Broadband News

Thu, 16th Dec 2010

iiNet reveals device sketches

SP iiNet has revealed a series of sketches of future products being worked on by its labs, including two futuristic curved devices with built-in touchscreens.

Source: iTnews Australia

Turnbull: Financially sound business plan will not guarantee NBN success

The Shadow Communications Minister hinted that regardless whether the full NBN business case claims can financially justify the $35.7 billion network is irrelevant to its eventual success.

Source: ARN

No content future for ISPs

As internet service providers (ISPs) accept lower margins from access provision, the battle is on to find a sustainable alternative revenue source. But it won't come from content provision.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Wed, 15th Dec 2010

iiNet launches BYO mobile service

Internet service provider iiNet has moved into the mobile arena, unveiling a number of contract-free mobile phone plans today.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Does iiNet's mobile leap make sense?

iiNet now offers mobile, with residential and business mobile plans.

Source: PC Authority

A perspective on the National Broadband Network (NBN)

The ramifications for Australia of implementing its NBN are significant and complex. We have a unique opportunity to give ourselves an international competitive edge that our children and their children will benefit from. We can get it right but we need to have it explained in a form that removes our fears and opens our eyes as to why it is important and important today.

Source: iTWire

Don't protect Australia's mobile telcos, Mr Turnbull

Let's get real about this: Australia's mobile telcos can take care of themselves.

Source: Delimiter

Man charged with phone cable theft

A NSW man allegedly posing as a telephone cable has been charged after causing $110,000 in damage by stealing active phone cabling earlier this year.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Vividwireless trials TD-LTE in Sydney

Vividwireless plans to run a four-week trial of TD-LTE kit in Sydney to understand how it compared to the company's current technology of choice, WiMAX.

Source: iTnews Australia

Tue, 14th Dec 2010

LTE not all about speed: Ericsson

Carriers and pundits must move beyond speed battles to achieve more of the potential benefits available from commercial deployments of long term evolution (LTE) mobile networks, Ericsson has urged.

Source: Computerworld

iiNet Labs fathers BoB Lite

National broadband company iiNet has extended its popular BoB integrated ADSL router product line with what it has billed as the first product to come out of its new in-house development labs -- a younger sibling dubbed BoB Lite.

Source: Delimiter

Internode expands symmetrical broadband footprint

Brisbane now home to the South Australian-based ISP's symmetrical business broadband offering, Extreme SHDSL.

Source: ARN

Will NBN karma run over Libs' dogma?

The change of government in Victoria and its posture towards the NBN-enabling opt-out legislation highlights the persistent dichotomy between what needs to be done and what will be done.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Optus: The new definition of irony

Wow, Optus is really giving its rivals a free kick at the moment. Yesterday the news arrived that the telco is suing Vodafone over the company's mobile advertisements, which use the term "infinite".

Source: Delimiter

Telstra achieves 149.4Mbps LTE speeds

Telstra has reached download speeds of up to 149.4Mbps as part of a Long Term Evolution (LTE) mobile technology trial with Chinese network vendor Huawei.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Mon, 13th Dec 2010

Optus sues Vodafone over 'Infinite' ads

After recently copping a ban on advertising certain broadband plans, Optus is now taking Vodafone to court over its "Infinite" mobile phone plan advertisements.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Windows Live on the cards for BigPond email

The nation's biggest telco Telstra is considering dumping the email, blogging, photos and online storage platforms used by customers of its BigPond internet service provider division and migrating customers to Microsoft's Windows Live platform.

Source: Delimiter

NBN business case expected this week

After sitting on the document for over a month, the Federal Government is expected to release the controversial business case for the National Broadband Network (NBN) in the next few days.

Source: ZDNet Australia

The NBN is not about "basic voice services"

Fletcher is demeaning his technical background by focusing on such a pointless argument. You don't debate the cost of placing a call to Dubbo when the Government is talking about technology that can enable high-definition videoconferencing to every home in Australia. It's that simple.

Source: Delimiter

Attack the NBN on retail terms: Fletcher

The Opposition's attack on the National Broadband Network (NBN) should focus on how replacing Telstra's copper wire will lead to higher consumer costs, Liberal MP Paul Fletcher has suggested.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Sat, 11th Dec 2010

Internet community incensed at 'government-only' Internet governance review

Global Internet bodies are incensed by a United Nations review of Internet governance that will be conducted solely by government representatives. They are urging people to sign a petition calling for a more widely representative review.

Source: iTWire

Fri, 10th Dec 2010

NBN business case release likely next week

Communications minister Stephen Conroy has indicated the 400-page business case for the National Broadband Network (NBN) will be released next week.

Source: Computerworld

Vodafone customers seething over dropped calls, slow data

Vodafone customers have had a horrid run into Christmas with thousands experiencing dropped calls, reception issues and poor data performance over the past two months.

Source: SMH

TIO wants confidentiality in Exetel case

The Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman is seeking to keep consumer names confidential in a case brought against it by internet service provider Exetel.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Conroy details NBN Co greenfield fibre role

The Federal Government has moved to further lock in the National Broadband Network (NBN), announcing that NBN Co will install fibre in new developments from 1 January 2011.

Source: Computerworld

VHA, Optus reveal 1800 MHz LTE trials

Vodafone Hutchison Australia and Optus have shed new light on their respective trials of Long Term Evolution (LTE) mobile broadband technology in the 1800 MHz spectrum band.

Source: iTnews Australia

Cabling for NBN rollout cut back

A proposal for every new home built after January 1 to be connected with fibre cable for the National Broadband Network has been abandoned.

Source: Australian IT

Thu, 09th Dec 2010

NBN's tilted playing field

New National Broadband Network (NBN) legislation has been introduced into parliament changing existing telecommunications and competition legislation to accommodate the network and NBN Co.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Telcos' billing and usage information: a danger to consumers' finances, says ACMA

The ACMA has released a progress report on its 'Reconnecting the Customer' inquiry into how the telecommunications industry deals with its customers, concluding that billing and usage information on telecommunications services is inadequate and potentially detrimental to consumers' finances.

Source: iTWire

All change in the cut-price telco world

As two major low-cost mobile providers set themselves up in Australia, Channel 7 is out to buy the rest of cut-price IP phone provider Engin. So what's going at the cheap end of the industry?

Source: ZDNet Australia