, Adelaide and Canberra
Wireless ISP, vividwireless, has expanded coverage of its 4G network to Adelaide, Brisbane and Canberra.
Source: ARN
NBN delay attacks couched in impatience
Council areas given the chance to access the NBN seem to want it - and yesterday. But the NBN isn't going to be built overnight, and it really can't get started in earnest until it gets a disinterested Telstra to sign on the dotted line. Yet this hasn't stopped critics from attacking every delay as a failure of the NBN - even when they're contributing to those delays. Is this unfair criticism, or a fair cop by NBN Co?
Source: ZDNet Australia
Telstra contractors in court for staffing
About 10,000 call centre workers and door-to-door salespeople working as subcontractors for Telstra around Australia could be out-of-pocket as a result of being engaged as independent contractors.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Free DNS service adds IPv6 support
OpenDNS, one of the Internet's most popular free DNS services, is now offering production-grade support for IPv6, an upgrade to the Internet's main communications protocol known as IPv4.
Source: Computerworld
Mon, 02nd May 2011
Conroy moves to streamline regulation for smaller telcos
The Communications Minister wants to remove obligations to pay regulatory compliance costs for telcos making less than $25m in revenue.
Source: ARN
vividwireless flags TD-LTE network by year's end
Wireless broadband provider, vividwireless, has flagged plans to commence the nationwide rollout of a Time Division Duplex Long Term Evolution (TD-LTE) network by year's end.
Source: Computerworld
Vodafone Infinite case costs Optus
Optus has been stuck with Vodafone's court costs after bringing a case against the mobile telco accusing it of misleading advertisements.
Source: ZDNet Australia
PennyTel engaged in stoush with Optus
Mobile VoIP provider PennyTel has threatened legal action against former wholesale partner Optus after the carrier informed PennyTel customers directly that their mobile services would "cease" in a fortnight.
Source: iTnews Australia