Broadband News
Mon, 07th Mar 2011
LTE pull is capacity, not speeds: Telstra
Key Telstra executives this morning emphasised that its newly announced Long Term Evolution (LTE) roll-out was about freeing up capacity on its flagship Next G network, rather than just boosting top-line speeds.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Telstra hangs up on Salmat contract
Telstra has cancelled its call centre contract with Salmat today, forcing the contact company to slash its guidance for the second half of the year.
Source: ZDNet Australia
How LTE will become Telstra's capacity trump card
In a broader sense, Telstra's shift to the 1800MHz spectrum for LTE mirrors the approach the telco took when it rolled out its 850Mhz Next G network starting in late 2005. At the time, the telco was pilloried by industry observers for using a spectrum frequency which was unpopular with international telcos -- with some claiming few handsets would ever support the range.
Source: Delimiter
Turnbull's crash course on Asian broadband
Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has embarked on an impromptu tour of broadband facilities and networks throughout the greater Asian region, in what appears to be an effort to keep on the cutting edge of technology as part of the debate about Australia's own National Broadband Network.
Source: ZDNet Australia
FRITZ!Box 7270: Review
The FRITZ!Box is a perfectly priced, and ideally configured device for one category of customers -- professionals with a small home office, or companies of only a handful of staff members. For this type of use, the FRITZ!Box 7270 is perfect, and we commend it to them. A marvellous piece piece of engineering, it will serve as a valuable investment that will deliver network stability for many years to come.
Source: iTWire
iiTrial appeal sets "high bar" for film studios
Copyright owners may have celebrated too soon a series of steps laid out by judges in the iiTrial appeal that could force ISPs to address piracy allegations, according to Baker & McKenzie special counsel Anne Flahvin.
Source: iTnews Australia
Telstra revenues slashed by ACCC
Telstra could be stripped of $60 million a year in revenue because of a crucial interim decision by the competition watchdog, analysts say.
Source: Australian IT
Sun, 06th Mar 2011
Nation of unrepentant pirates costs $900m
Almost 5 million Australians illegally downloaded films, television shows, music and other content online last year, a new study shows.
Source: SMH
Sat, 05th Mar 2011
Finding the ring of confidence in city's great beep test
On your marks. Get set. Download. Telstra has won a speed test of mobile phone providers in Sydney, narrowly beating second-place Optus and blitzing rival networks Vodafone and 3.
Source: SMH
Fri, 04th Mar 2011
Watchdog thaws price freeze on Telstra cable
The competition watchdog has thawed its 15-month freeze on the price of accessing Telstra's copper access network.
Source: Australian IT
ACCC draws mixed response on $16 copper access
The competition watchdog's interim decision to set a flat $16 a month charge for most wholesale access to Telstra's copper network has attracted a mixed response from the industry.
Source: iTnews Australia
Disasters could cut NBN comms: Internode
In the event of a natural disaster, fixed-line and mobile phone customers may be cut off because the National Broadband Network won't build redundancy into its network under proposed points of interconnect, Internode's general manager of regulatory and corporate affairs John Lindsay has warned.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Telstra's Plan B if NBN collapses
Telstra has been working on a contingency plan should the Gillard government's mammoth national broadband project fail.
Source: Australian IT
Energy industry attacks Coalition position on NBN wholesale changes
The energy utilities industry has attacked the Coalition's proposed NBN legislation amendments that would stop NBN Co from selling network access directly to selected companies and agencies.
Source: ARN
Opinion: NBN Co has more ACCC hurdles to jump
NBN Co has been distributing its product and price list noting that the prices still have to be accepted by the competition watchdog. David Havyatt outlines the challenges NBN Co will face in getting the prices accepted.
Source: iTnews Australia
Analysis: ISPs must sharpen customer agreements
The latest interpretation of copyright law by the Full Bench of the Federal Court should compel internet service providers to revisit their customer relationship agreements (CRAs), according to legal experts.
Source: iTnews Australia
Thu, 03rd Mar 2011
ACMA outlines five-year spectrum licence outlook
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has published a new report aimed at helping the Government's plan for the digital television switchover and reviewing major elements of Australia's wireless spectrum.
Source: Computerworld
ACMA looks abroad in mobile broadband spectrum study
The Australian Communications and Media Authority will begin a series of consultations this year to examine future spectrum bands for mobile broadband, amid concerns that spectrum "re-farmed" from defunct services won't be enough to meet future demand.
Source: iTnews Australia
Net pirate ruling may force ISPs to cut off cheats
Australian households now face the very real possibility of having their ISP disconnect or suspend them from the internet if they pirate films or music online.
Source: SMH
Fusion Broadband offers NBN like speeds from DSL bonding
Start up Fusion Broadband is offering a service that provides small businesses with increased Internet bandwidth and redundancy by bonding together up to six broadband services that can be from the same or different service providers.
Source: iTWire
Rights group eyes ISP anti-piracy roundtable
Rights holders have wasted no time seeking an audience with internet service providers in the wake of the iiTrial appeal judgment, calling for a "roundtable" to deal with online piracy just a day after AFACT's appeal in a case against iiNet was rejected in the Federal Court.
Source: iTnews Australia
Wed, 02nd Mar 2011
Exchange upgrades may cost NBN: Telstra
A concentration of National Broadband Network points of interconnect (POI) at existing exchange locations and a focus in metropolitan areas rather than regional areas risks making the network inefficient and increasing the costs for NBN Co and access seekers, according to Telstra.
Source: ZDNet Australia
ACCC splits up NBN Points of Interconnect sites
Australia's competition watchdog will split two large NBN points of interconnect in NSW and Queensland and expand or relocate several others in a revision announced today.
Source: iTnews Australia
ACMA to roll out spectrum auction system
The Federal Government is moving forward with its plan to sell off Australiaâs 700 MHz spectrum, with the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) signalling its intention to source an auction system to allocate spectrum licences.
Source: Computerworld
NBN Bills now with added transparency
The Greens last night celebrated after successfully moving amendments to the current NBN legislation before parliament that will open up NBN Co to scrutiny through Freedom of Information (FOI) laws.
Source: ZDNet Australia
iiNet on online film piracy: We're not the 'ISP Police'
Last week's judgement in the iiNet vs AFACT case has opened a few interesting cans of worms - including the possibility that ISP providers may be charged with disconnecting people who pirate. So what does iiNet think about this?
Source: PC Authority
Telstra's fault warning on NBN service
Telstra has warned that a key design feature of the National Broadband Network could raise the costs of the $36 billion project.
Source: Australian IT
Tue, 01st Mar 2011
No Labor majority on NBN oversight group
The Joint Committee tasked with overseeing the roll-out of the National Broadband Network (NBN) will not have a Labor majority, as part of a deal between the Greens and the Federal Government.
Source: ZDNet Australia
iiNet calls 'cherry-picking' at South Brisbane exchange
ISP iiNet has made a bid to have Telstra's fibre upgrade of the South Brisbane exchange captured by anti-cherry-picking rules being debated in Canberra.
Source: iTnews Australia
Greens finalise NBN joint committee
The Australian Greens today revealed it had reached an agreement with the Government to create a new parliamentary Joint Committee to oversee the rollout of the National Broadband Network.
Source: Delimiter