Broadband News

Mon, 31st May 2010

NBN Co rolls into Brunswick to spruik fibre trial

NBN Co has told residents it will dig up about forty percent of streets in Brunswick, Melbourne - the main metropolitan area to form part of the "live trial" site for the Federal Government's national broadband network fibre rollout.

Source: iTnews Australia

Platform, Fortana join Point Cook fibre trial

Telstra has signed sub-wholesaler Platform Networks and ISP Fortana to offer services in its Point Cook fibre network trial.

Source: iTnews Australia

TransACT first with net TV package

Transact tiptoed past two giants of the global telecommunications industry last week to launch the first internet-delivered pay-TV product bundled with a personal video recorder set-top box and a broadband subscription.

Source: The Australian

Sun, 30th May 2010

Filter goes ahead regardless

Minister for Communications Stephen Conroy has vowed to push on with his controversial internet filtering scheme, despite a barrage of criticism.

Source: SMH

Sat, 29th May 2010

Deal between Telstra and NBN Co looks some time away

There has been talk lately of an imminent deal between Telstra and the government's national broadband company for Telstra's participation in the broadband rollout, but one piece of travel information suggests a handshake is still a way off. NBN Co head Mike Quigley flew overseas last night for a two-week holiday, his first since taking the job a year ago.

Source: The Age

Fri, 28th May 2010

Conroy's Google attacks unhelpful: IIA

The representative body for Australia's internet industry has criticised Communications Minister Stephen Conroy for his comments earlier this week against search giant Google, saying it was "very disappointed" in the Labor politician.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Tasmanian NBN operations centre set to open in Hobart

The National Broadband Network (NBN) Tasmania Network Operations Centre (NOC) will start working on June 1.

Source: ARN

Internet Association slams Conroy's petty attacks

The Internet Industry Association has called on Stephen Conroy to get on with building the NBN rather than picking fights with industry players like Google.

Source: APC Magazine

NBN Co puts greenfields on roadmap

NBN Co has revealed it will produce a "commercially viable business plan" for greenfields sites after months of uncertainty over what its role might be in such estates.

Source: iTnews Australia

Power to the people: The anti-filter movement

Hatred against the Federal Government's proposed Internet filter has been brewing since it was first announced in 2008. Communications Minister, Senator Stephen Conroy, has made many public appearances reassuring the public the clean-feed is designed to protect children against 'harmful material' but it has done little to appease public suspicion the filter will be a censorship tool. With the government refusing to back down from their filter plans despite widespread opposition, some organisations and individuals have taken matters into their own hands. ARN has compiled a list featuring some of the notable anti-filtering actions undertaken in the last two years.

Source: ARN

NBN won't make money: AAPT CEO

AAPT CEO Paul Broad has let rip on the National Broadband Network (NBN) telling the investment community that he can see no justification for the $43 billion national infrastructure project.

Source: Computerworld

Thu, 27th May 2010

EFA takes anti-filter line to families

Electronic Frontiers Australia (EFA) today launched a new campaign urging Internet-savvy Australians to discuss the Government's Internet Filter proposal with their mums.

Source: iTnews Australia

Telstra replaces symmetric DSL offerings with ethernet

Telstra has launched TBB Ethernet a new symmetric broadband data service for business customers, delivered over its copper network at up to 10Mbps that will replace its symmetric DSL services.

Source: iTWire

Telstra inclined to cop $4m ACCC fine

Telstra says it should be fined about $4 million for mistakenly excluding competitors' broadband servers from telephone exchanges over two years, instead of the $40 million sought by the competition watchdog.

Source: The Age

NBN uncertainty already priced in

A lot of the potential bad news that could affect Telstra shares appears to be already priced in, according to a major shareholder in the telecommunications giant.

Source: The Australian

Wed, 26th May 2010

Australia falls behind Mongolia, global average on Internet speed

Australian Internet speeds are below average and behind the likes of Mongolia and Liechtenstein, according to Ookla's new Net Index tool.

Source: Computerworld

NBN $2 billion equity source under question

The Government is yet to determine where it will source $2 billion of its $4.7 billion equity commitment to the National Broadband Network (NBN)

Source: iTnews Australia

WA gathers intelligence on the NBN

The Western Australia Government has moved to give itself the upper hand in its negotiations with the Federal Government and NBN Co on the roll out of the National Broadband Network in its state.

Source: Computerworld

Telstra, ISPs start signing up Point Cook customers

Telstra has revealed about 250 people from 1,500 homes covered by a fibre network at Point Cook registered interest in taking up broadband services from the carrier.

Source: iTnews Australia

Go Fetch: IPTV provider confirms pricing, channels and iiNet deal

Fetch TV have confirmed they will begin offering subscription based TV over the internet for under $30 a month, putting it in direct competition with a bunch of other pay TV content services.

Source: PC Authority

Commercial filters on the side of web censorship

Government firewalls and censorship are not the only threat to online freedom, with commercial filters increasingly blocking user access to websites.

Source: Australian IT

A Telstra deal could be the win Rudd needs now

Thanks to the public and political ruckus over the mining super tax, the federal government could do with a win now more than ever. A commercial settlement with Telstra over compensation for the use of its distribution infrastructure and the migration of its customers would be a good start.

Source: SMH

Telstra forced to dig holes

Telstra must keep digging trenches for fixed-phone networks in new housing estates, even though it argues it can fulfil its obligations with wireless services, the Communications Minister says.

Source: The Age

Scrapping NBN to cost Coalition $300m

Tony Abbott would face a recovery task of more than $300 million if he cancelled the national broadband network in the event of a Coalition victory at this year's federal election.

Source: The Australian

Tue, 25th May 2010

Govt 2.0 threatened by filter comments

Government 2.0 is in danger of being bogged down by public servants having to moderate "passionate" comments from the public railing against the government's planned mandatory internet filter, according to Govt 2.0 taskforce members.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Telstra's copper could be recycled

Telstra's extensive network of copper could be reclaimed, recycled and returned to the bottom line.

Source: Computerworld

NBN chief urges Telstra to come online

The head of the company charged with rolling out the NBN has urged Telstra to sign up to the project, saying a deal is in everyone's best interests.

Source: Australian IT

CeBIT 2010: NBN will lead to crime surge, expert claims

Vice-president of IT security group Cyveillance, Eric Olson, has warned cybercrime will surge with the increased connectivity of the National Broadband Network.

Source: ARN

ISPs to pay $300 per connection in Tassie NBN stage one

Iprimus, iiNet and Internode will pay $300 per premises connected to NBN Co as part of the Tasmanian stage one rollout of the national broadband network (NBN).

Source: Computerworld

Want fast broadband? You're a pointy head

If you want a fast broadband connection as part of the National Broadband Network (NBN) then you are a "pointy head", according to Liberal Senator for Queensland, Ian McDonald.

Source: Computerworld