Broadband News
Mon, 18th Jan 2010
ISPs pilot box to test Australian broadband speeds
About 40 ISPs will give a selection of their customers a new piece of hardware that aims to measure the internet performance they are achieving.
Source: iTnews Australia
Don't rely on filters, be better parents
Anglican canon and chair of the Melbourne Anglican Social Responsibilities Committee Dr Ray Cleary doesn't believe Communications Minister Stephen Conroy's proposed internet filter is the correct way to protect children from net nasties, instead espousing parental guidance.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Telstra unveils $19 for 1GB Next G broadband prices
The new pricing would be ideal for iPhone users -- the only catch is that you need to have an ABN number to qualify.
Source: APC Magazine
Hitchhikers guide to the NBN
Home owners and businesses may be able to navigate their way through the National Broadband Network (NBN) with the release of a new guide.
Source: Computerworld
Why the anti-filter campaign is failing
The anti- internet filtering campaign has been hijacked by zealots and ideology-driven windbags and has consistently failed to articulate to moderate Australians what we stand to lose if the policy proceeds.
Source: iTWire
NBN neglects those left in broadband wilderness
About 10 per cent of the population will not be covered by the planned national broadband network and it cannot be considered complete until their needs are met.
Source: The Age
Fri, 15th Jan 2010
ACCC initiates Telstra pricing review
The competition watchdog has launched a review of Telstra's retail prices following a request from the Federal Government.
Source: ZDNet Australia
NBNco to release supplier shortlist in January
The company formed to rollout the National Broadband Network (NBN) will release a shortlist of FTTP-related equipment and service providers.
Source: ARN
Sydney suburb achieves fastest Akamai connections
Internet subscribers in the south-west Sydney suburb of Riverwood were connecting to Akamai's content servers faster than any other Australian city, according to a new report.
Source: iTnews Australia
Exetel on ACMA: No demand for 100Mbps
In his latest attack on the Federal Government's plans to build a 100Mbps national broadband network, Exetel boss John Linton this week said a new report from the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) showed there was clear demand for mobility, but none for high-end speeds.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Huawei collaborates with Australian NBN research centre
China-based networking vendor, Huawei Australia, has donated equipment and thousands of dollars as part of collaborative efforts with the University of Melbourne's Institute for a Broadband-Enabled Society (IBES).
Source: ARN
Thu, 14th Jan 2010
Internet filter ferals blacklist Lundy
When the ACT senator Kate Lundy wrote a reasoned, informed and ultimately politically brave blog on the Government's filtering plans in mid-December, she would have already known what was coming. The filter brings out the feral in even the most mild-mannered users.
Source: iTWire
Telstra doubles broadband quotas
The country's biggest mobile provider has increased the data allowance on its wireless broadband plans but still trails the download quotas of rivals.
Source: Australian IT
ACMA outlines Telstra, Optus and AAPT performance
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has released commentary and analysis on the telecommunications performance of Telstra, Optus and AAPT over the 2008/09 financial year.
Source: Computerworld
ACMA looks to free TV news spectrum for mobile
The Australian Communications and Media Authority is looking at redeploying spectrum in the 2.5GHz band currently used by TV stations for outside broadcasters for new applications, including wireless broadband and geo-location services.
Source: iTWire
Tough filter campaign ahead: Black
Opponents of the government's proposed internet filtering legislation face tough challenges, according to Peter Black, the recently appointed manager of Electronic Frontiers Australia's (EFA) anti-filter campaign.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Study: Broadband does indeed help local economies
U.S. broadband policy in recent months has been driven by a widely held assumption that the availability of broadband in an area will help improve the economy. A study released Wednesday puts some scholarship behind that assumption, with the author saying that broadband indeed has economic benefits.
Source: Computerworld
Wed, 13th Jan 2010
Nextgen flags Perth-Jakarta missing link
Nextgen Networks will in the coming weeks gauge the international carrier market's response to a proposed Perth to Jakarta, Indonesia undersea fibre-optic cable, which would provide a new link between Sydney and Singapore.
Source: ZDNet Australia
2009: ACMA web investigations peak
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has taken action over more offshore hosted websites than in any year prior, as concerns over the government's mandatory internet filtering reached fever pitch.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Half of Australian subscribers on a least 1.5Mbps: ACMA
Over half of Australia's 8.4 million internet subscribers are now surfing at minimum peak speeds of 1.5 Mbps, according to a new report.
Source: iTnews Australia
AARNet and the lords of the dark fibre
How a narrow band of enthusiasts in universities and the CSIRO brought the internet to Australia.
Source: Australian IT
ACMA blacklist costs $400,000 to run
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) spent just over $400,000 in 2008-9 to investigate complaints against internet content and take action on prohibited content hosted overseas.
Source: iTnews Australia
IDC, ACMA: Wireless broadband won't hurt NBN
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) and IDC have rejected any notion of accelerated wireless broadband adoption hurting the National Broadband Network.
Source: ARN
Broadband billions left hanging as wireless bites back
Australians are flocking to 3G mobiles and wireless broadband devices, bringing into question some of the assumptions behind the Rudd Government's $43 billion national broadband network.
Source: SMH
Nation goes wild for wireless
Use of wireless broadband services mushroomed during the past year to reach more than two million subscribers.
Source: Australian IT
Tue, 12th Jan 2010
Broadband Dept tight with secret data
The Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy granted full access to just one internal document under freedom of information laws in 2008-9, a report has revealed.
Source: iTnews Australia
Customer server puts iiNet on spam blacklist
Perth ISP iiNet had some of its email servers placed on one of the world's largest spam blacklists for the second time in a week after a gaffe by a "junior" staff member.
Source: iTnews Australia
Fisherman accused of breaching internet cable zone
A NSW fisherman will face court again in February after he allegedly breached a submarine cable protection zone near Sydney and trawled across the undersea fibre links.
Source: iTnews Australia
AFACT v iiNet: Decision timing still uncertain
The timing of the verdict in the much-publicised civil court case between the Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft (AFACT) and ISP, iiNet, is still unclear some six weeks after closing arguments were given.
Source: Computerworld
Mon, 11th Jan 2010
Conroy sells NBN at CES
The Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy, has talked up the Federal Government's ICT projects and its proposed separation of Telstra in a speech at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.
Source: ARN