Broadband News

Thu, 30th Jul 2009

KPMG, McKinsey tipped for NBN role

KPMG Corporate Finance and management consultancy group McKinsey have firmed as favourites to lead the advisory group that will undertake an implementation study into the federal government's $43 billion national broadband network.

Source: Australian IT

Wed, 29th Jul 2009

Optus says IP networks spared budget cuts

A survey commissioned by Optus has revealed continued investment in IP networks, even as budget cuts stalls spending on IT&C across three in four organisations.

Source: iTnews Australia

Regional backhaul: Good start, but too little

The Federal Government's $250 million regional backhaul program would improve broadband competition in the bush, but the investment needed to be four to eight times larger to be effective, Southern Cross Equities telco anayst Daniel Blair said.

Source: iTWire

AAPT, Telstra broker $500m wholesale deal

According to AAPT chief Paul Broad, it was a "breath of fresh air" negotiating a new $500 million a year telco-wide supply deal announced today with post-Trujillo Telstra.

Source: ZDNet Australia

NBN threat to Telstra overestimated

Southern Cross Equities analyst Daniel Blair believes the perceived threat posed by the National Broadband Network to Telstra has been greatly overestimated, and further that the NBN will most likely be built with significant Telstra involvement.

Source: iTWire

Ecomtel folds, blames Telstra ADSL billing dispute

Ecomtel has launched a scathing attack against its wholesale provider Telstra accusing it of prolonging a billing dispute that "forced" Ecomtel into administration.

Source: iTnews Australia

NBN to shift telcos' focus

Macquarie Telecom warns telcos that unless they adopt new business models they risk missing out on the national broadband network.

Source: Australian IT

Statistics experts label ISP filtering trials unscientific

The Federal Government's ISP filter trials lack proper methodology and are not representative, according to experts in statistics and testing from two of Australia's leading universities.

Source: ARN

Mike Quigley: The background check

Father, brother, cancer survivor, highly intelligent engineer and leader of the "Australian mafia" group of executives who battled their way to the top of global telco supplier Alcatel-Lucent. We present Mike Quigley, executive chairman of the National Broadband Network Company.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Tue, 28th Jul 2009

Tudehope pushes Telstra separation

Macquarie Telecom CEO David Tudehope has welcomed the appointment of Mike Quigley as the executive chair of the NBN Company. But upcoming industry regulatory changes remain his company's main focus.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Quigley's job is straightforward

NBN Company executive chairman Mike Quigley and six other board members to be named this week have a series of straightforward "buy or build" decisions to make about Australia's fibre future.

Source: ZDNet Australia

New home buyers fight Telstra lock-in

Politicians, ISPs and analysts are calling on the Federal Government to legislate against exclusive deals that lock homeowners in new housing estates into Telstra's broadband and phone services.

Source: iTnews Australia

Nextgen to wire sports stadiums with fibre network

Leighton-owned Nextgen Networks has signed a deal with Premier Media Group, owner of FOX SPORTS, which will connect several key sports facilities around the nation to Nextgen's fibre network.

Source: iTnews Australia

NBN: Foundation for a new industry?

The National Broadband Network could provide the foundation for building an industry generating new export dollars for Australia's or it will be a foreign debt millstone for taxpayers, a Senate inquiry into the project has been told.

Source: iTWire

NBN to reshape net, pay-TV

A major network technology vendor has revealed the potential for Labor's $43 billion national broadband network to radically reshape the internet and pay-TV industries.

Source: Australian IT

Cities battle for NBN central

The government may have just appointed an executive chairman to lead its ambitious plan to build and operate a $43 billion national broadband network but it is not clear which city the NBN company will call home.

Source: Australian IT

Telcos battle over clients

AAPT and Internode have struck out at Australia's dominant internet providers for allegedly delaying the smooth transfer of customers to their networks.

Source: Australian IT

Mon, 27th Jul 2009

Expert: Smaller ISPs will feel bite of mandatory filter

A leading tech expert has warned that small Internet service providers (ISPs) could face huge expenses in purchasing and maintaining a mandatory filter, as proposed by the Federal Government.

Source: ARN

One year for Tassie NBN rollout

It will take 12 months to roll out 600 kilometres of cable to 5000 Tasmanian premises in the first stage of the national broadband network, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said.

Source: Australian IT

Australians cut spending by staying at home & surfing the net

Research commissioned by Telstra suggests that Australians are responding to tough economic times by spending more time at home and increasing their usage of the Internet.

Source: iTWire

Broadband vital for jobs, economic prosperity says Conroy

The Minister for Broadband, Communications & Digital Economy, Stephen Conroy, has laid Australia's future economic prosperity very much at the doorstep of the ICT industry and the development of the National Broadband Network (NBN).

Source: iTWire

AAPT may increase unlimited ADSL2+ downloads

AAPT is considering extending the six-hour window for unlimited off-peak downloads on a range of ADSL2+ plans launched in late May.

Source: iTnews Australia

Vodafone cuts prepaid mobile broadband, adds 2GB bonus

Vodafone drops the price of its Prepaid Mobile Broadband Starter Pack to $119 and extends the promo date for its bonus 2GB of data to get you started.

Source: APC Magazine

Acacia head resurfaces in Tassie NBN

The man behind the mysterious Acacia organisation that fronted a bid in the failed fibre-to-the-node request for tenders last year has resurfaced to lead Tasmania's NBN company.

Source: iTnews Australia

Blog: What's behind Seven's Foxtel hunt?

Seven has made no secret of its expansion ambitions, but buying into pay-TV monolith Foxtel lends even greater clarity to the network's long-term vision. With wireless distribution and solid content channels under its belt, can Seven bring IPTV into the mainstream?

Source: ZDNet Australia

Broadband hiring brings credibility

NBN chief Mike Quigley has a tough job to convince the market that a national high-speed broadband network is financially viable.

Source: Australian IT

NBN boss on hunt for staff

The new head of the national broadband network company is on a hiring spree.

Source: Australian IT

Sun, 26th Jul 2009

AIIA: NBNco board must focus on services

A leading ICT industry body has called on the soon-to-be-announced NBNco board to make its first focus the services and digital economy benefits the National Broadband Network (NBN) will create.

Source: ARN

Victoria's pitch for NBN HQ with $5 million ICT investment

With NSW and Victoria vying for the honours to host the National Broadband Network Corporation the Victorian Government has upped the ante with its announcement that it is investing $5 million to develop and trial next generation ICT applications.

Source: iTWire

Sat, 25th Jul 2009

First NBN locations announced in TAS

The first locations in Tasmania to get connected to the NBN were announced today by the Prime Minister.

Source: Whirlpool