Broadband News

Wed, 01st Dec 2010

Will Victoria's Coalition Govt back NBN opt-out?

Victoria's Coalition Government-Elect has given tantalising signs that its support for the National Broadband Network rollout in the state will not be as complete as that of its Labor predecessor.

Source: Delimiter

ISPs sign up to voluntary anti-zombie code

Some 18 Australian ISPs, serving over 80 percent of internet users, have signed on to a new voluntary code of practice to limit the problem of "zombied" computers being run by internet users.

Source: iTnews Australia

TPG boosts earnings guidance above $215m

TPG Telecom (ASX:TPM) Ltd has upgraded its full year earnings guidance to a range of $215-225 million after a good start to the financial year.

Source: Computerworld

Baillieu airs conditional NBN support

Newly-elected Victorian Premier Ted Baillieu has pledged his tentative support for the Federal Government's National Broadband Network (NBN) roll-out, providing that mobile service providers offer beefed-up coverage to regional Victoria.

Source: ZDNet Australia

NBN first release sites to trial telehealth

Two of the first mainland release sites under the National Broadband Network (NBN) will receive telehealth monitoring units in coming months, as part of a $4 million trial conducted by NSW Health.

Source: Computerworld

Tue, 30th Nov 2010

Telstra split no big deal: Howard

Former Prime Minister John Howard, the man who oversaw the privatisation of Telstra in the late 1990s, has claimed that the passing of legislation ensuring the company's structural separation isn't big reform.

Source: ZDNet Australia

4G to cover more than 4 billion people by 2015

More than 60 per cent of the world's population will have access to some form of 4G mobile broadband technology by 2015, according to a new report from ABI Research.

Source: ARN

Mobile broadband plans confusing: poll

Another from the 'dog bites man' department: most consumers don't know how much mobile broadband data they need, and many are paying for bigger allowances than they need.

Source: iTWire

Telstra Wholesale extends Point Cook fibre trial

Telstra has extended its open access fibre-to-the-home trial in Point Cook by seven months, according to one of the ISPs reselling services on the network.

Source: iTnews Australia

4G advances make NBN an uphill battle

Our major telcos seem further down the 4G route than previously thought and this could and should have major implications for our government-led broadband roll-outs.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Mobile internet is already dominant, survey says

The people behind the Opera mobile Web browser have released the results of their State of the Mobile Web survey, which questioned 300,000 users in July and August this year. It makes for fascinating reading.

Source: Computerworld

Xenophon to vote against NBN bill

South Australia Independent, Nick Xenophon, has vowed to vote against a National Broadband Network (NBN) legislation introduced into parliament last week.

Source: ARN

Whirlpool attackers escape charge

The perpetrators behind the distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks against broadband website Whirlpool have been let off the hook as a "sign of good will".

Source: ZDNet Australia

One in two customers in dispute with telcos

Telecommunications companies and ISPs are in the firing line again with new research showing that one in two customers has faced a problem with their phone or internet service provider in the last year.

Source: iTnews Australia

Mon, 29th Nov 2010

PM hails NBN passage as historic

Prime Minister Julia Gillard has hailed as historic the passage of legislation to structurally separate Telstra.

Source: ARN

Vividwireless tests LTE for future migration

A war between competing fast wireless broadband technologies will begin within days over Sydney skies as telco Vividwireless kicks-off what it says will be the first trial of its kind in Australia.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Xenophon demands uniform NBN pricing

It's only been a matter of days since independent Senator Nick Xenophon forced the Federal Government into a corner over one piece of legislation pertaining to the National Broadband Network; now he's flagged plans to do it again.

Source: Delimiter

Turnbull attempts to change Telstra split bill

Opposition communications spokesman Malcolm Turnbull has made a last-ditch attempt to put the Coalition's stamp on the Telstra split bill by pushing a fresh round of changes that – if agreed to - would delay its passing this year.

Source: iTnews Australia

NBN cherry-picker laws introduced

The Government has introduced draft laws that, if passed, will force carriers that build new or upgrade existing fibre networks to provide an open access, wholesale service to internet retailers.

Source: iTnews Australia

Labor downplays critical report on NBN

The federal government has downplayed an international study which claims the benefits of the national broadband network (NBN) have been grossly overstated.

Source: ARN

Don't add Telstra deal to NBN cost: Quigley

It is unreasonable to add the $13.8 billion payment to Telstra, which National Broadband Network Company (NBN Co) counts as an operating cost, to the $35.7 billion capital expenditure cost of the whole network, NBN Co chief Mike Quigley has said.

Source: ZDNet Australia

IPv6 compatibility coming to more Billion routers in 2011

Network hardware vendor Billion has announced a forthcoming firmware upgrade for its X series routers that will allow the devices to simultaneously support IPv4 and IPv6 addressing.

Source: iTWire

Happy Budde faces a hostile NBN crowd

Paul Budde's support for the National Broadband Network project is well known, with most in the industry considering the analyst's open bias to be a matter of public record.

Source: Delimiter

Nervous investors await ruling on NBN Co

Investors are watching how the ACCC plans to break the deadlock over NBN Co's plans to charge the same prices in the city and bush.

Source: Australian IT

NBN benefits 'grossly overstated'

An international study has found the claimed benefits of a national broadband network have been "grossly overstated", and accuses the federal government of misusing research to build the case for it.

Source: ARN

Sun, 28th Nov 2010

NBN boss: We know the Telstra financials but we won't tell you

The boss of the government-owned company in charge of implementing the NBN rollout today refused to reveal details of the project's business case relating to Telstra. Mike Quigley, In an interview on ABC TV, the CEO of NBN Co Mike Quigley claimed that the cost of buying Telstra's network could not be added to the cost of implementing the NBN but would not reveal how much Telstra is expected to improve NBN Co's bottom line.

Source: iTWire

Sat, 27th Nov 2010

Early customers test NBN's limits

Nbn customers in Tasmania who have bought high-speed connections are stretching their ISP's bandwidth capacity.

Source: Australian IT

Fri, 26th Nov 2010

Telco reform bill passes Senate

Labor's controversial legislation to break up Telstra and restructure the telecommunications sector was approved in the Senate this afternoon, in a long-awaited move that the Federal Government has been pushing for for more than a year.

Source: iTWire

Govt stays ISP zombie laws

A peak Australian technology body has welcomed the Federal Government's decision to not force internet service providers (ISPs) to disconnect the infected computers of its customers as part of its response to a Senate committee report into online security threats.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Focus shifts to Telstra-NBN Co deal as Bills pass the Senate

With legislation crucial to the NBN and NBN Co's deal with Telstra now through the Senate the focus shifts to the deal between NBN Co and Telstra: NBN Co's business plan is predicated on definitive and binding agreements being signed by year end.

Source: iTWire