Broadband News
Tue, 05th Apr 2011
Flannigan quits as NBN construction head
Patrick Flannigan has quit as NBN Co's head of construction, the national broadband network developer said today.
Source: Australian IT
Mon, 04th Apr 2011
Internode urges free peering of govt data
Since the government is unlikely to offer citizens a separate free internet connection to government services via the National Broadband Network (NBN), access to government content should be free to all retail service providers, Internode has told Federal MPs.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Is Labor digging a hole on NBN labour?
NBN Co's hard stop has many observers wondering if the company hasn't bitten off more than it can chew - or whether construction bosses are just building too much fat into their contracts. Yet as NBN Co works to recover its momentum, it's worth considering whether Labor's determination to complete the project could see an alternative plan following the lead of our Asian neighbours.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Internode tells Conroy: you got it wrong
Internet service provider, Internode, has reiterated to the Federal Government its repeated warnings about the anti-competitive impact of the proposed structure of the National Broadband Network (NBN).
Source: ARN
NBN controversy? We know nothing: Government
The Federal Government is trying to distance itself from a controversy attached to the company building the National Broadband Network (NBN).
Source: ARN
We predicted NBN construction blow-outs: Turnbull
Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull late last week claimed the Opposition and sections of the telecommunications industry had predicted the NBN construction costs would blow out beyond the Government's estimates, in the wake of news that NBN Co had been forced to halt its tendering process in the area, after negotiations with suppliers broke down over price.
Source: Delimiter
Huawei to set up Australian board
Huawei will create an Australian board of directors to run its local business, appointing an executive headhunter to locate three independent local directors.
Source: iTnews Australia
Killing the fixed-to-mobile substitution myth
Opponents of the National Broadband Network (NBN) have been arguing that mobile access will replace demand for faster fixed-line connections. The latest ABS statistics tell a different story.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Apprentices on notice, NBN plans put at risk
New apprentices are struggling to pass tests that were breezed through a decade ago, with skills in maths and physics so poor as to endanger plans for the national broadband network, an industry skills council says.
Source: SMH
Small ISPs should start small: Conroy
Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has dismissed Internode's concerns about National Broadband Network (NBN) pricing smaller ISPs out of the national market, stating that new players wouldn't necessarily be national right away.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Conroy backs NBN as tender put on hold
Stephen Conroy has defended a shock move by the NBN Co to suspend a crucial network building tender.
Source: Australian IT
Fri, 01st Apr 2011
Small ISPs can thrive in NBN's regions
The National Broadband Network (NBN) will mean massive change for the telecommunications industry, with a range of industry players already looking at their future business models. We want retail service providers (RSPs) and others to seriously consider the opportunities of the NBN.
Source: ZDNet Australia
NBN Co explores options
Nbn is talking with a single constructor about building the entire network in the wake of the cancelled first tender.
Source: Australian IT
Union fears NBN workers face wage squeeze
The union representing workers laying out the national broadband network believes their wages will be squeezed as the project manager seeks to tighten up construction contracts.
Source: ARN
Hackett's premise flawed, says NBN Co
NBN Co has defended its pricing approach in the face of strident criticism from an ISP which will be one of its largest customers, claiming comments by Internode managing director Simon Hackett this week didn't reflect the "reality" of how it would sell services to the telecommunications market after its network was rolled out.
Source: iTWire
High prices force NBN to change tack
The company overseeing the national broadband network will seek new builders after suspending its cabling tender process due to high price demands.
Source: The Australian
NBN tender halted over 'price gouging'
The company given the job of rolling out the $36 billion National Broadband Network has received exorbitant demands from construction companies.
Source: Australian IT
Thu, 31st Mar 2011
Why the Telstra/NBN deal should be scrapped
Over at his blog, seasoned technology executive and all-round nice guy Sean Kaye has some interesting thoughts on a wide range of matters involving the NBN, including his pessimism about Telstra's multi-billion dollar deal with NBN Co: "The deal with Telstra should be scrapped. I agree with the idea, but the truth is, you [...]
Source: iTWire
Google to be grilled on piracy
Google's antipiracy efforts are likely to come under scrutiny during a US congressional hearing scheduled next week in Washington.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Slattery: NBN is turning toxic
The $36 billion Government funded National Broadband Network (NBN) has become a bad investment that will only benefit Telstra in the long run, according to NextDC CEO and Pipe Networks founder, Bevan Slattery.
Source: ARN
Cisco set to expand in Australia
Network equipment outfit Cisco will expand its headcount in Australia and New Zealand this year by as much as 20 per cent.
Source: Australian IT
Wed, 30th Mar 2011
Students shrug off NBN as a 'waste'
The national broadband network may have secured the support of the independents and squeezed through Parliament but according to the next generation of internet users it's a waste of money.
Source: SMH
Security woes heighten as NBN, cloud take hold: IIA
The security settings associated with the National Broadband Network (NBN) are increasing the level of risk and potential for damage, according to the head of the Australian Internet Industry Association (IIA).
Source: ARN
Labor ready to use law for NBN link-up
The government is refusing to rule out using federal laws against states that oppose its plans to connect all households to the NBN.
Source: Australian IT
Turnbull: NBN gets harder to 'unpick'
Shadow communications spokesman Malcolm Turnbull has conceded that NBN legislation passed this week made it harder for a future Coalition Government to sell down the network before it was finished.
Source: iTnews Australia
AAPT: NBN uniform wholesale broadband prices "defies logic"
The Federal Government's commitment to provide uniform wholesale prices on the National Broadband Network (NBN) "defies logic" as it prevents vital competition at the infrastructure level
Source: ARN
Telstra Wholesale begins customer portal migration
Telstra Wholesale has revealed it will begin migrating customers across to a new "one-stop" service portal from today.
Source: iTnews Australia
Tue, 29th Mar 2011
'Insane' NBN pricing will kill small ISPs: Hackett
Internode managing director Simon Hackett today described the National Broadband Network's pricing model as "insane" for small internet service providers, warning that none will survive their walk through the "valley of death" transition from the current copper network to the fibre future envisioned by the Federal Government.
Source: Delimiter
NBN law stalls cloud for small business
Anti-cherry-picking provisions in the National Broadband Network (NBN) legislation will prevent many small businesses from accessing cloud services until 2020, datacentre provider NextDC chief Bevan Slattery has warned.
Source: ZDNet Australia
NBN cost model 'entrenches' Telstra, Optus
Internode managing director Simon Hackett has claimed as few as five national ISPs have the scale to pay for a direct wholesale feed from NBN Co based on publicly available cost models.
Source: iTnews Australia