Broadband News
Mon, 11th Apr 2011
Birks quits the AIIA
The peak representative group for Australia's technology vendors has started looking for a new chief executive, following a decision by its incumbent Ian Birks to leave his position to start his own consulting company.
Source: iTWire
Optus begins femtocell trial
Optus has begun the first commercial femtocell pilot in Australia. A femtocell can be regarded as a private 3G base station linked to the network via the customer's broadband connection.
Source: iTWire
Don't get caught in NBN 'hysteria': Conroy
The National Broadband Network (NBN) has hit a couple of speed bumps. NBN Co reckons that vendors over-priced their bids to construct the network, and earlier this month the entire tender process was suspended. Then, the head of construction resigned. Critics pounced. But Communications Minister Senator Stephen Conroy reckons we shouldn't get caught up in the "hysteria", but should wait and see what the "Plan B" tender process delivers.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Conroy feared giving Telstra $20bn war chest
Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has revealed to the ABC that fears the national broadband network could be cherry-picked by Telstra pre-dated the current $36 billion plan announced two years ago.
Source: iTnews Australia
NBN plan changed to avoid compensation
The Federal Government changed its original plan for the National Broadband Network (NBN) to avoid having to compensate Telstra to the tune of $20 billion, according to Communications Minister Stephen Conroy.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Push for probe on 'NBN breaches'
A key fibre-to-the-home operator demands the Productivity Commission probe Labor's National Broadband Network for competition breaches.
Source: Australian IT
Net users logged on 21 hours a week
The internet has surged ahead in its dominance of consumers' media activities, with Australians increasing their time online by four hours a week last year.
Source: Australian IT
Sun, 10th Apr 2011
ACCAN & ISOC-AU launch consumer guide to NBN
ACCAN and the Internet Society of Australia (ISOC-AU) have launched NBN: A Guide for Consumers, designed to offer all Australians information about the National Broadband Network.
Source: iTWire
Sat, 09th Apr 2011
NBN Co joins Whirlpool in Internode retort
The National Broadband Network Company has joined broadband forum Whirlpool in an attempt to better inform the public about its muli-billion dollar project, with its first post last night being an extensive entry providing information around its ISP pricing plans, in an apparent attempt to reply to sharp criticism of its model by Internode MD Simon Hackett.
Source: Delimiter
Fri, 08th Apr 2011
Eftel to double customer base with ClubTelco acquisition
Eftel is to acquire national internet service provider ClubTelco, adding some 60,000 mobile broadband, ADSL and VoIP customers to its books.
Source: Computerworld
Vocus buys dark fibre, customers for $4m
Network company Vocus Communications is on an acquisition spree with the announcement of the takeover the assets of dark fibre network provider Digital River Networks for $3.95 million.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Slash NBN cost, run fibre through sewers says provider
The National Broadband Network could be deployed much cheaper and quicker by using existing water and sewerage infrastructure rather then building new ducts to house fibre, according to a fibre infrastructure provider. The claim comes amid a continuing controversy over the cancelled NBN Co building tender, and accusations of price gouging by building companies.
Source: iTWire
iiNet crowns Australia's first Top Geek
After months of auditions, challenges and nervous waiting, internet service provider iiNet last night crowned Australia's first Top Geek.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Telstra, Optus in NBN retail trial
NBN Co has signed up Telstra, Optus, iiNet and Internode, among others, to take part in customer trials of the high-speed internet network.
Source: Australian IT
Telstra, NBN Co tussle on pit-and-pipe ownership
Greenfields developers are caught in the crossfire of an unfolding spat between Telstra and NBN Co over pit and pipe ownership that threatens fibre rollout in new housing estates.
Source: iTnews Australia
Fears NBN bill could top $44bn
Fresh fears have emerged that the peak funding of the National Broadband Network could balloon beyond $44 billion.
Source: Australian IT
Thu, 07th Apr 2011
NBN Co urged to be more transparent
The company rolling out the National Broadband Network (NBN) has been urged to be more transparent about who will eventually lay its high-speed cables.
Source: ARN
Kokoda: Regulation essential to curb "criminal" ISPs
The Director of the Kokoda Foundation has stepped up calls for government regulation of the internet industry, to counter what he describes as "criminal" elements within the ISP community.
Source: iTnews Australia
NBN builders fear blowout
Construction companies pitching to build Labor's NBN say the cost of capital works for the project could surge more than 50 per cent above forecasts.
Source: Australian IT
Wed, 06th Apr 2011
NBN Co, name that vendor: union
The Communications, Electrical and Plumbing Union has called for the National Broadband Network Company (NBN Co) to name the construction firm it is in talks with to take over construction of the $37.5 billion project.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Telstra blames US router issue for degraded internet
Telstra has attributed a "router issue" in the United States to the degraded web browsing experienced by some cable and ADSL users in the past three days.
Source: iTnews Australia
NBN Co buys Comptel code for OSS project
NBN Co's operations support system architecture has started to take shape after acquiring software and services from Finnish vendor Comptel and the project's systems integrator IBM.
Source: iTnews Australia
NBN costing turning into Archilles heel of Government
The remarkable cancellation of the National Broadband Network building tender, followed by the dramatic resignation of the head of network construction at NBN Co, Patrick Flannigan, shows that all is not well with the costing of Australia’s biggest ever infrastructure project.
Source: iTWire
Conroy circles shock jock in NBN debate
Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has gone head-to-head with one of the conservative Sydney shock jocks he last week singled out as muddying the debate around the roll-out of the National Broadband Network (NBN): 2UE Afternoons host Mike Smith.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Telstra unveils new mobile hotspot device
Telstra has released its Elite Mobile Wi-Fi battery-powered hotspot 3G device for business and prepaid customers.
Source: ARN
Pacific Fibre goes to tender without PacNet
Pacific Fibre, a potential competitor to the Southern Cross Cable, today announced a tender for the build of its proposed cable connecting Australia and New Zealand to the United States, despite losing the funding of proposed joint venture partner PacNet.
Source: iTnews Australia
Tue, 05th Apr 2011
NBN to help keep communities together
The National Broadband Network will help in retaining residents in low-density communities, according to the Southern Adelaide Economic Development Board (The Board).
Source: ARN
NBN resignation vindicates contractors
Contractors are taking as vindication the decision by NBN Co's construction chief to quit after the suspension of building tenders.
Source: Australian IT
Darwin telco faces regulator over network coverage
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) this week instituted its third Federal Court case against Darwin telco EDirect for misleading conduct.
Source: iTnews Australia
Bad telcos must pay up: ACCAN
The Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman should be given beefed-up powers to impose harsher penalties on telcos that have been found to have breached consumer protection obligations, according to the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN).
Source: ZDNet Australia