Broadband News
Mon, 10th May 2021
NBN 250 and NBN 1000 plans in Australia: Everything you need to know
NBN 250 and NBN 1000 plans are here. Here's everything you need to know about these new NBN plans with speeds faster than 100Mbps.
Source: WhistleOut
Telstra's new 400GB mobile broadband plan could replace your NBN
Telstra has got a new range of mobile broadband plans, including one with a massive 400GB allowance.
Source: WhistleOut
‘In the public interest’: ACCC’s Sims urges Federal Court to hear Apple vs Epic Games case
The consumer watchdog has made the unusual move of requesting to speak at a court case between two tech giants, after Apple successfully had the matter suspended.
Source: SMH
Fri, 07th May 2021
NBN Co sees large jump in 250Mbps, gigabit users
NBN Co has revealed that the number of customers on 250Mbps or up to gigabit broadband plans has surpassed half a million, a 20-fold or more increase since the end of last year.
Source: iTnews Australia
Wed, 05th May 2021
NBN 'soft cap' on excess fees may in fact target the threat of 5G churn
Design flaws are already appearing in NBN Co’s proposed ‘soft cap’ on excess bandwidth costs, with most internet providers unlikely to qualify for relief, and widespread suspicion the scheme is designed to disincentivize migrating NBN customers away to 5G.
Source: iTnews Australia
Aussie Broadband chief warns NBN soft cap will be useless until May 2022
Managing director of Aussie Broadband Phil Britt has issued a warning that NBN's proposed soft cap will be useless for half of its life.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Starlink satellite internet service gets 500,000 preorders
SpaceX has received more than 500,000 preorders for its Starlink satellite internet service and anticipates no technical problems meeting the demand, founder Elon Musk said.
Source: iTnews Australia
Tue, 04th May 2021
NBN Co drops new details about how FTTP upgrades will work, including eligible suburbs
NBN Co today revealed a whole host of new information about the FTTP program that will allow customers on FTTN and FTTC technology types to upgrade to a full fibre internet experience, including a comprehensive list of towns and suburbs where the upgrades will be taking place.
Source: WhistleOut
Aussie Broadband now has 5G phone plans
Aussie Broadband today launched a new range of SIM-only phone plans powered by the Optus network, including a range of 5G-ready options.
Source: WhistleOut
Telstra pays AU$1.5m fine after preventing number porting due to COVID hitting offshore
Telstra has coughed up AU$1.5 million to pay a fine levelled at it after the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) found the telco had stopped porting phone numbers due to the COVID-19 pandemic hitting its offshore operations.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Vocus to deploy 2000km 'Project Horizon' terrestrial cable
Vocus will deploy a 2000km high-capacity fibre link between Geraldton and Port Hedland in Western Australia by the end of next year.
Source: iTnews Australia
NBN looking at FttC upgrade to fibre if users want 250Mbps
The company responsible for running the National Broadband Network on Tuesday said it is planning to offer on-demand full fibre upgrades to users on its fibre-to-the-curb (FttC) network that wish to receive over 250Mbps.
Source: ZDNet Australia
NBN Co already wants to upgrade some FTTC users to full fibre
NBN Co is set to upgrade parts of its fibre-to-the-curb (FTTC) footprint to full fibre, despite the technology already being touted as gigabit-capable.
Source: iTnews Australia
Telstra fined $1.5m over Covid-related landline porting freeze
Telstra has been fined $1.5 million over its “unilateral” decision to suspend most landline number porting during the first Covid lockdowns last year when it ran short of offshore resourcing.
Source: iTnews Australia
Mon, 03rd May 2021
NBN nixes dark fibre talks as subcontractors protest pyramid contract model
The company responsible for running the National Broadband Network has ended its consultation on whether to procure any existing dark fibre for enterprise connections, saying it is not cost effective.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Fri, 30th Apr 2021
Optus to cull 3G service on 2100MHz network
Optus is planning to switch off its 3G network on the 2100MHz spectrum from April 2022 as part of a wider technology overhaul.
Source: ARN
Thu, 29th Apr 2021
Vodafone NZ pinned for flogging FibreX HFC as full fibre
Vodafone New Zealand has been found guilty of misleading consumers over the branding of its FibreX HFC-based broadband service.
Source: ZDNet Australia
'A complete and utter mess': Telstra outages leave rural residents isolated
Telstra landline outages in southern Queensland are causing havoc for rural residents who depend on the service due to limited mobile reception.
Source: ABC News
Wed, 28th Apr 2021
Save $100 on the iPhone 12 or iPhone 12 mini with Optus until tomorrow
Optus is discounting the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini.
Source: WhistleOut
Optus blasts NBN price consultations as 'a waste of time'
Optus has led criticism of NBN Co’s latest ideas on pricing, saying such consultations were proving to be “a waste of time”, as other retailers were left similarly underwhelmed.
Source: iTnews Australia
NBN floats soft cap to curb CVC cost spikes
The company responsible for the National Broadband Network has floated the prospect of a soft cap on overage CVC charges to limit the amount Australian telcos have to pay for increases in traffic.
Source: ZDNet Australia
NBN Co won't release its flat-rate price modelling
NBN Co has decided not to share internal modelling of a flat-rate price for wholesale services, despite requests from many major providers to do so.
Source: iTnews Australia
ACCC moves quickly to retake control of NBN pricing
NBN Co, retail service providers and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission will attend a roundtable in June to kickstart the conversation on long-term NBN pricing.
Source: iTnews Australia
Ombudsman finds unlawful metadata access by ACT cops on 1,704 occasions
The Commonwealth Ombudsman has confirmed that of the 1,713 individual accesses to location-based services (LBS) by ACT Policing between 13 October 2015 and 3 January 2020, only nine were fully compliant with the Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act 1979 (TIA Act).
Source: ZDNet Australia
Optus lacking sub-1GHz spectrum drives decision to limit low-band spectrum holdings
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has recommended to Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts Paul Fletcher that spectrum holdings for Australian telcos be limited to 40% of that available under 1GHz.
Source: ZDNet Australia
ACCC wants users to be able to replace iOS and Android default apps
Australia's competition watchdog wants to see Apple and Google provide for greater choice of default apps for consumers.
Source: ZDNet Australia
ACCC slams Google and Apple app store domination
The ACCC has come out swinging against the Apple and Google app stores’ market domination, saying measures are needed to address the significant market power in the distribution of mobile apps.
Source: ARN
Tue, 27th Apr 2021
NBN Co to pay down govt debt with $2B US bond raise
NBN Co has undertaken its inaugural finance raising effort in the United States capital markets, pricing a US$2 billion bond issue.
Source: ARN
'Uniquely Canadian turn of events': Eager beaver leaves town without internet after gnawing through cable
A beaver is being blamed for leaving hundreds without internet and mobile services, after it gnawed through a crucial fibre cable and used the remnants to build its dam.
Source: ABC News
iPhone 12 5G access now available on when using TWO SIMs
Before iOS 14.5, it was not possible to use 5G data connectivity on an iPhone 12 when using both the eSIM and a second physical SIM, but as you can see from the attached image, iOS 14.5 has solved this problem.
Source: iTWire