Broadband News

Mon, 29th Jun 2009

The cost of 'free love' net neutrality

Net neutrality has the superficial attraction of 1960's free love, argues Telstra's Justin Milne, until you realise that one party gets all the gratification while the other bears all the costs.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Sun, 28th Jun 2009

NBN legislation facing months of delays

The Government has tabled its first piece of legislation aimed at expediting the rollout of the National Broadband Network, only to have it referred to a Senate enquiry - a move likely to delay its passage by several months.

Source: iTWire

Fri, 26th Jun 2009

Leak: Vodafone customers protest poor network

In the Voice of Retail newsletter obtained by iTnews, Vodafone tabled the biggest headaches raised by customers and retailers from March to May. Coverage, degradation, dropouts and echo are users' biggest bugbears.

Source: iTnews Australia

Broadband bill introduced

Telcos and utilities would be forced to surrender confidential information about infrastructure assets as part of the NBN project.

Source: Australian IT

Australian businesses reap $81bn on the Internet

Australian companies reaped $81 billion over the Internet in the 2007 to 2008 financial year, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics' (ABS) 2007-08 Business Characteristics Survey (BCS).

Source: ARN

Thu, 25th Jun 2009

Legal advisors sought for NBN implementation study

The Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy is looking to appoint a primary legal services advisor to assist with the national broadband network NBN implementation study.

Source: ARN

AAPT shuffles executive ranks

AAPT has lifted its head of international carriers to general manager of its wholesale division.

Source: iTnews Australia

Pipe Networks pushing towards $100m revenues in FY2010

Pipe Networks is forecasting consolidated revenue for FY2010 of $92m-$96m, with EBITDA of approximately $50m-$51m and NPAT of approximately $20.5m-$21.5m from a combination of its existing business and its submarine cable arm, expected to start generating revenues later this year.

Source: iTWire

Conroy lands first NBN legislation

Communications Minister Stephen Conroy this afternoon introduced one of the first pieces of legislation into parliament to deal with the National Broadband Network (NBN).

Source: ZDNet Australia

Wed, 24th Jun 2009

Conroy lays out civil engineering interests

Senator Conroy has used an address at the National General Assembly of Local Government to invite more inputs on how the NBN might "interact" with local planning laws.

Source: iTnews Australia

Joyce flags NZ fibre delays

The New Zealand Government's $1.5 billion investment in its fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) network faces lengthy delays as the government untangles 104 submissions on its broadband plan.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Telstra welcomes one small reduction in its regulatory burden

Wishful thinking or Telstra trying to be conciliatory to the Federal Government? Whatever, Telstra's over-enthusiastic welcome to a minor piece of legislation was in stark contrast to the song and dance the Trujillo-Burgess double act used to kick up.

Source: iTWire

Conroy: NBN won't be an eyesore

Minister for Communications Stephen Conroy today assured local council representatives that the National Broadband Network (NBN) fibre infrastructure would not be an eye-sore on their landscapes.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Bill shock: BigPond users charged thousands for 'data they didn't use'

A Telstra BigPond customer has been slugged thousands of dollars for excess data usage and others have been hit with unexpected bills for downloads they claim they didn't use.

Source: The Age

Tue, 23rd Jun 2009

States battle on broadband centre

The NSW government is poised to lodge its official bid to host the headquarters for Australia's national broadband network with the federal government.

Source: Australian IT

The NBN is not about fast Internet

The Federal Government's $43 billion national broadband network (NBN) is not just about super-fast Internet access for consumers and decision makers must get out of this mindset, a leading contender to provide access technologies has claimed.

Source: ARN

Telecoms services users satisfied, but complaining a lot more

The ACMA has released results of its survey of consumers' and SMEs' satisfaction with fixed, mobile and broadband services reporting high satisfaction levels with most services, but noting also a very large increase in the level of complaints to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman.

Source: iTWire

Minchin claims there is no need for NBN

Shadow Communications Minister Nick Minchin has seized on an ACMA report showing most Australians are satisfied with their ISP to claim the country does not need a National Broadband Network (NBN).

Source: iTnews Australia

Telstra bumps Next G uplink to 5.8 Mbps

Telstra has increased peak network uplink speeds on its Next G network to 5.8 Mbps, meaning customers will achieve at least 300 kbps up to 3 Mbps in real-use terms.

Source: iTnews Australia

Mon, 22nd Jun 2009

Blog: 100Gbps Ethernet shows NBN's promise

The coming glut of 100Gbps Ethernet shows that the potential growth of the National Broadband Network is limited only by the laws of physics - and the laws of Parliament.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Sat, 20th Jun 2009

Some of the best posts on the content filter trial

Whatever your point of view on the Federal Government's contentious Internet content filtering trial there is no denying it has ruffled feathers and roused opinions from far and wide.

Source: ARN

Fri, 19th Jun 2009

Australia beats US for broadband access

Australia, where 72 per cent of homes have broadband, has come in at 11th in a world survey on access to the high-speed internet.

Source: Australian IT

Tasmanians may not be happy with Optus wireless expansion

Optus' wireless broadband ambitions may be hampered by Tasmania's local councils and residents.

Source: ARN

ispOne out of the regional NBN loop

Wholesaler ispOne has called on the Federal Government to involve regional ISPs more in NBN discussions rather than "playing political games" to force Telstra to open its network.

Source: iTnews Australia

Thu, 18th Jun 2009

Survey: Elderly, poor narrow broadband service gap

Some groups that have lagged in signing up for high-speed Internet service, like the elderly, the poor and rural residents, have started to gain on those who have had a head start, according to a new survey.

Source: SMH

Let Telstra get on with what it does best

The Luddites are in charge of telecommunications policy. These Luddites are not trade unionists fighting to protect their jobs. On the contrary, since the late 1980s Telstra has shed some 40,000 full-time jobs without fuss, let alone strikes, even though the telco was nearly 100 per cent unionised.

Source: The Age

Industry rejects fear on cables

Industry figures and other experts have brushed aside fears that the national broadband network will lead to unsightly cables festooning suburban streets.

Source: The Age

NBN likely to provide over 55,000 ICT jobs

A new survey of salaries for ICT professionals shows that there has been a significant slowdown in pay increases over the past year as would be expected in the current economic climate. However, if you're lucky enough to have been working in a government ICT job, pay conditions have never been better, and the NBN is going to up the ante to the tune of more than 55.000 jobs, according to ICT professional body the Australian Computer Society.

Source: iTWire

Blog: The economics of the NBN

In this edition of Twisted Wire, Senator Nick Minchin, Maha Krishnapillai and Ian Birks discuss with Phil Dobbie the economic viability of the new National Broadband Network.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Tasmania's NBN shrouded in mystery

Tasmanians have complained they're being left in the dark over the state's leg of the National Broadband Network (NBN), despite the Federal and Tasmanian Governments insisting construction could start within weeks.

Source: ZDNet Australia