Broadband News
Mon, 24th May 2010
Fibre allocation in govt hands: Quigley
The government has to make the decisions about where and how much fibre optic cable it rolls out, NBN Co boss Mike Quigley says.
Source: ZDNet Australia
NSW govt gears up for NBN build
The NSW government is considering amendments to its planning laws in order to accommodate the construction of the NBN.
Source: Australian IT
NSW mulls fibre for public housing
The NSW Government is examining the potential upgrade of internet infrastructure in multi-dwelling units (MDUs) owned by the state Department of Housing from copper to fibre.
Source: iTnews Australia
Telstra chases internet TV sport
Telstra has lobbied the Rudd government to reduce the number of "protected" sports covered by anti-siphoning legislation and reconsider plans to extend the rules governing sports broadcasting to the internet.
Source: The Australian
BYO Linux router to the NBN
What do tomatoes and penguins have to do with the Australian government's nationwide fibre-to-the-home project?
Source: APC Magazine
Mobile operators advised to scrap VoIP bans
Mobile phone operators should not delay their entry into the mobile VoIP market, according to a new report from Frost & Sullivan.
Source: iTnews Australia
Telstra's pricing ploy justified
Telstra says the premiums it charges for services are justified with the telco sector becoming increasingly competitive.
Source: Australian IT
Sun, 23rd May 2010
Nextgen starts laying Perth to Geraldton cable
Nextgen Networks has commenced construction, under the Backhaul Blackspots programme, of a 426 kilometre, fibre optic cable that will serve an addressable market of 35,000 people along its route from Perth to Geraldton.
Source: iTWire
AARNet upgrades Queensland network
AARNet is to upgrade its network between Cairns and Brisbane to a dual link 10Gbps service, under an agreement with the Queensland Government's electricity distribution company, Powerlink.
Source: iTWire
Fri, 21st May 2010
Conroy starts WA blackspot build
The Federal Government today marked the start of construction on a fibre-optic communications backbone that will link Perth and Geraldton as part of its $250 million Regional Backbone Blackspots Program.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Greens, carriers, question NBN privatisation
The Greens have questioned the Federal Government's long-term plans to privatise NBN Co, warning that privatisation could "lands us back in the same mess we're in today".
Source: iTnews Australia
NBN Co signs up to Metro Ethernet Forum
NBN Co has joined the Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF), a global industry alliance that aims to standardise wholesale carrier Ethernet services.
Source: iTnews Australia
Libs are handing Telstra the reins
No matter how many times it happens, it's still amazing to see how consistently and effectively politicians seem capable of putting their feet in their mouths. Yet in demonstrating their aversion to forward-looking ICT policies, the Liberals are not only proving their knee-jerk policy-making - but effectively threatening to hand the reins of Australia's telecommunications industry back to Telstra.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Asymmetric speeds plague first NBN plans
Residential customers of the stage 1 trial sites for the national broadband network (NBN) in Tasmania will receive committed upstream speeds of two to eight megabits per second (Mbps) on the iPrimus network, the service provider's chief executive officer, Ravi Bhatia, has revealed.
Source: Computerworld
NBN doesn't have to wait on laws
The Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy (DBCDE) revealed yesterday in a senate hearing that the National Broadband Network (NBN) could continue to be rolled out without legislation being passed in parliament.
Source: ZDNet Australia
New Server
We have just completed our server move. If you are reading this you are seeing us at our new home.
Source: Oz Broadband Speed Test
Thu, 20th May 2010
Public locked out for McKinsey's Senate briefing
Members of the public were excluded from one session in an otherwise open hearing by the Senate Select Committee for the NBN today, after the Federal Government requested that representatives from consulting group McKinsey and Co deliver their evidence in private.
Source: iTnews Australia
Warnings over unfair ISP and phone bills
If you've ever had an error with your credit card, made a late payment or had a direct debit refused for insufficient funds on your phone or internet account, then you've probably been hit with a penalty fee.
Source: PC Authority
Telstra's Thodey relishes role
If you believe what you read in most of Australia's media, Telstra chief executive David Thodey is just one step away from sinking into the hideous quagmire of corporate oblivion.
Source: ZDNet Australia
ISPs: Opposition axing the NBN is "laughable"
The Federal Opposition's plan to dump the $43 billion National Broadband Network (NBN) if elected has raised the ire of Australian ISPs, who have labelled the decision "laughable".
Source: ARN
Wed, 19th May 2010
Thodey pushes wireless broadband, PSTN in wake of NBN
Wireless broadband use will continue to rise regardless of Telstra negotiations with the Government over the national broadband network (NBN), according to the telco's chief executive officer, David Thodey.
Source: Computerworld
Telstra's live trial of 'dual channel' Next G kicks up to 22Mbps
The world's first live over-the-air test of 'dual channel' 3G HSPA+ on Telstra’s Next G network doubles download speeds to 22Mbps 'under controlled conditions'.
Source: APC Magazine
Tasmanian NBN under $50: Primus
Primus is the first ISP to reveal prices for the Tasmanian NBN -- $44.97 a month for 15 gigabytes of data at speeds of 25Mbps.
Source: Australian IT
Telstra must take part in 4G spectrum auction
Telstra's inclusion in future 4G mobile spectrum auctions is essential for competition in the mobile market, analysts told the 4G Summit yesterday, despite Communications Minister Senator Conroy's threat to restrict Telstra's participation unless the national telco structurally separates.
Source: iTnews Australia
Optus warns on network costs
Optus has warned the competition regulator that broadband prices will rise and competition will wither unless it rejects Telstra's proposed changes to the telecommunications wholesale access regime.
Source: Australian IT
Senate Committee Report: Dump the NBN
The NBN Senate Select Committee has handed down its fourth interim report, which ultimately recommends that the Government scrap the national broadband network.
Source: iTnews Australia
NBN gets public nod
The majority of Australians back the National Broadband Network (NBN), according to a study by the researchers at Swinburne University of Technology. The results are a blow for the Coalition, which has backed scrapping the NBN.
Source: ARN
Telstra net service lets Australia down
Tascott, the jewel of the Central Coast, looking out on to Brisbane Water with national park behind, is a well-kept secret. Well, sufficiently secret for Telstra not to know a lot about it - much of the suburb still cannot achieve an ADSL broadband connection.
Source: SMH
Hughes sets up Aussie branch to bid for NBN Co Ka band satellite
Broadband satellite builder and network operator, Hughes Network Systems, has formed an Australian subsidiary to bid for NBN Co's expected tender for Ka-band satellites.
Source: iTWire
Economists, analysts dispute NBN study numbers
Economists and analysts are lining up to challenge the assumptions and calculations made in the NBN Implementation Study, prepared by McKinsey-KPMG after a $25 million commission from the Federal Government.
Source: iTnews Australia