Broadband News

Thu, 09th Dec 2010

Telstra mulls more LTE trials

Telstra may conduct further Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology trials to follow up three rounds of tests carried out over the past six months, according to its wireless chief.

Source: iTnews Australia

NBN entrenching rural disconnect

In Brigalow, residents will be able to watch earthmovers digging a trench for a lightning-fast cable network they have no chance of using.

Source: Australian IT

Wed, 08th Dec 2010

Should you be terrified of terabyte plans?

We crunch the numbers to discover the best broadband value.

Source: PC Authority

AIIA slams Victoria's opt-in NBN

Australia's peak technology industry representative group has criticised Victoria's new Coalition Government for its apparent decision to reject an 'opt-out' approach to rolling out the National Broadband Network (NBN) in the state in favour of requiring residents and businesses to 'opt-in'.

Source: ARN

Anti-filter activist evades criminal record

A 19-year-old Melbourne student who pled guilty to four charges relating to distributed denial-of-service attacks on the Prime Minister's website has escaped a criminal conviction.

Source: ZDNet Australia

AIIA lobbies States for NBN opt-out laws

The Federal Government faced a fresh challenge over its NBN strategy with Australia's peak IT industry association making the case for states and territories to make residents "opt-out" of being connected to the NBN.

Source: iTnews Australia

Bundled Optus users pushed onto updated terabyte plans

Optus customers have been automatically pushed onto the refreshed 'yes' Fusion bundled broadband and home phone plans following customer demands for higher data options.

Source: Computerworld

Conroy flags NBN business case delay

Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has hinted the business case for the National Broadband Network (NBN) may not be released by Christmas as promised.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Four technologies for faster broadband in 2011

A number of different technologies are being developed or improved to offer higher speeds for fixed and mobile broadband networks, as operators are preparing to compete with each other and carry video traffic in 3D and at higher resolutions, which is expected to happen in the coming year.

Source: ARN

Tue, 07th Dec 2010

Telstra red-faced after email error

Telstra has accidentally leaked personal details of 570 customers after an employee sent an email to customers waiting for products rather than the stores delivering the products.

Source: SMH

Conroy: Worsening broadband backs up Government case for NBN

Communications Minister, Senator Stephen Conroy, has used Australia’s falling OECD broadband penetration ratings as evidence that the National Broadband Network is needed.

Source: ARN

Telstra separation unnecessary for competition: Ovum analyst

Structural separation of Telstra will not affect broadband competition in Australia and is unlikely to change the market dynamic. This is the view of a senior analyst at global telecommunications research consultancy Ovum.

Source: iTWire

Candle: Skills shortfall to hit NBN

Recruiter Candle ICT called on the Government to address a computing skills shortfall of 2,700 people a year that was likely to affect big projects like banking transformations and the NBN.

Source: iTnews Australia

ISPs hope for options in NBN plan

Internet services micro-providers are hoping NBN Co will not build 200 interconnection points on its network, as the ACCC recommends.

Source: Australian IT

Mon, 06th Dec 2010

Internode tops for customer satisfaction again

Internode has again topped a customer satisfaction survey run by Roy Morgan Research. The company also performed very strongly in a poll carried out by one of Australia's major PC magazines.

Source: iTWire

Optus succumbs to common broadband definition

Optus has axed its last plan to charge users for using more than their monthly quota in a plan refresh that also introduced terabyte limits to the telco's offering.

Source: Computerworld

Optus joins 1TB broadband gang

Optus has finally brought out a 1TB plan after its competitors kickstarted the terabyte trend.

Source: ARN

Get nicked, Conroy: Baillieu rejects opt-out NBN

The new Coalition State Government in Victoria has given its clearest signal yet that it will reject the 'opt-out' model for the National Broadband Network rollout in the state, meaning residents will need to actively choose to receive fibre when it hits their neighbourhood.

Source: iTWire

Fri, 03rd Dec 2010

NBN Co refines access products

NBN Co has "refined or modified" 90 percent of the attributes of its fibre, wireless and satellite products as a result of 200 hours of consultations with 25 retail ISPs this year.

Source: iTnews Australia

TIO sees sharp rise in 'money' complaints

A sharp rise in complaints about bill shock for internet and mobile phone services has raised the hackles of the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman Simon Cohen.

Source: iTnews Australia

Business bullish on NBN outlook

Australian businesses have high hopes for the government's National Broadband Network, a survey of more than 500 enterprises has found.

Source: Australian IT

Thu, 02nd Dec 2010

NBN Co, 'tell us the price'

So far the government and the National Broadband Network Company (NBN Co) have called for our support for a scheme that is scant on detail.

Source: ZDNet Australia

IPv4 blocks to run out by end of year

There are now only seven blocks of IPv4 addresses left in the global pool, and five are already allocated.

Source: PC Authority

Vodafone users rage at ongoing 3G woes

Vodafone Hutchison Australia's 3G network continues to struggle under the weight of its customers despite it having claimed that a software fix would resolve issues at the end of last month.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Sector demands clarity on NBN costs

Property industry lobby groups are calling for clarity over how much developers will pay for broadband infrastructure on greenfield sites.

Source: Australian IT

Wed, 01st Dec 2010

Exetel signs NTT bandwidth deal

ISP Exetel has signed a deal with NTT Communications to boost its international bandwidth capacity into Asia and beyond.

Source: iTnews Australia

Telehealth to be trialled over NBN in Armidale & Kiama

Communications minister, senator Stephen Conroy has announced plans for telehealth trials over the NBN in Armidale and Kiama, starting early in 2011.

Source: iTWire

Internode scales 3G data plans to 18GB

ISP Internode has substantially bumped up its 3G data plans which it underpinned by boosting the capacity of its interconnections with the Optus network.

Source: iTnews Australia

LTE to soar but HSPA still rules mobile broadband

The new super fast mobile broadband technology LTE (long term evolution) is tipped to take-off worldwide in 2012 but the existing 3G standard HSPA will continue to dominate for many years to come, according to new research.

Source: iTWire

On the ground with the NBN rollout: Part 2 - Kiama

From the top of Kiama the view is of trees, fields and hills that sweep long into the horizon, broken up by homes with manicured lawns and a deep blue ocean in the distance. Underground lies some of the hardest rock known to man. It built much of Sydney, surviving generations of erosion, and fights the NBN at every turn, street by street. But as NBN Co churns its way through stuff that makes concrete feel like butter, ARN went behind the scenes to find out why a blue-ribbon Liberal seat has one of the highest sign-up rates in Australia.

Source: ARN