Broadband News
Fri, 27th Nov 2020
Australian government develops its own metrics and ranks NBN highly
A year after NBN decided it didn't like the idea of speed tests as a broadband measurement, the viewpoint has spilled over to the Bureau of Communications, Arts and Regional Research (BCARR).
Source: ZDNet Australia
Thu, 26th Nov 2020
Phone and internet customers reveal debt trouble with telco companies during pandemic
There are calls for stronger regulation of telco companies after a new report details the distress and hardship customers are going through to manage their phone and internet debt.
Source: ABC News
Telstra to face $50m fine for unconscionable conduct 'right off the scale'
Telstra admits to unconscionable conduct during its sales of mobile phone plans to Indigenous consumers, who the ACCC says were exploited into signing up to unaffordable contracts and then aggressively pursued by debt collectors.
Source: ABC News
Telstra in court over ‘unconscionable’ conduct with mobile sales to Indigenous consumers, faces $50m in penalties
Telstra has been taken to court by the competition watchdog, the ACCC, over its admitted breach of consumer law through “unconscionable conduct” in the sale of post-paid mobile products to Indigenous consumers.
Source: iTWire
Wed, 25th Nov 2020
Vodafone is offering up to 50% off select smartphones for Black Friday
Since time nor the day of the week have any meaning in 2020, Vodafone is starting its Black Friday deals on a Tuesday with solid discounts on some of the year's most popular handsets. Our favourite offers include 27% off the 64GB iPhone SE, 25% off the Google Pixel 5, 50% off the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip, 12% off the Galaxy Z Fold 2, an 25% off the Galaxy S20 FE 5G.
Source: WhistleOut
Tue, 24th Nov 2020
Hawaiki boosts cable capacity, speed with Ciena tech
New Zealand cable operator Hawaiki Submarine Cable has announced that it would deploy Ciena's WaveLogic 5 Extreme technology that would provide an upgrade to meet the needs of customers who are facing a demand for more capacity and speed due to the ongoing pandemic.
Source: iTWire
Mon, 23rd Nov 2020
New Optus MVNO gomo is offering three months free service
Optus is launching its new MVNO gomo with a bang: if you sign-up to a gomo plan before February 28 next year, you'll get three months of free service after paying for your first three months.
Source: WhistleOut
Optus handles 84 percent of service inquiries in its digital channels
Optus says its digital self-service tools are now handling 84 percent of all customer service related inquiries, with a positive impact on its customer satisfaction scores.
Source: iTnews Australia
‘Record’ audience numbers, subscriptions on streaming services, claims Optus Sport
Optus Sport has claimed record subscription and audience numbers across the board on its streaming platform in 2020, with numbers boosted by the return of English Premier League, Women’s Super League and UEFA Champions League broadcasts.
Source: iTWire
Sun, 22nd Nov 2020
Consumer complaints about telcos increase over quarter
Consumer complaints to Australia’s telcos increased by 7.8 complaints per 10,000 Services- in Operation (SIOs) for three months of the July-September 2020 quarter, an increase over the previous quarter’s ratio of 7.4.
Source: iTWire
Fri, 20th Nov 2020
Southern Phone reclaims crown as Australia's most complained about telco
The Communications Alliance Complaints in Context report for July to September has revealed that Southern Phone has reclaimed the top position as the most complained about telco.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Thu, 19th Nov 2020
New .au domain namespace rules come into effect April 12
Australian Domain Name Administrator (auDA) has announced that from 12 April 2021, new rules for com.au, net.au, org.au, and asn.au namespaces in the .au domain will come into effect.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Vocus Group announces plans to list New Zealand business
ASX-listed Vocus Group has appointed financial advisers to execute a listing of New Zealand's fourth largest retail telco, Vocus NZ.
Source: ARN
NBN Co can seriously get in the way of communications
The NBN Co has been recently claiming that it has fast connections, super-fast connections and anything else that should satisfy the needs of even the most discriminating consumer, but that appears to be as much BS as any of its other claims.
