Broadband News

Wed, 13th Oct 2010

Quigley pans NBN, Telstra copper 'hysteria'

NBN Co CEO Mike Quigley has addressed the "hysteria" caused by recent claims that decommissioning Telstra's network in favour of the National Broadband Network will cause connected households multiple problems including forcing them to pay significant internal wiring costs.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Optus waits on key info for NBN talks

Optus refuses to sign a definitive deal with the wholesaler of the National Broadband Network (NBN) until it receives further information and clarification on key issues such as pricing as well as provisioning and operating systems.

Source: Computerworld

NBN time frame, budget doable: Kordia

Progress to date indicates that the NBN can be built on time and on budget, a key architect of the Townsville first release roll-out has said, as long as a collective and proactive effort ensures an ample supply of suitable skills when and where they're needed.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Costello attacks the 'National boondoggle Network' (NBN)

Former Treasurer, Peter Costello, has launched a scathing attack on the National Broadband Network (NBN), branding it “the National boondoggle Network”.

Source: ARN

Optus targets NBN wireless fans and fibre critics

Optus took aim at months of "ill-informed debate" over wireless and fibre infrastructure, criticising policy makers and sections of the telecommunications industry alike for their "collective amnesia" when shaping Australia's broadband future.

Source: iTnews Australia

Gillard: Filter is a "moral question"

Prime Minister Julia Gillard yesterday took the high ground in defending Labor's mandatory internet filtering project, describing the issue of how to ensure Australians didn't get access to the wrong content as a "moral question".

Source: Delimiter

NBN bill at risk of $1bn blowout

The cost of building the NBN could blow out by $1 billion if the government adopts the principles of its Tasmanian rollout around the country.

Source: Australian IT

Tue, 12th Oct 2010

Libs won't "rip up" NBN: Turnbull

Malcolm Turnbull says a Liberal government won't discard existing National Broadband Network (NBN) infrastructure if it wins the next election.

Source: ARN

ADSL emulation port scrapped from NBN plans

NBN Co has confirmed the Network Termination Unit (NTU) being installed on residents' homes as part of the National Broadband Network (NBN) rollout will not have an ADSL emulation port among its set of interfaces.

Source: Computerworld

Townsville NBN designer surveys sites with iPhone app

The Downer Kordia alliance tasked with designing the first release NBN site in Townsville developed an iPhone app that allowed staff to capture data from surveys of sites being prepared for a fibre connection.

Source: iTnews Australia

iiNet buys VMware for major email cloud

Australian telco, iiNet, has purchased more than 1 million cloud-based email mailboxes from tech vendor, VMware. Every single iiNet customer will automatically be moved to the new system between October 2010 and January 2011.

Source: ARN

Telstra: Telecoms industry must rebuild reputation

Telstra public policy group managing director David Quilty has called for a "concerted effort" from the telecommunications industry to rebuild the sector's reputation among customers, business leaders and politicians.

Source: iTnews Australia

Mon, 11th Oct 2010

iiNet moves to qualm Optus ULL woes

Eligible Westnet and Netspace customers will be able to churn easily from Optus' wholesale Unconditioned Local Loop (ULL) network to DSLAMs run by iiNet by the end of the year, according to staff at the Perth-based Internet service provider.

Source: Computerworld

Telstra names new CIO

Telstra has named former Seek and Westpac CIO Patrick Eltridge as its new new chief information officer, replacing John McInerney who resigned from the role in June this year.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Prime Minister: Cost of NBN needs to be "reversed engineered"

The cost of the $43 billion National Broadband Network (NBN) needs to be "reversed engineer" in order to demonstrate its worth, according to Prime Minister, Julia Gillard.

Source: ARN

Telstra says: Don't take terabyte broadband bait

Telstra has taken a swipe at competitors' terabyte broadband offers, urging customers to "look past" the super-sized offers and go for lower-quota products.

Source: iTnews Australia

Turnbull's NBN confusion softens Libs' case

I'm all for a healthy and robust opposition that works to keep the NBN roll-out on the straight and narrow. Yet, while Malcolm Turnbull looks healthy enough, his latest opposition to the NBN has been far from robust.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Attorney-General's office considering copyright law review

The Federal Attorney-General's Department has confirmed that the Government is considering a possible Australian Law Reform Commission review of the country's copyright law, but the news has been met calmly by one internet service provider (ISP) very familiar with the nation's existing laws, iiNet.

Source: Computerworld

Internode and iiNet: Further Telstra price cuts will make things worse

Further reduction to Telstra's retail broadband price will compound woes for the telco's wholesale customers, according to Internode and iiNet.

Source: ARN

Desperate Telstra cuts prices to win back customers

Consumers are set to benefit as Telstra cuts prices on mobile phone plans and broadband and ups the value of its package bundles to try to woo and retain customers.

Source: News Limited

Fri, 08th Oct 2010

ISPs cop customer angst over outbound emails

Email users Australia-wide spent the past 24 hours receiving bounce-back notices after anti-spam blacklist operator SORBS mistakenly listed vast IP address ranges as spammers.

Source: iTnews Australia

AFACT eyes era of ISP anti-piracy cooperation

The Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft (AFACT) has thrown its support behind the latest draft of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) on the basis it might force ISPs to cooperate to combat "rampant" online piracy.

Source: iTnews Australia

Telstra: No preference on NBN opt-out

Telstra chief executive David Thodey this afternoon said that the telco had no real preference as to whether Australians should be forced to "opt-out" of the National Broadband Network rather than opt in, in the wake of a decision this week by the Tasmanian Government to pursue such a policy through legislation.

Source: Delimiter

States baulk at opt-out on NBN link

NSW and Victoria have ruled out following Tasmania's lead and legislating for all homes to be connected to the National Broadband Network.

Source: Australian IT

Thu, 07th Oct 2010

ACTA hits Australia to Pirate Party derision

Depending on who you ask, a draft of the global Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) released by the Federal Government in Australia today is either a welcome measure which will benefit the the nation's creative industries - or a draconian control proposal which will cut down our civil liberties.

Source: Delimiter

Consumers lose from NBN move: Turnbull

A plan to connect all Tasmanian homes to the National Broadband Network has been condemned by the opposition as removing consumer choice.

Source: Australian IT

DFAT releases ACTA anti-piracy draft

The Federal government has released the latest draft of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) following the conclusion of the final round of discussions on the controversial intellectual property protection initiative at the weekend.

Source: Computerworld

Liberal parties at loggerheads on Tasmanian NBN

The Federal and Tasmanian State Liberal parties are at loggerheads over which method is best for rolling out the National Broadband Network.

Source: ARN

Chairmen table NBN concerns

Some of the nation's most influential chairmen are urging the government to obtain a cost-benefit analysis into the National Broadband Network.

Source: Australian IT

Tasmanians to be forced to connect to NBN under new laws

Tasmanians will be forced into connecting to the national broadband network (NBN) unless they "opt-out" of being connected under new laws being proposed by its Premier.

Source: SMH