Broadband News
Tue, 07th Jul 2009
Minchin expected NBN delays
Shadow Communications Minister Nick Minchin today said that he was not surprised with the lack of progress shown thus far in the roll-out of the first leg of the National Broadband Network in Tasmania.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Mon, 06th Jul 2009
Look, up in the sky! There's an ugly downside to Labor's broadband project
The uproar sparked by the unfettered installation of unsightly aerial pay TV cables in the 1990s was the catalyst for the formation of lobby group Sydney Cables Down Under and others like it.
Source: SMH
Basslink goes live; Aurora, Internode online
The fibre-optic Basslink cable linking Tasmania to the mainland has officially gone live, with two customers, Aurora and Internode, hooked up to receive transmissions.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Vale Internode Unwired customers
Internode is about to close its Unwired service, three years after it withdrew the plans from sale.
Source: iTnews Australia
Sat, 04th Jul 2009
Conroy opens NBNCo regulation debate
Communications minister Stephen Conroy has called for submissions on how to regulate the National Broadband Network company and its access regime.
Source: iTnews Australia
Fri, 03rd Jul 2009
Phone tax not enough for full broadband rollout
BT has said that a proposed 50 pence ($1.03) per month levy on phone landlines will not provide enough funds to cover the entire UK with fibre-optic broadband.
Source: iTnews Australia
A lot is riding on how we choose to take our fibre
If the national broadband network is to succeed, take-up of the service by domestic and business users must be rapid and as close to universal as possible. On that, all industry experts agree.
Source: The Age
Enex net filter lab contract up for grabs
Enex Testlabs' contract with the Department of Broadband Communications and the Digital Economy to provide technical advice on content filtering is up for review next month.
Source: iTnews Australia
Huawei considers Australian 4G lab
Huawei said it will consider building a research centre in Australia to enable carriers to test next-generation telecommunications technology for the National Broadband Network.
Source: iTnews Australia
Conroy wants comments on NBNco legislation
Communications Minister, Senator Stephen Conroy, is appealing for comments on the legislative framework for the National Broadband Network company (NBNco). Announced in April, the Government-owned organisation will be tasked with running the $43 billion wholesale fibre infrastructure.
Source: ARN
Blog: Will Rudd's bush backhaul bonanza deliver?
Rural areas will be welcoming the government's decision to put its money where its politicising is, funnelling $250m into a regional fibre upgrade to six rural centres. Remedying over a decade of near-neglect at the hands of telecoms privatisation, the investment could be the firmest step yet for Labor's NBN dream - but with inevitable political questions and a looming election, Rudd and Conroy need to deliver, and quickly, to preserve the NBN's credibility.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Thu, 02nd Jul 2009
Telstra slammed for job cuts plan
More than 160 positions have been cut since David Thodey took over the reins from Sol Trujillo as Telstra's chief.
Source: Australian IT
Department of Broadband to seek filtering help
The Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy is set to open a tender seeking technical help to test content filtering products and services in August.
Source: ARN
Optus D3 satellite set for August launch
Optus has announced that it D3 satellite, the ninth in a 24 year history of Australian domestic satellites, will be launched by Arianespace during August.
Source: iTWire
NBN HQ decision will wait for board
The location of the National Broadband Network headquarters will not be decided until after the NBN company's board and chairman are appointed, Federal Communications Minister Stephen Conroy told his state counterparts this week.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Internet filter sparks gaming war
Online games played by millions of Australians could be blocked by the Federal Government's controversial internet filter.
Source: The Courier-Mail
Wed, 01st Jul 2009
China delays Net filtering; Australia sticks to its guns
As China backs off from controversial PC filtering plans, Australia is looking to expand its censorship net, with plans to ban computer games too.
Source: APC Magazine
Cisco fleshes out strategy for $US34b collaboration market
Last October Cisco flagged its aim, based on its WebEx portfolio to become a major player in the market for enterprise collaboration. This week gave some indication of how it plans to get there, including expanding its collaboration portfolio to include office applications.
Source: iTWire
Rudd's big backhaul day in Darwin
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is shortly expected to announce during a trip to Darwin what areas of regional Australia will be targeted by the backhaul aspect of the government's National Broadband Network plans.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Federal Government picks towns for NBN bush kick-off
The Federal Government has opened a tender process seeking candidates to build, operate and maintain backbone transmission links to regional towns as part of the first steps in its $43 billion national broadband network (NBN) plan.
Source: ARN
Tue, 30th Jun 2009
Telstra billing woes worsen
Stress caused by problems plaguing Telstra's customer service and billing system is forcing the telco's retail employees and even some dealers into new lines of work.
Source: Australian IT
Net address change chaos feared
The international community fears that major changes to the world's internet addressing system being attempted by its peak regulator will destabilise the global network.
Source: Australian IT
EFTel rights issue to raise $1.6m
Broadband ISP EFTel has launched a rights issued to raise in excess of $1.6m. Existing shareholders will be offered one new share for ever two held, at 1.95 cents per share, a 45 percent discount on their 15 day volume weighted average price to 26 June.
Source: iTWire
NBN bill worries infrastructure players
Representatives of Australian critical infrastructure providers have expressed concern that delivering information to the government under its amended National Broadband Network legislation could be costly and conflict with anti-terrorism rules.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Being throttled at least saves money
Doubleclick got throttled the other day and we didn't like it a bit.
Source: Australian IT
ISPs test Basslink cable
Internode and Exetel will test the Basslink cable in the next week with the first customers to jump on by the middle of July.
Source: iTnews Australia
Mon, 29th Jun 2009
Conroy's busy network diary
This week is shaping up as a big test for the Minister for Communications, Stephen Conroy, and his gestating child, the $43 billion national broadband network.
Source: SMH
3 mobile broadband customers get security software
Mobile broadband customers from Hutchison 3 are being offered a free 12 month subscription to the "premium" AVG Internet security software suite.
Source: iTnews Australia
Bringing Telstra into the NBN fold
Optus CEO Paul O'Sullivan had it right when he said that the new National Broadband Network would be a commercial failure unless there was only one network that included Telstra's fixed-line assets.
Source: ZDNet Australia
KPMG, Consultel win more NBN work
Consulting firm KPMG and technology consultancy Consultel have been awarded new contracts to provide the Federal Government investment and technical advice for the Tasmanian National Broadband Network roll-out.
Source: ZDNet Australia