Broadband News

Wed, 22nd Dec 2010

Telstra confirms: no definitive NBN agreement this year

Telstra has written to shareholders telling them that it will not be able to meet its earlier commitment to complete definitive agreements with NBN Co by the end of the year, but that it still hopes to present the deal to them my mid year so they can vote on it.

Source: iTWire

Telstra: Government to blame for lack of deal

Telstra (ASX:TLS) has blamed the Federal Government and NBN Co for delaying the finalisation of a deal for shareholders until mid-2011.

Source: ARN

Adelaide mathematicians model internet traffic

Network designers could benefit from a new Government-backed project that aimed to model the volume, movement and type of data traversing the internet.

Source: iTnews Australia

Fast NBN faces slow take-up

Latent customer demand for the superfast download speeds offered by the NBN could undermine the profitability of the project.

Source: Australian IT

Commentators pan 'uncompetitive' NBN plan

A number of Australia's most senior business and economics commentators have opened fire on Labor's flagship National Broadband Network project, claiming NBN Co's corporate plan released on Monday was based on flawed assumptions and demonstrated the project would wind back competition in the telecommunications sector.

Source: Delimiter

NBN battery recycling 'could add $240m'

Persuading people to recycle back-up batteries for their NBN connections could cost taxpayers up to $240 million extra.

Source: Australian IT

Flats may be too hard to connect

People living in apartment blocks face new uncertainty over whether they will have access to the $36 billion National Broadband Network.

Source: Australian IT

Vodafone chief says 'sorry' for 3G network

Vodafone chief Nigel Dews has apologised to customers for the way it has dealt with a slew of 3G network issues in recent months without any explanation of the root cause of the problems.

Source: iTnews Australia

ACCC helps Telstra with 52 more exempt exchanges

Telstra has been given a helping hand from the Australia Competition and Consumer Commission with an additional 52 exchange service areas (ESAs) set to be made exempt from standard access obligations.

Source: ARN

Tue, 21st Dec 2010

Turnbull "naive" on NBN's HD future: Hackett

The federal Opposition needs to go back to school to brush up on broadband network topologies, a leading ISP said today.

Source: iTnews Australia

The ifs and buts in NBN's business plan

The National Broadband Network (NBN) Company's costings and timelines for the building of its network depend on a web of eventualities and assumptions to be valid, as outlined yesterday in the NBN business plan.

Source: ZDNet Australia

NBN 'no cheaper' than existing plans

The National Broadband Network will not deliver cheaper internet services, the Opposition Communications spokesman Malcolm Turnbull has said.

Source: Australian IT

Linton mystified by NBN business case "drive"

Come on, we know you've been waiting with bated breath since yesterday to find out what Exetel chief executive John Linton thinks of the NBN Co business case released yesterday. No major NBN announcement would be complete without Linton's point of view. And Linton doesn't disappoint.

Source: Delimiter

NBN business plan good for competition: ISPs, Telcos

The NBN Co Corporate Plan will strengthen competition and bring new business opportunities, according to local telecommunications and ISP companies.

Source: Computerworld

Opinion: Will NBN pricing lead to better Aussie broadband deals?

Do the prices announced today for the National Broadband Network (NBN) mean you should be excited about having fibre connected to your home?

Source: PC Authority

Ai Group welcomes NBN business plan

The Australian Industry Group (Ai Group) has welcomed the federal government's release of the national broadband network (NBN) business plan.

Source: Computerworld

Customers divided on need for speed

Having run a Mitre 10 store for the past 15 years, Byard Sheppard knows all about building things.

Source: Australian IT

Price shock looms for some on NBN

Some households could be forced to pay more for a basic internet service when they are compulsorily switched over to the $36 billion national broadband network, according to the business plan released yesterday by NBN Co.

Source: SMH

Mon, 20th Dec 2010

NBN Co's battery back-up plan goes flat

Communications Alliance has hit out at NBN Co's plan to make back-up batteries in fibre-connected customer premises the default option, saying it will create unnecessary cost and be environmentally damaging.

Source: iTWire

NBN Co given the OK to fibre up huge range of 'non-premises'

NBN Co has been given official permission to provide fibre services to a huge range of non-premises, including mobile network base stations, and provide services that could increase its revenues very significantly.

Source: iTWire

NBN to repay taxpayers 'with interest'

The National Broadband Network business case proves taxpayers' $27.5 billion investment will be repaid with interest, Julia Gillard has declared.

Source: Australian IT

NBN Co Corporate Plan, an essential step: Industry

The release of the NBN Co Corporate Plan is an essential step toward the development of Australia's digital economy and the development of new business models, according to the Australia Information Industry Association (AIIA).

Source: Computerworld

ISPs worried by NBN changes

Some Internet Service Providers (ISPs) are sceptical of the Federal Government's move to greatly increase the number of Point of Interconnects (POIs), despite in-depth negotiations.

Source: ARN

50Mbps, 500GB on NBN may cost $81 retail

A basic 12 megabit per second (Mbps) connection on the National Broadband Network will cost telecommunications wholesalers $24 per month, according to the business plan released today, although the plan could only estimate retail pricing.

Source: ZDNet Australia

1.7m premises connected to NBN by 2013

By June 2013, the National Broadband Network company hopes to have rolled out fibre, wireless and satellite to some 1.7 million premises around the nation, with most of those being fibre roll-outs.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Turnbull: NBN taxpayer cost "blowing out"

The Coalition has attacked the NBN Co Corporate Plan, calling the additional $2 billion cost to the taxpayer a "blow out".

Source: iTnews Australia

NBN Plan: a business case for the cup half-full

The release of the three-year NBN Co Corporate Plan paints a solid future for the Government-funded company charged with building Australia's future fibre network – assuming a great many things fall into place for CEO Mike Quigley.

Source: iTnews Australia

Q&A with Communications Minister, Senator Stephen Conroy, on NBN Co business case

Arn spoke with Communications Minister, Senator Stephen Conroy, about the newly released NBN Co business case. It asked about the $200 million cost increase as well as when and why copper networks will be shut down.

Source: ARN

What will the Govt do after iiNet's BitTorrent case?

The Federal Government has distanced itself from a report that it was waiting for the outcome of the high-profile court case between iiNet and a number of movie and TV studios before seeking to overhaul online copyright laws dealing with illegal file-sharing by Australians.

Source: iTWire

NBN broadband priced at $24 a month

A basic feed from the national broadband network (NBN) will cost telecommunications wholesalers $24 a month, the federal government has revealed.

Source: SMH