Broadband News

Fri, 21st Aug 2020

Company formerly known as Vodafone Australia ends first half once again in the red

TPG Telecom -- the renamed Vodafone Hutchinson Australia (VHA) that went on to swallow the former TPG in a merger -- reported its first half results on Friday, and they require some history to effectively dissect.

Source: ZDNet Australia

TPG Telecom adds 550 sites to 5G network rollout plan

TPG Telecom is planning to ramp up its 5G rollout over the next 12 months, with more than 85 percent of the population in the country’s six largest cities expected to be served by the end of 2021.

Source: iTnews Australia

TPG Telecom weathers revenue decline in first financials since merger

TPG Telecom, the new publicly-listed entity combining Vodafone Hutchison Australia and TPG, has flagged year-on-year declines in revenue and earnings for the six months ending 30 June.

Source: ARN

Thu, 20th Aug 2020

ACMA drafting rules to require telcos pass on NBN fault rebates to customers

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has said it will require the rebates paid by NBN for failing to meet its wholesale service levels to be passed onto customers by retailers.

Source: ZDNet Australia

NBN Co agrees to pay up for slow internet, poor service

NBN Co has agreed to pay daily rebates on slow, congested and underperforming services, as well as for missed appointments and service faults, in a drastic U-turn.

Source: iTnews Australia

ACCC restarts inquiry into NBN pricing, service proposals

The competition watchdog, the ACCC, has recommenced its inquiry which is considering a proposal from National Broadband Network operator, NBN Co, that aims to address concerns about service standards for wholesale NBN products and the pricing of entry-level NBN services.

Source: iTWire

Wed, 19th Aug 2020

Vocus bucks downward trend on NBN margins

Vocus has reported an $2.30 increase in the average margin per NBN user across FY20, appearing to buck downward pressure experienced elsewhere in the sector through a combination of NBN price reductions and cost-cutting on its own end.

Source: iTnews Australia

NSW seeking approval to put GPS repeaters in Sydney tunnels

Transport for New South Wales is looking for permission to install GPS repeaters in the tunnels under Sydney to test the impact it would have on emergency services, as well as GPS units and smartphones.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Vocus profit continues to slide

Vocus Group has ended FY20 with a $178.2 million loss after seeing its profits plummet for the past three years.

Source: ARN

Internet Explorer 11's death march starts now

Microsoft's Internet Explorer 11 web browser is headed into the sunset after seven years, with support to be revoked for key online services.

Source: iTnews Australia

NBN CO launches community education campaign on scam threats

National Broadband Network operator NNB Co has launched a community education campaign focusing on the threat of scams and warning that scammers are increasing their focus to “deceive Australians”, with new and variations of common NBN themed scams emerging in recent months.

Source: iTWire

Tue, 18th Aug 2020

VoIP phone on NBN: Everything you need to know

Moving to the NBN also means moving your landline to a VoIP phone service. This is a bit confusing for some people, but we're here to the help with the most frequently asked questions about this topic.

Source: WhistleOut

ACCC and Google come to blows over new media bargaining laws

After Google on Monday published an open letter declaring that Australia's proposed media bargaining laws were unfair and put the "way Aussies' search at risk", the consumer watchdog rebutted, labelling the post as misinformation.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Mon, 17th Aug 2020

Google unleashes rebuke on Australian antitrust law

​Internet giant Google has criticised proposed Australian antitrust laws, saying its free search service would be "at risk" and users' personal data could be shared if it is made to pay news organisations for their content.

Source: ARN

ACCC accuses Google of seeding media code 'misinformation'

Australia’s competition watchdog has accused Google of spreading ‘misinformation’ after the web giant weaponised its search engine to warn users of so-called risks with the country’s proposed media code.

Source: iTnews Australia

Fri, 14th Aug 2020

Union says NBN Co move to axe 800 jobs now 'a disgrace'

The Communications, Electrical and Plumbing Union of Australia, the body that represents workers who are employed by NBN Co, the company that is rolling out the country's national broadband network, has called on the Federal Government to reconsider the axing of 800 jobs at the company in the middle of a pandemic when people are more reliant on the network than ever.

Source: iTWire

Thu, 13th Aug 2020

Bidders unable to buy over 1GHz in Australian 26GHz 5G spectrum auction

Minister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts Paul Fletcher announced on Thursday he has directed the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) to set limits on the upcoming millimetre wave auction due in March.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Newly-merged TPG Telecom reveals leadership team

The newly-combined entity of TPG and Vodafone Australia has unveiled its executive line-up a month after finalising its $15 billion merger​.

Source: ARN

Telstra profit falls by 14% after year of bush fires and COVID-19

Telstra has posted another year of tumbling profits as the summer bush fires and COVID-19 pandemic hit its already beleaguered finances.

Source: ARN

Aussie Broadband now has 5080 'up to gigabit' NBN customers

Aussie Broadband has increased customer numbers on NBN Co’s newly-affordable ‘up to gigabit’ speed plans to 5080, a greater than 90 percent share of all signups.

Source: iTnews Australia

Telstra calls profitability of NBN services 'negligible at best'

Telstra boss Andy Penn has renewed long-running calls for NBN Co to alter its wholesale pricing, saying the profitability of selling NBN services “is negligible at best”.

Source: iTnews Australia

Government sets bidding limits for next 5G spectrum auction

Bidding limits for Australia’s next 5G spectrum auction, which is scheduled to occur in March 2021, have been announced by the Federal Government.

Source: iTWire

NBN connections climb to 7.4 million with new activations, says ACCC

More than 7.4 million consumers are now connected to the National Broadband Network after the activation of 383,257 new services in the three months to the end of June, according to the competition regulator, the ACCC.

Source: iTWire

Wed, 12th Aug 2020

Vodafone offering 50GB for $35, new home wireless plans, and bundle discounts

Vodafone just dropped a whole bunch of plan changes. Here's what you need to know.

Source: WhistleOut

Superloop CEO Drew Kelton signals exit

Superloop has turned to former NBN Co enterprise boss Paul Tyler to replace its outgoing CEO Drew Kelton.

Source: ARN

NBN migration pushes SD-WAN take up in Australian market ahead of other markets, says analyst

Software-defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) has taken off quicker in Australia than some other markets partly due to the migration of “last-mile access” to the National Broadband Network (NBN), according to a new analyst report.

Source: iTWire

Optus offers Victorians free UEFA Champions Trophy football stream

Singtel Optus will make its Optus Sport broadcast available free of cost to all Victorians to watch the UEFA Champions Trophy football championship which kicks off at 4.45am AEDT on Saturday.

Source: iTWire

Tue, 11th Aug 2020

BSA faces class action suit over telco contractor workforce

BSA, a supplier of technical services to the likes of NBN Co and Optus, said it will “vigorously defend” a class action lawsuit filed over the way it allegedly assembled its technician workforce.

Source: iTnews Australia

NBN Co used extra $700m CapEx in final year of 'initial build'

NBN Co’s capital expenditure for the past year came in $700 million above forecasts, money the company said it brought forward from future years to perform network upgrades and connect up more premises during COVID.

Source: iTnews Australia

After 10 years of angst, NBN's big milestone has come in the nick of time

Ten years after it connected its first customer the national broadband is complete with 99 per cent of premises now ready to connect.

Source: SMH