Source: iTWire
Wed, 18th Nov 2020
Optus launches Singtel's Gomo mobile brand in Australia
Optus has hit the market with its new low-cost mobile brand Gomo, which - like rival TPG’s Felix - will sell a single SIM-only plan.
Source: iTnews Australia
Tue, 17th Nov 2020
Vodafone MVNO felix will sell you an unlimited data mobile plan with a catch for $35 per month
Vodafone today launched a new MVNO powered by its network, felix. felix has just a single plan: a $35 per month offer that includes unlimited talk and text, as well as unlimited data. Your data is however capped at 5Mbps, which is quite a limit. For comparison, a typical 4G service should easily be able to exceed speeds of over 50Mbps in a metro area. 5G services can achieve speeds of over 500Mbps with adequate coverage.
Source: WhistleOut
Fri, 13th Nov 2020
Telstra's edge compute network to comprise 650 repurposed exchanges
Telstra will set up 650 of its 1500 telephone exchanges as edge compute locations, honing a plan it first unveiled a year ago.
Source: iTnews Australia
Thu, 12th Nov 2020
Telstra announces plans to split into three, fuelling speculation about move for NBN
Telstra announces plans to split itself into three separate legal entities, amid speculation it is still preparing to buy NBN Co when it's privatised.
Source: ABC News
Users shift off 100/40Mbps NBN plans
Even though they only make up a small portion of its customer base, there has been quite the shift in how users are connecting to NBN on plans offering speeds at or in excess of 100Mbps.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Higher speed broadband services tick over 5M
The number of higher speed broadband plans of at least 50 Mbps has surpassed the 5 million threshold during last quarter, according to Australia's consumer watchdog.
Source: ARN
Aussie Broadband continues to dominate 250Mbps, gigabit services
Aussie Broadband is continuing to dominate NBN Co’s highest residential speed tiers with 85 percent of sign-ups to up to gigabit plans and 56 percent of 250 Mbps users.
Source: iTnews Australia
Telstra plans to split into three subsidiaries
Telstra wants to go through a corporate restructure that could see it split its operations among three subsidiaries and sell some parts, though it said “no final decisions have been made”.
Source: iTnews Australia
Wed, 11th Nov 2020
ACMA directs Telstra on compliance after overcharging customers almost $2.5 million
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has directed Telstra to comply with its billing accuracy obligations after an investigation found it had overcharged more than 10,000 customers a total of almost $2.5 million over a 12-year period.
Source: iTWire
Tue, 10th Nov 2020
New regulation to force passing of non-NBN broadband wholesaler rebates onto customers
With NBN set to pay its retailers a series of rebates for missing service standards, such as late connections and fault rectifications, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) is looking to regulate the same for non-NBN network operators for its next wholesale agreement.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Telcos to pass on NBN rebates to customers under proposed rules
Telco retail service providers will need to pass on rebates for missed NBN Co appointments onto their customers under a set of proposed rules by the telco industry regulator.
Source: ARN
Vodafone is gunning for Telstra and Optus with its 500GB iPhone deal
Vodafone will give you more data than you can shake a stick at with its latest iPhone 12 deal.
Source: WhistleOut
Video: Aussie Broadband starts Sydney fibre rollout
Aussie Broadband is running fibre cable through the Sydney Harbour Tunnel to connect the Sydney CBD with North Sydney.
Source: iTWire
Mon, 09th Nov 2020
Australia's MVNO market to shrink as telcos take control
Australia’s mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) market appears to have peaked and is now expected to account for just six percent of mobile subscribers by mid-2023, according to Venture Insights.
Source: iTnews Australia
80% of new NBN customers opting for faster plans
NBN Co has seen sustained demand for its higher speed tiers, with approximately four out of five new customers to the NBN opting for speeds of at least 50 Mbps.
Source: ARN
Fri, 06th Nov 2020
ACCC keeps ‘close watch’ on global anti-trust efforts & digital platforms
Australia’s competition watchdog, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, says it is keeping a close watch on global anti-trust efforts focusing on major digital platforms, including the US Department of Justice’s recent case against Google and proposed new competition laws in Europe.
Source: iTWire