Broadband News

Tue, 15th Sep 2009

Telstra's day of reckoning in NBN legislation

in April as a $43 billion certainty, the national broadband network was at the time little more than a plan for a network, and things are still fluid. The Rudd Government hopes, for example, that the eventual cost comes in well below that worst-case estimate: a number below $30 billion has been lightly pencilled in.

Source: SMH

Telstra rivals resurrect Terria

A posse of Telstra rivals have resurrected the slumbering Terria consortium and put out the call for new members eager to join the fight in ensuring the government's $43 billion national broadband network becomes a reality.

Source: Australian IT

Mon, 14th Sep 2009

TERRiA reunites, calls for a competitive NBN

The chief executives of several Australian telecommunication companies have reunited to call for a "pro-competitive" approach to upgrading Australia's national broadband infrastructure.

Source: iTnews Australia

Telstra counters rivals letter to ACCC chairman

The ACCC has a formal process for accepting commentary on its draft decisions, but the major telcos are bypassing this with direct appeals to the ACCC's chairman, Graeme Samuel.

Source: iTWire

Growth in DSL connections stagnates

More Australians are jumping on board the wireless broadband train, according to statistics released today, while demand for DSL-based connectivity is stagnant.

Source: iTnews Australia

Alcatel exec wins NBN CFO role

NBN Co chief Mike Quigley has announced the appointment of two new executives, including Alcatel Lucent's former chief financial officer.

Source: ZDNet Australia

TASA arises from the ashes of Terria to savage NBN's naysayers

The CEOs of a number of Australia's leading telecommunications companies and ISPs - previously members of the Terria carrier grouping formed to bid for the NBN Mark 1 - have reunited to counter what they say is the large amount of misinformation being reported about the National Broadband Network.

Source: iTWire

Turnbull attacks 'spin and paper' NBN

Federal Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull has rubbished the National Broadband Network (NBN) as "nothing more than a press release".

Source: ZDNet Australia

ISPs asked to cut off malware-infected PCs

The Internet Industry Association (IIA) has drafted a new code of conduct that suggests Internet Service Providers (ISPs) contact, and in some cases disconnect, customers that have malware-infected computers.

Source: iTnews Australia

iiNet founder Malone cashes in

Michael Malone, the founder and managing director of telco iiNet, has taken advantage of the company's rising fortunes, fetching $6.6 million in the sale of his own shares.

Source: Australian IT

Dialling up the plan for broadband

Many of the questions surrounding the proposed $43 billion national broadband network could be answered this week.

Source: SMH

Sat, 12th Sep 2009

ISP Q&A: AAPT

The ISP Q&A Series is a look at the opportunities Australian ISPs have for resellers. It also profiles their views on some of the more contentious issues affecting the industry. In the sixth part of this ARN series, AAPT chief operations officer (COO), David Yuile, talks about the wholesale market, his outlook for the industry and why Australia Post doesn't open your mail.

Source: ARN

Fri, 11th Sep 2009

Telcos fuming over Telstra access win

The Australian Competition Tribunals' (ACT) decision to wind back regulated access to Telstra's wholesale network has outraged the telecommunications sector.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Telstra wins under attack

Telstra's competitors have launched an attack on the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission over a pricing decision they say will cost consumers dearly.

Source: The Age

Blog: NBN: Like giving candy to babies

I have seen the NBN, and it looks a lot like Christina Aguilera. Or, at least, it looked like her when I dropped into Ericsson's Melbourne headquarters recently to see a live demo of their NBN solutions. Yet behind the streaming TV, one question lingers -- and not even the government seems able to answer it.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Faster broadband is the next infrastructure debacle

The national broadband network is shaping up like many recent infrastructure public-private partnerships, such as the Cross City Tunnel and BrisCon, a splendid engineering project with a dubious business case ("Conroy's baby needs to get out of the cradle", September 9). The demand side seems to have been developed by intellectuals and vested interest groups, with no account given to the ultimate consumer demand. No business would invest $43 billion without a rock solid business case.

Source: SMH

Thu, 10th Sep 2009

Coalition tries to limit NBN legislation

The Opposition will try to limit the information the government can demand from telcos and utilities to help it set up its ambitious broadband company.

Source: ZDNet Australia

NBN critic Concept Economics goes bust

Concept Economics, the consultancy that recently estimated the costs of the National Broadband Network outweighed the benefits by up to $20 billion, has gone into administration.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Win for Telstra on wholesale access

Telstra has won a reprieve against the Australian Competition Tribunal after the arbitrator confirmed there was a strong case to rescind regulated access to Telstra's wholesale voice services.

Source: Australian IT

Conroy says website attacks juvenile

Federal Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has described an attack on federal government websites as "juvenile".

Source: Australian IT

NBN beefs up executive team

The National Broadband Network Company has set its corporate wheels in motion with three new high-profile hires, taking its full-time staff to 12.

Source: Australian IT

Hackers bring down PM's website

The prime minister's website has been hacked in protest over a federal government proposal to introduce a mandatory filter to censor internet content.

Source: SMH

ABC looks to expand iView with ISP deals

The ABC is looking to partner with more Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to offer unmetered access to its free iView on-demand television portal and paid downloads from its ABC Shop Downloads online store.

Source: iTnews Australia

Wed, 09th Sep 2009

AAPT offers twelve hours of free downloads

AAPT has announced an 'unlimited broadband' residential ADSL2+ plan which extends the window in which users can download content for free to between 8pm and 8am.

Source: iTnews Australia

NBN Co hires outspoken analyst Smeallie

The National Broadband Network Company has reportedly hired former outspoken telecommunications analyst Tim Smeallie as its head of commercial strategy.

Source: ZDNet Australia

NBN plan too 'risky' for investors

A telecommunications analyst from investment advisory service, BBY, has labelled the government's $43 billion NBN plan "as risky as it gets" and said it will fail to attract investors in the current information vacuum.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Trujillo critic to tackle Telstra over broadband

The Federal Government's national broadband network company has hired a vocal critic of former Telstra chief executive Sol Trujillo to negotiate with the leading phone company.

Source: SMH

Broadband plan still slow on the download

It is four months since Kevin Rudd nudged Communications Minister Stephen Conroy to the edge of the stage and announced plans to build a $43 billion national broadband network.

Source: SMH

NBN cost debate picks up steam

The promise of a hyper-fast, state-sponsored national broadband network was mitigated by the high consumer cost to access it, a telecoms industry conference was told last night.

Source: iTnews Australia

Tue, 08th Sep 2009

DBCDE official: NBN a $43bn question mark

A senior Department of Broadband Communications and the Digital Economy staffer today said the government did not have answers to the growing list of questions surrounding the National Broadband Network.

Source: ZDNet Australia