Broadband News

Mon, 19th Oct 2009

Govt may not release NBN study

The Federal Government today said it wasn't yet sure whether it would publish the multimillion-dollar National Broadband implementation study currently being undertaken by consulting firms McKinsey and KPMG.

Source: ZDNet Australia

aaNet to raise ADSL1 plan prices

ISP aaNet has revealed it will "adjust" its ADSL1 broadband prices to fund an extension to the hours of its customer support line.

Source: iTnews Australia

Aussie tech to speed fibre tenfold

An Australian-developed technology that can deliver a tenfold increase in the capacity of an optical fibre link is being commercialised.

Source: iTWire

Rudd to talk about Internet filtering

Internet filtering is one of several topics The Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, will discuss in a one-hour Web chat on Thursday, October 22.

Source: ARN

Sun, 18th Oct 2009

Download caps likely to stay: NBN Co

Broadband users looking forward to the removal of download caps from internet pricing are likely to be disappointed: Even the NBN Company doubts the fatter pipes will mean the end of the download cap regime.

Source: iTWire

Tassie Govt targets NBN opportunities for locals

The Tasmanian Government wants to maximise the chances of local companies getting work during the construction phase of the National Broadband Network roll-out, launching a web portal that highlights NBN sub-contractor opportunities.

Source: iTWire

NBN: Harvard backs open access model

A fundamental requirement for reducing broadband prices and increasing speeds has been the existence of an open access regime, a Harvard University study conducted on behalf of the US regulator has found.

Source: iTWire

Sat, 17th Oct 2009

Enex Testlab wants content filter report released

The managing director of the company responsible for the testing of the Federal Government's controversial ISP-level content filtering trial wants the results made public.

Source: Computerworld

Fri, 16th Oct 2009

NBN's small footprint a big opportunity for Telstra

Three months old and 40 employees strong, the NBN Company's strategic thinking is starting to emerge. And while it might be driving the biggest infrastructure project in the nation's history, NBN Co is intently focused on keeping its footprint small.

Source: iTWire

CommsAlliance releases NBN network architecture vision

Communications Alliance has released its vision of the network architecture required for the NBN to deliver a broad range of network, application and content services to end users.

Source: Computerworld

AFACT tactics have origins in 1975 UNSW library case

Some of the legal issues at stake and the tactics employed by the Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft (AFACT) in its civil case against Internet Service Provider iiNet in the Federal Court of Australia have their origins in a landmark copyright case involving the University of NSW library in 1975.

Source: Computerworld

Telstra senate hearings - CCC, ATUG

Calls to delay the passage of legislation to structurally separate Telstra "simply do not wash" according to the executive director of the Competitive Carriers Coalition (CCC), David Forman.

Source: Computerworld

Thu, 15th Oct 2009

AFACT, iiNet head for the recess playground

Perth-based internet service provider iiNet has emerged quietly confident from the first two weeks of its court fight with the movie industry - represented by the Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft (AFACT) - and will call chief executive Michael Malone as its first witness when the case resumes on November 2.

Source: iTWire

Day Eight: Internet Industry Association hands over first documents

The Internet Industry Association (IIA) produced its first documents subpoenaed by the film industry today before filing for access to affidavits and opening statements by both sides to help prepare its submission to the court.

Source: iTnews Australia

AFACT: Our evidence not 100% reliable

The Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft's (AFACT) solicitor, Gilbert & Tobin's Michael Williams, has conceded that the techniques AFACT used to count iiNet customers' copyright breaches was not 100 per cent "reliable".

Source: ZDNet Australia

Tata Comms taps into Pipe's PPC-1 cable

Tata Communications is now providing international capacity to and from Australia via Pipe Networks' newly-opened PPC-1 cable system which interconnects with Tata's global submarine cable network in Guam.

Source: iTWire

Day Eight: AFACT solicitor grilled on ISP disconnections

The film industry's solicitor came under sustained pressure from ISP iiNet's senior counsel to admit the number of individual sessions - and therefore infringements - recorded in spreadsheets he prepared were inflated by a technical issue.

Source: iTnews Australia

Telstra: NBN good, separation bad

Telstra has used its appearance at the Senate Standing Committee on telecommunications legislation amendments to reiterate its support for the NBN, and its opposition to the Federal Government's structural separation bill.

Source: Computerworld

iiNet barristers corner AFACT solicitor

iiNet's legal counsel took Gilbert & Tobin solicitor Michael Williams to task yesterday afternoon over the credibility of technical evidence he had presented to the court.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Australian ISPs stay hush hush on copyright breach notices

Australian Internet Service Providers (ISPs) are remaining tight lipped over the number of copyright breach notices they have received from copyright holders as the iiNet versus the Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft (AFACT) case continues in the Federal Court of Australia.

Source: Computerworld

Alcatel-Lucent's blatant NBN pitch

There's a certain ridiculousness to Alcatel-Lucent's National Broadband Network video production that goes to the heart of an obvious worry that it will ultimately be left out when the cheques are signed.

Source: ZDNet Australia

NBN: Underground vs overhead cable debate rolls on

As the National Broadband Network (NBN) construction chugs along in Tasmania, debate on the mainland continues as to whether laying the fibre optic cables underground is more advantageous than putting them in existing overhead infrastructure.

Source: Computerworld

Public interest before Telstra's: Conroy

The Communications Minister, Stephen Conroy, spelt out an unpalatable truth for Telstra investors yesterday: the interests of 22 million Australians far outweighed those of the company's 1.4 million shareholders.

Source: SMH

Wed, 14th Oct 2009

Day Seven: Studio bosses wash their hands of piracy investigative technique

At least two American film studios involved in the copyright case against ISP iiNet have indicated to the Federal Court that they would not authorise use of investigative techniques in the fight against piracy if it involved some form of illegal conduct.

Source: iTnews Australia

ACCC dodges NBN monopoly question

The chief of Australia's competition regulator last night said it was too soon to know what sort of issues would arise if the National Broadband Network Company became another government-owned monopoly telco player in the style of Telstra.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Senators air concern over cost of Telstra split

Representatives from the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy (DBCDE) today admitted the Government had done no analysis as to what it will cost Telstra to undertake structural or functional separation.

Source: iTnews Australia

AFACT v iiNet: Malone won't appear for two weeks

iiNet CEO Michael Malone will most likely not take the stand in the Internet Service Provider's (ISP) civil case against the Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft (AFACT) for another two weeks.

Source: Computerworld

Industry: Telstra senate submission a stalling tactic

Analysts and industry groups see Telstra's senate plea against structural separation as a power play and claim the real action will happen in private negotiations.

Source: ARN

Day Seven: Film studios grilled on BitTorrent agreements

Paramount Pictures would likely lodge a complaint with BitTorrent over the "unauthorised use" of the studio's logo on the peer-to-peer firm's website, it was revealed in the Federal Court today.

Source: iTnews Australia

Conroy: there will be no delay

Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has rejected pleas from Telstra and shareholders to delay the passage of legislation aimed at splitting the telecommunications company.

Source: iTnews Australia