Broadband News
Wed, 22nd Apr 2009
Call for NBN audit
The Coalition has called for a full and independent audit of the Rudd Government's national broadband network tender, which cost taxpayers $20 million.
Source: Australian IT
Analysts weigh up costs of Telstra split
Macquarie Research estimates functional separation would cost Telstra five per cent in product margins and a 33 per cent hit to its share price, but the forced sale of its HFC network is a greater risk to the carrier.
Source: iTnews Australia
Foxtel unveils web strategy
Foxtel was considering offering internet-only subscriptions to augment its set-top box-based business as it prepares for the internet TV era, chief executive Kim Williams said yesterday.
Source: Australian IT
Optus joins filtering trial
Optus has joined the federal government's Internet filter trial, after being initially excluded.
Source: Whirlpool
CCC hopes Concept Economics' NBN costs 'are their last'
The Competitive Carriers Coalition has slammed a report by Concept Economics released today that claims the NBN could cost up to $70 billion to build while offering little benefit to consumers.
Source: iTnews Australia
Tue, 21st Apr 2009
New technology could lift NBN past 100Mpbs
The federal Government says its $43 billion national broadband network may be capable of speeds much faster than 100Mbps at launch.
Source: Australian IT
Bigger footprint for mobile broadband
Businesses in the cities and towns of regional NSW, along with those whose work takes them outside of the Sydney sprawl, are set to enjoy some real choice in mobile broadband.
Source: The Age
DSLAM roll-outs continue despite NBN
Australia's telcos have not stopped rolling out broadband infrastructure such as ADSL Multiplexer (DSLAM) hardware in exchanges, despite the Federal Government's $43 billion National Broadband Network plans.
Source: ZDNet Australia
AAPT tech upgrade sharpens wholesale operations
AAPT has completed a $30 million upgrade of its core internet protocol and edge network in a bid to bolster its wholesale business.
Source: Australian IT
Telstra under fire over response to Tassie outage
Internode has slammed Telstra's technical response to a major outage on its Tasmanian wholesale cable overnight, which left the ISP's customers without service for 12 hours.
Source: iTnews Australia
Mon, 20th Apr 2009
Opinion: Why Telstra should split in two
Simon Hackett, managing director at Internode gives his view on how the industry will be affected by a broken up Telstra.
Source: iTnews Australia
Sun, 19th Apr 2009
Small towns to miss National Broadband Network access
More than 200 Victorian towns may miss out on super-fast internet connections under the Rudd Government's National Broadband Network.
Source: Herald Sun
Sat, 18th Apr 2009
Telstra takes cue from Government's fragile fibre snowflake
Signs that Telstra is sticking its head through the window the Rudd Government opened when it abandoned its first broadband plan and proposed a $43 billion fibre-to-the-home project are the most important dividend from the process so far.
Source: The Age
Fri, 17th Apr 2009
Queensland to give train commuters wireless internet access
A plan to give commuters wireless internet access on trains has shaken up state transport authorities.
Source: News Limited
Federal Government looks to cash in on mobile spectrum
The Federal Government has released a request for tender seeking a valuation of its mobile spectrum assets in the lead up to spectrum auctions.
Source: iTnews Australia
Minchin probes Henry's NBN advice
Shadow Communications Minister Nick Minchin has demanded the government prove that Treasury Secretary Dr Ken Henry advised it to go ahead with the $43 billion National Broadband Network project.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Thu, 16th Apr 2009
Telstra may bring PM's plan undone
We have the network for a national broadband system, so let's use it.
Source: The Age
Telstra questions keep mounting
Millions of Australians have an interest in Telstra either as shareholders or customers or through the Future Fund and superannuation funds. Many must now be wondering about the future of Australia's telecommunications giant. So are we. What is the future of Telstra? Nobody knows.
Source: SMH
Rudd takes mega bites from taxpayers' money tree
Just like water, taxpayers' money is an extremely scarce resource in the current climate. Yet Kevin Rudd just goes on spending as if there is a giant money tree growing in a corner of the prime ministerial courtyard.
Source: The Australian
PM orders high-fibre diet
Few communications technologies are as remarkable as fibre optics. Commercial fibre-optic cable first became available in 1981; since then hundreds of millions of cable kilometres have been laid across the world. Over the years, the quality of the cable has improved dramatically: by providing a progressively clearer transmission medium, fibre-optic cables have allowed vast increases in the volumes of information carried over the light waves they channel. Were the oceans as transparent as the cables that are now available, you would be able to stand in the middle of the Pacific and see the ocean floor.
Source: The Australian
Reseller drops AAPT for Telstra
Telecoms reseller and franchisor Telcoinabox has bucked the recessionary spend trend and signed a two-year deal to wholesale Telstra's ADSL2+ internet services to its business customers.
Source: Australian IT
Wed, 15th Apr 2009
States vie to be broadband base
A three-way squabble over Kevin Rudd's broadband bonanza has erupted, with the Victorian and NSW governments yesterday countering Queensland Premier Anna Bligh's pitch that Brisbane is the best place to base the $43 billion cable rollout.
Source: Australian IT
No price hike for fast broadband
Consumers would pay about the same for the Government's proposed new super-fast broadband service as they do now for a much inferior product, the Communications Minister, Stephen Conroy, said.
Source: SMH
ISPs may be liable for illegal downloads
The NSW Federal Court has not ruled out the possibility that an ISP could be in direct breach of copyright laws if it provides internet service to individuals that illegally share files on peer-to-peer networks.
Source: Australian IT
3 begins Next G roaming
3 has begun to enable its new 3G roaming on Telstra's Next G network, but not all areas will get access to the alternative network.
Source: Whirlpool
Tasmania to hold NBN tender
Tasmanian carrier Aurora today confirmed it was planning to initiate a tender process to find vendors for goods and services associated with the roll-out of the $43 billion National Broadband Network in the state.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Tue, 14th Apr 2009
Telstra taskforce to deal with $43bn broadband plan
Telstra has formed a high-powered taskforce to manage negotiations with the Government over the planned $43 billion national broadband network (NBN).
Source: The Age
Telstra ploughs on with upgrade despite Rudd proposal
Telstra has no plans to delay the upgrade of its hybrid fibre coaxial (HFC) cable in Melbourne, despite government broadband plans that may make such spending unnecessary.
Source: The Australian
Ruddnet is too good to be true
Kevin Rudd promised a broadband revolution if he became prime minister. A state-of-the-art, fibre-to-the-node broadband would reach 98 per cent of the population. It would be built by the private sector with a $4.7 billion investment from theGovernment.
Source: The Australian
Telstra open to break-up as broadband plan forces telecom to overhaul strategy
Telstra will consider a voluntary separation of its wholesale and retail arms as well as the sale of some assets to the federal Government's proposed $43 billion broadband network in a spectacular about-face that effectively dumps the aggressive four-year strategy championed by chairman Donald McGauchie and chief executive Sol Trujillo.
Source: The Australian