Broadband News
Fri, 24th Jul 2009
BT's separation advocate to advise Australian Government on functional separation of Telstra
The Australian Government has contracted a BT executive with experience in, and who is a strong supporter of, the separation of BT to advise it on the possible functional separation of Telstra.
Source: iTWire
Trujillo 'world class' in making enemies: Switkowski
Former Telstra boss Ziggy Switkowski has taken aim at his recently departed successor, saying Sol Trujillo had managed to make enemies of both the Howard and Rudd governments.
Source: Australian IT
Thu, 23rd Jul 2009
Photos: Inside Basslink's undersea fibre converter station
One week after Basslink's official launch of its subsea fibre cable in Georgetown, Tasmania, iTnews has secured the first pictures from inside the Loy Yang converter station in Victoria and of the terrestrial fibre rollout connecting it to Traralgon.
Source: iTnews Australia
Netspace launches 10 Tassie DSLAMs
Internet service provider Netspace today announced the activation of 10 DSLAMs (Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer) in Tasmania.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Government to charge $24k for access to NBN documents
Shadow communications minister Nick Minchin has been quoted $24,000 to access NBN-related documents as part of a Freedom of Information (FOI) request.
Source: iTnews Australia
Blog: Tasmanian Premier Bartlett talks NBN
In today's Twisted Wire, Tasmanian Premier David Bartlett explains his vision for a broadband enabled Tasmania, that will "leapfrog every other nation on earth".
Source: ZDNet Australia
Massive growth in mobile broadband
Mobile broadband usage has surged over the past year, with subscribers to the services nearing a quarter of a billion globally and the industry recording year-on-year growth of 93 percent.
Source: iTWire
Pie Networks plans private femtocell network
Pie Networks plans to roll out global networks of "hotspot webphones" that can double as femtocells and be leased to mobile network operators to boost their coverage in high-traffic indoor locations like shopping centres.
Source: iTnews Australia
NSW lodges NBN bid
Nsw has launched its bid to have the headquarters of the federal government's $43 billion national broadband network.
Source: Australian IT
Telstra funds grassroots development of tech-savvy seniors
Telstra is offering a new round of grants of up to $A50,000 to help community groups teach seniors about using mobile phones and computers.
Source: iTWire
Wed, 22nd Jul 2009
Democrats name net filtering opponent to direct technology policy
The Australian Democrats has appointed an opponent of Internet filtering, and board member of Electronic Frontiers Australia, Geordie Guy as its new national technology policy coordinator.
Source: iTWire
Infrastructure lobby pitches ACCC to set NBN access prices
Australia's competition watchdog should be appointed as overseer of the national broadband network and be "directly involved" in setting access prices, according to a national infrastructure forum.
Source: iTnews Australia
Google pushes need for high speed NBN
Google has made a submission to the Senate Select Committee on the NBN, urging the Federal Government to make the investments and regulatory changes necessary to ensure high-speed internet access.
Source: iTnews Australia
Open IPTV standards needed to integrate NBN services
Video in all its forms has long been touted as a "killer application" for the national broadband network, but according to Ericsson the big opportunity is to exploit tight integration between video content and related services that will be made possible by open IPTV standards and the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS).
Source: iTWire
3G wireless broadband "fastest growing mobile technology ever"
Global HSPA (3G wireless broadband) connections will pass the 150 million mark by the end of September and 200 million by the end of Q1 2010, according to the GSM Association.
Source: iTWire
Tue, 21st Jul 2009
Conroy breaks bond in rush to broadband plan B
The Federal Government's finance management agency says it was left out of the loop on plans to issue billions of dollars in bonds to fund part of the Government's broadband plan.
Source: SMH
NBN study too big for bidders
The federal government's national broadband network implementation study could be too big for just one company to complete in six months.
Source: Australian IT
Tasmania as NBN testbed
The wheels of the $500 million-plus Tasmanian leg of the national broadband network are grinding into motion, and even though there is plenty of work to be done before first services are delivered next year, industry observers are backing the government's ambitious deadline.
Source: Australian IT
Melbourne University to drive NBN innovation
A new $2 million institute has been established to address the lack of knowledge about broadband applications in anticipation of the the Federal Government's National Broadband Network (NBN).
Source: ARN
Telstra fee not all bad: Choice
Telstra is trying to herd customers online by charging $2.20 for over-the-counter payments, but Choice says it's not a bad plan.
Source: Australian IT
Blog: Tasmanian NBN: Small step or a giant leap?
Like the engineers that sat down on day one with an empty blackboard and a mission to get man to the moon and back, building the NBN from the ground up is a daunting and complex opportunity that will present more than its share of challenges.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Conroy faces pressure over infrastructure bonds
The Federal Government office responsible for issuing infrastructure bonds suggested it was excluded from a national broadband network planning process that was yet to begin.
Source: iTnews Australia
Libraries object to internet filtering
The Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) remains opposed to internet filtering, despite concerns raised over library users caught viewing pornography.
Source: iTnews Australia
Mon, 20th Jul 2009
ISPs rubbish claims they are running routers hotter
ISPs have disputed claims by analyst firm Ovum they are choosing to run existing routers and switches 'hotter' than usual to put off having to immediately buy more.
Source: iTnews Australia
Telstra access price hike thwarted
Telstra's legal challenge to the prices set by the Australian competition watchdog of access to its copper network was last Friday rejected in the Federal Court.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Conroy eyes Telstra copper assets for NBN
Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has been forced to dodge suggestions the Government may have to contribute cash as well as equity in the NBN company to attract Telstra's network assets.
Source: iTnews Australia
High-speed broadband 'not necessary for most homes'
A Senate committee has heard that most Australian households will not want broadband speeds as fast as the Government wants to deliver.
Source: ABC News
Sat, 18th Jul 2009
Telstra slapped down on pricing
Telstra's latest attempt to inflate the price of wholesale access to its copper network has backfired, with the Federal Court yesterday dismissing 14 legal claims launched by the telco.
Source: The Australian
Telstra faces massive legal payout
Telstra could be forced to pay millions of dollars in legal costs after losing a long-running battle with the competition watchdog over prices it wants to charge rivals to access its copper network.
Source: Herald Sun
Fri, 17th Jul 2009
Huawei unveils next-generation LTE base station
Telecoms giant Huawei has launched the first large-scale commercial Long Term Evolution (LTE) eNodeB base station aimed at helping to spur the deployment of LTE networks.
Source: iTnews Australia