Broadband News
Wed, 12th Jan 2011
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
Vodafone will report to Privacy Commissioner within 24 hours
The Australian Privacy Commissioner, Timothy Pilgrim, has been tasked with investigating Vodafone's latest security breach and will receive a report from its CEO within 24 hours.
Source: ARN
Vodafone may be liable on privacy breach
Vodafone faces compensation payments to up to 4 million customers after confirming it is investigating a security breach that has put billing and call records on a publicly accessible website protected only by passwords that change monthly.
Source: SMH
NBN roll-out in action: Kiama
Work is well underway in putting fibre in the ground of the first mainland roll-out sites for the Federal Government's $37.5 billion National Broadband Network project. ZDNet Australia took a trip to one of the sites to see how the project was unfolding.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Vodafone security outrage a reason to switch carriers?
Compromising the security of more than 4 million Vodafone customers is nothing short of an outrage and may even be a reason for another class action against the company. But could it also be final grounds for a mass migration to another mobile carrier?
Source: iTWire
NBN Co to sub-contract new housing estates
NBN Co has revealed it will provide the passive fibre, active electronics and cabinets to any company it subcontracts to help meet a mandate for the deployment of fibre in new housing estates.
Source: iTnews Australia
Sun, 09th Jan 2011
Mobile security outrage: private details accessible on net
The personal details of millions of Vodafone customers, including their names, home addresses, driver's licence numbers and credit card details, have been publicly available on the internet in what is being described as an ''unbelievable'' lapse in security by the mobile phone giant.
Source: SMH
Fri, 07th Jan 2011
New estates to get NBN first but how fast for how much?
Government funded National Broadband Network operator, NBN Co, has reiterated its plans to provide fibre broadband infrastructure in new estates to property developers going forward. New estates will be among the first to get fibre to homes, although what that means in terms of broadband bang for buck is still fuzzy.
Source: iTWire
NBN Co begins scheme to pay for most new buildings' fibre
The company responsible for the rollout of the National Broadband Network, NBN Co, has released key details of its plan to pay for the fibre of all new developments with over 100 premises. The changes begin on January 1, 2011.
Source: ARN
Optus offers 24-month handset warranties
Optus has agreed to provide 24-month warranties for all of its mobile handset customers - including those on plans bundled with Apple iPhones - following an ACCC crackdown.
Source: iTnews Australia
Vic opt-out block no big deal, says NBN chief
Nbn Co chief executive Mike Quigley isn't fazed by the Victorian Government's decision to reject the 'opt-out' policy which would have seen every premise in the state receive fast broadband by default, noting today Australians could make their own decision to sign up to his company's planned new network or not.
Source: Delimiter
NBN Co fibre takeover inevitable: Quigley
NBN Co CEO Mike Quigley has admitted that some existing fibre developers will be disadvantaged by the company offering last resort fibre to some new housing developments, but said that was inevitable, because the industry was being transformed by the National Broadband Network (NBN).
Source: ZDNet Australia
Wireless vs Fibre debate: a personal experience
One of the most annoying NBN debates is whether we really need fibre when wireless is supposedly the future. I tried to run a business using wireless, and it was a nightmare.
Source: APC Magazine
TPG to escape ACCC fines for unlimited ads
ISP TPG will not face the same fines meted out by the competition watchdog to fellow ISP Dodo yesterday, despite being pulled up for what appeared to be a similar advertising campaign for unlimited ADSL2+ services.
Source: iTnews Australia
Opinion: NBN and the art of planning
We Australians are a pretty cynical lot. Despite having above average health and education outcomes in the OECD for below average expenditure, we tend to bemoan the state of our hospitals and schools.
Source: iTnews Australia
Mandatory ISP filter still on the agenda: Gillard
The Federal Government's mandatory internet service provider (ISP) level filter is still on the agenda, according to the Prime Minister, Julia Gillard.
Source: Computerworld
Thu, 06th Jan 2011
Budget NBN offering unlikely to hit it big
A new entry-level broadband offering planned for introduction by internet service providers over the National Broadband Network is unlikely to boost adoption, according to Internode.
Source: Computerworld
BigAir buys ISP AccessPlus for $5m
BigAir has bought ISP AccessPlus for $5 million in a bid to expand its share of the internet market servicing tertiary students.
Source: iTnews Australia
Dodo cops $26K fines for misleading ads
Internet service provider Dodo has copped $26,400 in fines from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) over advertisements for its ADSL2+ Unlimited broadband plan, which the regulator deemed misleading to consumers.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Election result boosted Kiama NBN opt-in
NBN Co received a 9 per cent surge in homeowners opting to have their homes connected to the National Broadband Network (NBN) in the first mainland roll-out site of Kiama following the 2010 Federal Election.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Broadband Dept loosens iron grip on documents
The Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy loosened its grip on secret documents ever so slightly in the past year, according to a new report.
Source: iTnews Australia