Broadband News
Fri, 14th Jan 2011
Big telcos brace for $50m repair bill
The nation's major telecommunications companies are facing a bill in excess of $50 million and three months of build time.
Source: Australian IT
European ISPs rubbish net filtering
European internet service providers have lobbied the EU Parliament to drop its internet service provider level child pornography filtering. Legislation is set to be voted on next month which may see it become European law. EuroISPA, representing some 1800 European providers, argues the measures are ineffective.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Nextgen to install temporary fibre cable in Queensland
Nextgen Networks will today attempt a "temporary" fix on a flood-damaged fibre cable linking Sydney and Brisbane after field technicians got their first look at the site yesterday afternoon.
Source: iTnews Australia
Thu, 13th Jan 2011
The big update: Telco networks in Queensland
Telecommunication companies are currently struggling to restore their services in flooded Queensland territory, as access to damaged exchange sites is still denied and power outages prevent networks from operating.
Source: Delimiter
AAPT confirms flood damage to Brisbane PoP
AAPT chief executive officer Paul Broad has confirmed that one of the telco's Brisbane points-of-presence suffered the entrance of water during the Queensland floods.
Source: iTnews Australia
Three months to rebuild Queensland comms: Telstra
It will take three months to fully restore Telstra's communications infrastructure, the telco indicated this week.
Source: Computerworld
Vodafone fires staff over security breach
Vodafone has sacked "a number" of employees following a security breach that resulted in unauthorised access of customer details.
Source: Australian IT
Telcos services stumble as flood peaks
The peak of the Brisbane floods early this morning may have failed to break the 1974 record levels, but it did break telecommunications services for some major carriers.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Telstra locked out of hundreds of Qld exchanges
Telstra has been temporarily locked out of 262 of its telephone exchanges throughout Queensland, according to a bulletin issued yesterday to its wholesale customers, with exchanges in areas such as Edison, Ipswitch and Fortitude Valley actually at risk of power loss or the facilities themselves being flooded.
Source: Delimiter
Telco repairs to get priority as Queensland floods recede
Telecommunications staff and repairs are set to be prioritised as the devastating Queensland floods recede.
Source: ARN
Tasman-Pacific fibre cable raises $4.24m
The carrier aiming to build the second main fibre-optic cable linking Australia, New Zealand and the US yesterday said it raised over $NZ5.5 million ($A4.24 million) in a fourth round of funding.
Source: iTnews Australia
Opinion: What will we do with all that download quota when the NBN rolls down our street?
Generous download plans have meant that maxing out quotas is almost a thing of the past. But has this got more to do with the limits of TV and movies holding back how much content is available via the web?
Source: PC Authority
Wed, 12th Jan 2011
Mobile networks flag as backups die
The areas worst affected by the Queensland floods may have further problems, with mobile service outages possible if battery backups fail later today.
Source: ZDNet Australia
NBN batteries pose disaster issue: experts
With some mobile telecommunication services in Queensland currently under siege and mains power shut off to thousands, an expert has warned that basic fixed phone services could have been cut off if the National Broadband Network Company (NBN Co) had deployed the network with its current battery backup technology.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Nextgen swaps wavelengths in Qld
Nextgen Networks was organising "wavelength swaps" with other carriers to shore up its fibre services as one of its inter-capital data arteries was severed near Thagoona, west of Ipswich.
Source: iTnews Australia
AAPT: Multiple Brisbane co-lo sites "under threat"
Telco giant AAPT this afternoon revealed a number of its Brisbane-based co-location hosting sites were in danger of being affected by rising floodwaters in the capital, in the wake of news this morning that it had powered down one site in Eagle Street.
Source: Delimiter
Optus network disrupted by flooding
The Optus network in Queensland has been disrupted due to power outages as the flooding continues.
Source: Computerworld
Oz NBN plans beat NZ's: Microsoft execs
Two Microsoft executives have said that Australia's approach to its National Broadband Network is better than that of New Zealand with its Ultra-Fast Broadband initiative.
Source: ZDNet Australia
No flood havoc for fibre blackspots network
The Queensland floods have covered some areas where Nextgen Networks has already laid cable for its 6000km fibre-optic backhaul network, but a previously scheduled staff break and lack of installed repeater equipment means the network remains intact for now.
Source: ZDNet Australia
QLD data centres operating despite floods
Queensland's major data centres operators indicated today that they had so far been spared the impact of rising flood waters in the state with only unconfirmed reports of a handful of facilities powering down.
Source: iTnews Australia
PayPal founder backs New Zealand submarine link
An investment fund led by PayPal co-founder and chief executive, Peter Thiel, has become one of the first to financially back a New Zealand submarine cable venture, committing NZ$5.5 million (AUD$4.24 million) to the project.
Source: Computerworld
POWERED DOWN: Flood takes out AAPT datacentre
The Queensland floods have claimed their first datacentre victim, with AAPT's facility at 167 Eagle St in Brisbane confirmed to have powered down. And a number of other facilities may be about to follow it, as the statewide disaster continues to hit technology providers where it hurts.
Source: Delimiter
Tue, 11th Jan 2011
Voda back up, telcos under siege in QLD
Vodafone has restored service to Queensland customers as it and other telcos work feverishly to protect network assets in the flooded areas.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Man pleads not guilty to stealing Telstra copper
A Newcastle man accused of unearthing $110,000 of Telstra's copper cables has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Source: iTnews Australia
Vodafone network sufffering in QLD, NSW, NT
The floods in Queensland have taken their toll on Vodafone's network with the telco reporting ongoing issues today.
Source: Computerworld
Australians using just 15 percent of broadband quota
Australians use only 15 percent of their monthly broadband quota, on average, according to a report by Sydney-based telecommunications analyst firm Market Clarity released this week.
Source: Delimiter
Vodafone answers calls for upgrade
Vodafone Hutchison Australia is expected to spend more than $550 million on expanding and upgrading its mobile network this year.
Source: Australian IT
Fibre broadband speeds pointless, claims Turnbull
Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull yesterday claimed there was no evidence that there was any benefit to end users from getting access to broadband speeds higher than currently available under existing ADSL2+ technology.
Source: Delimiter
Mon, 10th Jan 2011
Westnet spends $10m on new DSLAMs
ISP iiNet has announced plans to spend around $10 million deploying ADSL2+ DSLAMs in regional NSW and Western Australia, with more states also set to benefit from the rollout shortly.
Source: iTnews Australia
Alcatel-Lucent keyed for role in NBN operational systems
NBN Co is set to announce a panel of software providers for its operational and billing support systems by the middle of next month, with vendor Alcatel-Lucent likely to play a key role in the tender.
Source: Computerworld