Broadband News
Mon, 13th Jul 2020
Optus mobile customers can now pay $5 for a day of unlimited data
Optus today announced that mobile customers are now able to purchase a day worth of unlimited data for $5. After a customer purchases the Unlimited Data Day Add-on through the My Optus app, they will then have access to an unlimited data allowance for 24 hours.
Source: WhistleOut Mobile Phones News
Optus Sport offers its full range through LG Smart TV app
Telco Singtel Optus says its sports offerings will be available through the LG Smart TV app store from now on, with customers needing an existing Optus Sport account and premium subscription to watch.
Source: iTWire
Xenophon asks why Telstra not facing queries over 5G gear source
Former Independent senator Nick Xenophon has put the cat among the pigeons, pointing out that while Chinese vendor Huawei has been banned from supplying gear to the 5G networks, Telstra, which gets its 5G gear from a joint-venture arrangement between Ericsson and Panda Electronics, faces no such strictures.
Source: iTWire
Fri, 10th Jul 2020
Optus offers wholesale partners VoLTE and WiFi calling
Optus is now offering wholesale partners on the Optus mobile network Voice over LTE (VoLTE) and WiFi calling on its 4G network.
Source: ARN
Data demand on National Broadband Network still at pre-COVID 19 levels, says NBN Co
Demand for data on the National Broadband Network remains above pre-COVID 19 levels, with downloads on the network at peak levels, according to the latest report from the operator of the network, NBN Co.
Source: iTWire
Thu, 09th Jul 2020
Telstra to have Australian agents answer all inbound calls from 2022
Telstra is set to permanently change the way it provides customer service post-COVID, with an aim to route all inbound voice calls through Australian call centres by sometime in 2022.
Source: iTnews Australia
Vocus fibre cable cut in South Australia
Vocus technicians are working to repair a broken fibre cable in South Australia that appears to be causing east-west connectivity problems for some internet users.
Source: iTnews Australia
Wed, 08th Jul 2020
NBN Co to axe 800 jobs in major restructure
NBN Co is planning to shed at least 800 jobs as part of a major overhaul of its business structure.
Source: ARN
NBN Co's final build push includes 25k premises that fell through the cracks
NBN Co has revealed 25,000 premises in smaller new housing developments remain unconnected to the NBN after June 30 due to an apparent mix-up in the implementation of government policy.
Source: iTnews Australia
Physical location of video conferencing servers key to Australian performance: ACCC
The relationship between a user's physical location and that of the servers used for their video conferencing service of choice is, unsurprisingly, the key to low latency and a better experience, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) said.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Tue, 07th Jul 2020
Optus looks to spend $1.5m on transportable 4G small cells
Optus is set to invest $1.5 million in a fleet of transportable small cells that are lighter and easier to deploy in disaster zones than the telco’s current fleet of satellite cells on trailers or SatCats.
Source: iTnews Australia
NBN launches satellite backup for business customers
The company responsible for deploying the National Broadband Network (NBN) across Australia has launched a satellite backup service for business services.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Australia linked to Japan and the US via new submarine cable system
Australia has been linked up to the Japan-Guam-Australia North Cable System (JGA North) with a 24 terabits per second (Tbps) connection.
Source: ARN
Mon, 06th Jul 2020
Optus, Telstra to build 21 new mobile towers in regional NSW
Telstra and Optus will build 21 new mobile phone towers in southern NSW using a $50 million fund established by the state government to improve internet connectivity in under-served regions.
Source: iTnews Australia
NBN Co will have 22,000 premises still awaiting infrastructure after this year
NBN Co is now forecasting it will only have around 21,800 brownfields premises unable to connect to its network post-2020.
Source: iTnews Australia
Sun, 05th Jul 2020
Australia's broadband network in a diabolical position after 'completion', says expert
An academic, who was part of the advisory panel for the NBN for the Labor Party, says Australia is now in a diabolical position as far as its broadband network goes, despite all the self-congratulatory rhetoric about how the network has been delivered on time and how it is holding up under the strain of extra traffic due to people working from home.
Source: iTWire
Thu, 02nd Jul 2020
Telstra gets two more years to upgrade or sell its residential fibre networks
Users in Telstra fibre areas face up to two more years with limited retail choices and service quality issues after the government decided Telstra could stay exempt from rules that would otherwise force it to make its fibre areas wholesale only and open access.
Source: iTnews Australia
Optus signs contract for Ku-band sixth satellite to launch in 2023
Australian telco Optus announced on Thursday it has signed a deal with Airbus Defence and Space for a new OneSat satellite, that will be known as Optus 11, which is set to cover Australasia when it is launched in 2023.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Optus commits to digital core upgrade
Optus is set to upgrade its core business systems to SAP’s S/4 HANA, creating a “digital core” that could help it enable new capabilities at the edge like predictive maintenance for cellular towers.
Source: iTnews Australia
Woolies hit with AU$1 million spamming fine
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has hit Woolworths Group with a fine of AU$1,003,800, the largest it has handed down, due to five million breaches of the Spam Act 2003 made between October 2018 and July 2019.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Vodafone joins NBN 250 and Ultrafast club
Vodafone is the latest RSP to give customers the option of NBN Co's recently announced 250Mbps and 500-1000Mbps services.
Source: iTWire
TransACT builder says best option for NBN is to remain in government hands
The best way forward for the national broadband network is for it to remain in government hands and be managed for strategic advantage, rather than commercial gain, a network expert has told iTWire.
Source: iTWire
Wed, 01st Jul 2020
NBN now obligated to provide a minimum 25Mbps connection to Australians
With the calendar shifting to July, the Statutory Infrastructure Provider (SIP) obligations on NBN have entered into force.
Source: ZDNet Australia
New legislation ‘guarantees’ broadband access for all Australians, says Government
New legislation has just come into force in Australia, enshrining in law access to broadband services for all Australians regardless of where they live, and which the Federal Government says "guarantees" broadband access for everyone.
Source: iTWire
Aussie Broadband board gets pre-IPO makeover
RSP Aussie Broadband has appointed a new chair and two replacement directors.
Source: iTWire
Tue, 30th Jun 2020
MyRepublic is the latest telco to sell an NBN 250 plan
MyRepublic has followed Aussie Broadband and Superloop in launching an NBN 250 plan, making it one of the few telcos offering customers plans with speeds that faster than 100Mbps.
Source: WhistleOut
NBN Co expects to sustain some of its traffic uplift
NBN Co is expecting to sustain some of the uplift in the amount of traffic running across its network post-COVID, a prediction that could make it harder for the company to completely wind back bandwidth bonuses laid on since March.
Source: iTnews Australia
Telstra ditches 5G fee for users not on lowest tier plan
The prospect of users having to pay AU$15 a month for 5G access on the Telstra network,
Source: ZDNet Australia
Telstra sets $65 a month as minimum spend to get 5G access
Telstra is set to reshape the way it sells 5G services once a year-long free trial wraps up today.
Source: iTnews Australia
Optus runs mmWave 5G tests in Sydney
Optus is testing 5G millimetre wave (mmWave) technology at four locations in Sydney, months after suggesting the technology could bring speeds in excess of 20Gbps.
Source: iTnews Australia