Broadband News

Mon, 01st Nov 2010

ispONE and Comcen to provide TiVo customers unmetered downloads

Hybrid Television Services, the creator of CASPA On-Demand and the exclusive licensee of TiVo products in Australia and New Zealand today announced that ispONE and Comcen have agreed to unmeter CASPA downloads to the TiVo media device.

Source: iTWire

Telstra values NBN deal at $16 billion

Telstra has revealed a pre-tax price tag of $16 billion on its draft financial heads of agreement with NBN Co - a figure made public as the telco attempts to win an argument with Australia's competition watchdog over the value of its copper network.

Source: iTnews Australia

$100 million poured into Tasmania

NBN Co has revealed it injected equity cash of $100 million into its subsidiary, NBN Tasmania, for the financial year ending 30 June 2010, in its second annual report tabled in Parliament on Friday.

Source: Computerworld

Pipe to build dedicated dark fibre to 200 IRESS customer sites

IRESS, a company providing share market and wealth management systems for financial market participants, has contracted TPG subsidiary, Pipe Networks, to build it a dedicated dark fibre network that will link over 200 customer sites around Australia, with the aim of providing services to clients at the lowest possible latency.

Source: iTWire

NBN Co's first-year ICT budget hits $6.4m

NBN Co spent almost $6.4 million on communications and IT in the past financial year, according to its annual report released late Friday.

Source: iTnews Australia

Sat, 30th Oct 2010

Of course Turnbull is anti-NBN in its current form!

An interesting article on Malcolm Turnbull's stance on the NBN has appeared from iTWire colleague James Riley, but as is possible in a democracy, or at least what we have left of democracy, I completely disagree with James' views.

Source: iTWire

Fri, 29th Oct 2010

Turnbull NBN demolition is DNA hardwired

Malcolm Turnbull, not unreasonably, wants the most rigorous tests of project oversight and financial transparency applied to the National Broadband Network. Which is quite right, of course. It is, after all, the largest single infrastructure spending project ever undertaken in this country.

Source: iTWire

Turnbull's revamped broadband policy still a "bandaid solution": IBES' Tucker

The revamped alternative to the National Broadband Network (NBN) announced by shadow communications minister, Malcolm Turnbull, this week remains a "bandaid solution" that doesn't address the problems of current telecommunications, according director of the Institute for a Broadband Enabled Society (IBES), Rod Tucker.

Source: Computerworld

yARN: NBN becomes a game that must be won, at all costs

As the 2010 election entered the last days of campaigning it became more and more apparent that the National Broadband Network (NBN) had, quite remarkably, become a key issue in a lead-up that veered close to being one of the more boring in recent history.

Source: ARN

iPrimus put excess charges on 3G plans

ISP iPrimus has announced it will charge excess data usage fees on a series of revamped 3G wireless broadband plans.

Source: iTnews Australia

Conroy attempts new censorship strategy

The Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy, has lashed out in an attempt to block the introduction of a .XXX domain.

Source: ARN

Telstra's long road to customer satisfaction

David Thodey's focus on customer service isn't a new initiative for Telstra. So what's holding the telco back from providing the type of service its customers demand? David Havyatt explores.

Source: iTnews Australia

NBN is economic Hansonism: Abbott

Federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has accused Labor of resorting to economic Hansonism with its $43 billion National Broadband Network (NBN).

Source: ZDNet Australia

Vic estates need fat pipes to meet NBN mandate

New housing developers in designated growth areas around Melbourne must dig "NBN-ready" pits and pipes accessible by more than one operator's cables in their estates, a Melbourne council said.

Source: iTnews Australia

Conroy, Telstra differ on NBN trial

Telstra pre-selected 100 customers to its free NBN Tasmania trial -- contrary to what the Communications Minister said in the Senate.

Source: Australian IT

Thu, 28th Oct 2010

US expert: The future is wireless broadband

Blair Levin was the lead author of the US Government's version of the NBN, the National Broadband Plan, which has faced similar controversies and challenges. He talks to ARN about how wireless broadband is the future and why the Australian method may not be the best for promoting growth.

Source: ARN

Turnbull 'misguided' on telco reform: Conroy

Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull is "misguided" if he thinks the telecommunications industry reform legislation is putting a gun to Telstra's head, Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has said today.

Source: ZDNet Australia

NBN batteries to cost $150m

Providing back-up batteries for 11 million phone subscribers to the National Broadband Network will cost taxpayers up to $150 million a year.

Source: Australian IT

Libs seek monitoring of Telstra split

The opposition will today make a bid for the competition watchdog to be empowered to oversee the deal between Telstra and NBN Co.

Source: Australian IT

Wed, 27th Oct 2010

ACCC demands Optus label throttled speeds "sub-broadband"

Competition watchdog the ACCC has said that Optus should have advertised that users of its unlimited plans would be throttled to "sub-broadband" speeds after exceeding their peak download quotas.

Source: iTnews Australia

Turnbull plan to short-circuit NBN

The Coalition has adopted a high-speed internet policy that would render redundant the proposed National Broadband Network.

Source: SMH

Independents open to scrutiny of NBN

Independent MPs have backed Malcolm Turnbull's call for greater transparency on the National Broadband Network.

Source: Australian IT

Internode wholesale negotiations better, still not "equitable": Hackett

Internet service provider (ISP), Internode has furthered its negotiations with Telstra for more equitable wholesale pricing, following concerns the ISP's managing director, Simon Hackett, has aired in previous months.

Source: Computerworld

NBN wins fans and critics in TV debate

The National Broadband Network last night received votes of confidence from a school, university, paediatrician, patient and rural resident in a televised debate - but the reaction of a resident in a Tasmanian first release site showed how far the Government has to go to bridge dividing public opinion on the network.

Source: iTnews Australia

Nokia Siemens claims world DSL bandwidth record

Nokia Siemens Networks claims to have achieved 825Mbps over 400 metres and 750Mbps over 500 metres using 'Phantom DSL' technology.

Source: iTWire

Proof's in the ports for ultra-fast broadband

If Telecom New Zealand is to become a partner in the New Zealand Government's ultra-fast broadband project, it will certainly have to raise its game.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Analyst: NBN is wasteful as copper is still viable

The National Broadband Network (NBN) will not drive productivity significantly and the existing copper network still has more to give, according to telco analyst, Kevin Morgan.

Source: ARN

Tue, 26th Oct 2010

Internode's better 50GB deal, take that, Telstra!

Competition in the telco section continues apace despite the glacially impending NBN, with Internode slicing some prices after having squeezed blood from a stone by wringing better pricing from Telstra Wholesale, with the hope that ongoing negotiations will see even better pricing.

Source: iTWire

Huawei inks another NBN contract, backs FTTH

China-based networking giant Huawei says the announcement of another fibre to the home roll-out in the region - the latest in Brunei - demonstrates Australia is on the right track with its own plans for an FTTH National Broadband Network.

Source: iTWire

Tasmanians spurn offer of 'free' NBN

It was described as "free" broadband by Communications Minister Stephen Conroy but only 18 customers in Tasmania have signed-up.

Source: Australian IT