Broadband News
Mon, 11th May 2009
Optus to fund filtering pilot off its own back
A mandatory grant reporting document released by the Department for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy (DBCDE) reveals it has spent close to $300,000 this year on its controversial ISP-level filtering pilot.
Source: iTnews Australia
Sat, 09th May 2009
Film studios drop part of iiNet case
In federal court today the film studios backed down from an aspect of their piracy court case against iiNet, leading the judge to award iiNet compensation.
Source: ZDNet Australia
ISPs escape copyright trap
The NSW Federal Court will no longer be called to test a contentious legal claim that ISPs directly infringe copyright laws by providing services to individuals who illegally share files on peer-to-peer networks.
Source: Australian IT
Fri, 08th May 2009
Thodey scores Telstra CEO role, chairman McGauchie resigns
David Thodey, currently head of Telstra's corporate and government business, has been named the new CEO; chairman Donald McGauchie has resigned to be replaced by Catherine Livingstone and CFO John Stanhope has been made an executive director in the biggest reshuffle at the top in half a decade.
Source: iTWire
ACCC takes Dodo to task for 'false' ads
The consumer watchdog has blown the whistle on multi-service telco reseller Dodo over its mobile and broadband cap advertisements.
Source: Australian IT
Tasmanian broadband pilot shows us the future
Media companies, tech companies, healthcare providers and other state governments will be among those watching the broadband pilot in Tasmania with great interest to see what impact 100Mbps broadband will have on their respective worlds when the full National Broadband Network is rolled out.
Source: SMH
Telstra strategy won't change: Thodey
Telstra's broad strategy would remain unchanged, the telco's incoming chief executive David Thodey told journalists this morning, following confirmation of his appointment.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Telstra 2.0 won't solve the problem
With the government's game-changing promise to introduce a new gorilla into the marketplace, telecommunications in Australia will never be the same again. And nor should it.
Source: ZDNet Australia
iiNet attempts to delay copyright case rejected
Attempts by ISP iiNet to delay the start of its copyright case have been rejected by the Federal Court, with a decision now expected before Christmas, the Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft (AFACT) has revealed.
Source: iTnews Australia
Thu, 07th May 2009
Broadband on airplanes takes off
According to a new report, travelers will have some 800 broadband-enabled airplanes to choose from by the end of the year.
Source: iTWire
Aussie Windows 7 internet traffic "as big as Obama"?
Akamai has confirmed that internet traffic on its Aussie network yesterday sustained levels between nine and 12 per cent higher than normal, caused by an "event" it said was either as big - or bigger - than the Obama inauguration.
Source: iTnews Australia
Turnbull slams 'dangerous NBN delusion'
Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull yesterday slammed the $43 billion National Broadband Network project, saying that if any business person behaved in the way Prime Minister Kevin Rudd had, he'd find himself in hot water with the nation's financial regulator.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Wed, 06th May 2009
NBN Expert Panel united on Ruddstra, not "weird" RFP
Professor Reginald Coutts says the Government's U-turn on the National Broadband Network is very much in the spirit of the recommendations the expert panel made in its report.
Source: iTnews Australia
Windows 7 fuels internet traffic, slows Tassie links
Australian ISPs have reported Akamai server traffic spikes of up to 50 percent as Windows 7 RC was released to the public, while Internode has blamed it for congestion on fibre links into Tasmania.
Source: iTnews Australia
Sony to sell movies, TV shows via PS3
Sony Australia plans to begin selling high-definition movies and TV shows via its PlayStation 3 as early as this year, hammering another nail in the coffin of the rigid free-to-air TV networks.
Source: SMH
Auditor-General to probe NBN decision
Federal Auditor-General Ian McPhee has revealed he will conduct a preliminary review of Labor's terminated National Broadband Network tender process.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Tue, 05th May 2009
Ruddnet divides a nation
The visionary thrust of Kevin Rudd's high-speed national broadband strategy focuses on providing a state-of-the-art, world's-best, communications platform for Australia. But there is a real political danger for the Rudd Government.
Source: Australian IT
Telstra up for sale - again
On the day the Federal Government announced it was going into the broadband cable business at a wild guesstimate of a headline-grabbing price, I heard a radio interview with an Optus spokesman memorable for the question not asked.
Source: SMH
Exetel says no to internet filtering
Exetel chief John Linton has ruled out selling an opt-in "clean feed" internet service to users as a result of last week's trial because the technology can be too easily bypassed.
Source: iTnews Australia
Mon, 04th May 2009
Telstra wants control of 3 joint venture
Telstra's battle against 3 was heard again in the Victorian Supreme Court on Friday, with the bigger telco reportedly attempting to win control of the carriers' two jointly owned mobile network.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Exetel trial records 20,000 hits on filtered URLs
Mandatory ISP filtering would cost internet users about $6 a year to implement, according to the results of a five-day trial of the technology by ISP Exetel.
Source: iTnews Australia
Prepaid wireless mobile broadband: Optus, Telstra, Three and Vodafone compared
Vodafone has joined its rivals in offering 3G wireless broadband to prepaid customers. So which telco offers the best value for your "pay as you go" mobile broadband buck?
Source: APC Magazine
Sat, 02nd May 2009
Telstra misused Optus long-distance traffic stats
The Federal Court has ruled in favour of Optus in a long-running dispute with Telstra, finding the incumbent misused Optus traffic information to set its own marketing, promotion and sales strategies in the 1990s.
Source: iTnews Australia
Vodafone launches prepaid wireless broadband
Vodafone has followed Three and Optus by launching a prepaid 3G wireless broadband service, with pricing almost identical to that charged by Optus, and rather higher than Three's pricing.
Source: iTWire
Fri, 01st May 2009
AAPT to join unlimited ADSL2+ bandwagon
AAPT has confirmed plans to uncap off-peak downloads on its ADSL2+ products as part of an unlimited broadband offering.
Source: iTnews Australia
Queensland, South Australia irate at NBN favouritism
Kevin Rudd faces a revolt among the states and territories over alleged special treatment for Tasmania in the roll-out of the new super-fast broadband network.
Source: The Australian
Thu, 30th Apr 2009
Formal name for NBN company in months
The formal name of the $43 billion National Broadband Network company (NBNCo) could be unveiled in a few months, the federal Government said.
Source: Australian IT
Vodafone 3G hits 80 per cent
Vodafone today said it would hit its deadline of turning on 3G mobile services in regional areas by the first week of May.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Pipe cable hits sea bed
Pipe Networks has started unrolling Australia's first international undersea cable link to be owned wholly independently from large local telcos such as Telstra and Optus.
Source: Australian IT
$700m broadband log-in
Tasmania is expected to take delivery of $700 million today to start the Federal Government's broadband network.
Source: The Mercury