Broadband News
Mon, 29th Mar 2021
NBN Co says network 'stress test' during Covid grounds for $78m in bonuses
NBN Co chair Dr Ziggy Switkowski has defended the payment of almost $78 million in bonuses to staff last financial year, arguing the network survived a major “real-time stress test” that was worthy of reward.
Source: iTnews Australia
Optus and McAfee team up for modem security
Optus has launched a new security offering through its partnership with McAfee, claiming it can automatically protect devices connected to home or business modems.
Source: ARN
NBN Fixed Wireless Plus busy hour uploads barely over 4Mbps and ACCC is okay with that
The first edition of the Measuring Broadband Australia report from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) to incorporate fixed wireless upload speeds was released on Monday, and the results were not good.
Source: ZDNet Australia
ACCC calls on NBN Co, RSPs to give users a hand with lethargic FttN connections
The Australian consumer watchdog has called on NBN Co and its retail service providers to give customers on fibre-to-the-node connections a hand to combat lethargic internet speeds.
Source: ARN
NBN Co asked by Telstra, Vocus and Optus to reveal its flat pricing model
NBN Co is already under substantial industry pressure to release modelling it has done for a single, flat wholesale price structure that it has not previously discussed or shared with internet providers.
Source: iTnews Australia
Fri, 26th Mar 2021
NBN Co has modelled flat-rate prices but not shared them with anyone
NBN Co has internally modelled a simple flat-rate wholesale price for each of its speed tiers but hasn’t shared it with internet providers, saying it needs to be tailored for individual providers before doing so.
Source: iTnews Australia
NBN Co uses stockpiled HFC NTDs to work down order backlog
NBN Co has used some of its stockpile of hybrid fibre-coaxial (HFC) network termination devices to fulfil several thousand orders delayed by a stop-sell it announced last month.
Source: iTnews Australia
Thu, 25th Mar 2021
Telstra warns NBN Co will hit $55 ARPU 'by the end of FY23'
NBN Co's average revenue per residential user could hit $55 in FY23 if short-term price changes go through, $6 per user more than even the company’s “ambitious” forecasts, according to new modelling by Telstra.
Source: iTnews Australia
Consumers may walk away from NBN if the price isn’t right: ACCAN
Australia’s consumer voice on communications issues, the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN), has cautioned that consumers may seek alternative home broadband solutions, like 5G, if NBN prices are not addressed.
Source: iTWire
Apple says iOS has alternative app distribution because the internet exists
Apple has responded further to the Australian consumer watchdog's probe of app marketplaces, this time rejecting characterisation that the Apple App Store is the most dominant app marketplace and saying there are other options for iOS users, such as by going to a website.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Aussie Broadband calls for return of the NBN bandwidth bonus
Aussie Broadband has asked NBN Co to resurrect the bandwidth bonus scheme that ran through much of 2020, shielding retail internet providers from excess charges as demand for broadband grew.
Source: iTnews Australia
Telstra releases executive summary of its NBN Co Pricing Review 2021 submission with strong advice for nbn co
Telstra has shared the executive summary of its submission to NBN Co's Pricing Review 2021 Consultation Paper 1, with the full submission only for NBN Co's eyes due to confidential in confidence information.
Source: iTWire
NBN pricing review 'inadequate' says Aussie Broadband boss
Aussie Broadband managing director Phillip Britt said he is disappointed by the proposals emerging from the NBN 2021 pricing review.
Source: iTWire
Kayo Sports: Everything you need to know
Ever wished you could get access to Foxtel Sports without paying the minimum $54 per month access fee? Well, now you can, with Kayo, Foxtel's stand-alone sports streaming platform.
Source: WhistleOut
Wed, 24th Mar 2021
NBN Co 'contemplates' path to 100Mbps-plus business satellite services
NBN Co is “contemplating” new equipment for its business satellite service that could allow it to offer speeds of above 100Mbps.
Source: iTnews Australia
TPG Telecom laments decade of having same NBN price conversation
TPG Telecom has captured the essence of internet industry frustration with the NBN, lamenting a decade spent discussing the “inefficiencies and complexities” of NBN pricing with little to show for it, and no substantive changes on the horizon.
Source: iTnews Australia
Optus repaying underpaid super for thousands of present and past workers
The Communications Electrical Plumbing Union (CEPU) has said Optus will be repaying any underpaid superannuation contributions for thousands of the telco's current and former workers.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Tue, 23rd Mar 2021
Telstra is running a one-week sale on every iPhone
Save $100 on any iPhone in the Telstra range.
Source: WhistleOut
Mon, 22nd Mar 2021
Telstra to make its international business a fourth subsidiary
Telstra is set to carve its international division into a fourth subsidiary, expanding a restructure it announced late last year.
Source: iTnews Australia
Fri, 19th Mar 2021
Belong's new range of phone plans will get you 80GB for $45
Belong has shaken up its entire range of SIM-only mobile plans.
Source: WhistleOut
Best Foxtel NBN bundles
Bundling your Foxtel, NBN and phone line is a great way to cut down on life admin, and save money at the same time. We compare Telstra and others to get you the best pay TV deal.
Source: WhistleOut
Mon, 15th Mar 2021
Vocus lays more fibre across Sydney Harbour
Vocus has laid a 720-fibre core cable near the Anzac Bridge in Sydney, its 12th cable that crosses the harbour either via an underwater, tunnel or bridge-based route.
Source: iTnews Australia
Fri, 12th Mar 2021
Web inventor Berners-Lee says "fad" of internet giants will pass
Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the World Wide Web, has said the dominance of internet giants is a "fad" that does not have to endure, adding that urgent change was needed to improve a digital divide in young people's online access.
Source: iTnews Australia
Netflix once said it 'had to live with' password sharing. That has changed
As the streaming market gets more crowded, Netflix is cracking down on users who share their account password with other people.
Source: ABC News
Thu, 11th Mar 2021
NSW Police to use SMS geo-targeting tool to find 'high-risk' missing persons
The New South Wales Police Force has teamed up with Australia's major telcos -- Telstra, Optus, and TPG -- to launch a national SMS geo-targeting alert system to enhance the search for "high-risk" missing persons across the state.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Telstra strikes back, says it's 'leading the way in 5G' because 'coverage matters'
The 5G wars are in full swing, as both Optus and Telstra make 5G pronouncements today, with Telstra's Commercial Engineering Executive Sri Amirthalingam heralding umlaut publishing its latest benchmarking findings from the first part of 2021.
Source: iTWire
Optus showcases 5G FDD and TDD carrier aggregation 'technology leadership'
Demonstrating its 5G technology leadership, Optus reports achieving "another 5G milestone by combining 2100 MHz spectrum with 3500 MHz spectrum for the first time, through the use of 5G carrier aggregation and spectrum sharing technology, which will deliver customers with super-fast speeds and increased 5G coverage.”
Source: iTWire
ACCC looks at browser, search 'choice screens' for Australia
Australia's competition watchdog has raised the prospect of "choice screens" - also known as browser ballots - being displayed to mobile and desktop browser users in the future to make non-default options more apparent.
Source: iTnews Australia
Wed, 10th Mar 2021
Telstra to add low band spectrum to commercial 5G network
Telstra has finalised testing for its low band 5G spectrum and will now begin rolling it out as part of its commercial 5G network.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Tue, 09th Mar 2021
Deal alert: Get Telstra's 80GB plan for $60 per month
Telstra is currently offering a $5 per month discount on its Medium phone plan, bringing it down to $60 per month for your first year with the telco.
Source: WhistleOut