Broadband News
Sat, 04th Apr 2020
Google location data shows Australia grinding to halt
Google has published a set of reports using the location data it collects from users via its services and software such as Maps to provide insights into how COVID-19 movement restrictions worldwide are affecting communities' mobility.
Source: iTnews Australia
Bandwidth usage increases by 25%, says Aussie Broadband
Evening peak broadband usage has increased by 25%, with millions of Australians now isolated at home because of COVID-19, according to telcommunications and broadband services provider Aussie Broadband.
Source: iTWire
Fri, 03rd Apr 2020
Vodafone and Optus offer healthcare workers free mobile service
In an initiative homogeneous to that for volunteer firefighters earlier this year, both Vodafone and Optus will pay registered health care professionals postpaid bills for the next two and three months, respectively.
Source: WhistleOut
Thu, 02nd Apr 2020
Optus offers free three-month postpaid mobile services to health workers
Australian telco Singtel Optus has said it will waive postpaid mobile access charges for health workers for the next three months, in recognition of their efforts to prevent spread of the coronavirus in the community.
Source: iTWire
NBN Co records highest ever peak throughput of 13.8Tbps
NBN Co has revealed that data flowing through its access network peaked at 13.8Tbps last Friday at 9.15pm AEDT, about 25 percent above levels a month ago.
Source: iTnews Australia
ACCC stands by rebate hike for missed NBN appointments
The ACCC has indicated it intends to push on with its efforts to raise the rebate paid by NBN Co for missed appointments from its current rate of $25 to $75, as it presses pause on two NBN-related inquiries.
Source: ARN
ACCC pauses NBN inquires until coronavirus pandemic stabilises
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has announced it would pause its NBN entry-level access pricing and wholesale service standards inquiries to allow the industry to deal with the coronavirus pandemic that is sweeping the planet.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Broadband services drive up NBN data demand to record weekly high
Video conferencing, video streaming and accessing cloud-based office applications have driven a large increase in data demand on the NBN access network as more Australians turn to their broadband services for work, education and entertainment, according to a new report.
Source: iTWire
Telstra says COVID-19 leads customers to cancel technician visits
Telstra has revealed current and prospective NBN customers are cancelling technician appointments or blocking site entry over COVID-19 concerns.
Source: iTnews Australia
Wed, 01st Apr 2020
Coronavirus and the internet — new data shows which cities are winning and losing
As millions of Australians turn to their home internet connections for work because of COVID-19, data shows some cities' internet is more clogged than others.
Source: ABC News
NBN satellite complaints spike over back end of 2019
The number of complaints received by Australian telcos over the past 12 months has dropped by almost one quarter, according to figures released by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) on Wednesday.
Source: ZDNet Australia
NBN Co authorised to join forces with top telcos to maintain Australia’s connectivity
The ACCC has temporarily granted NBN Co and Australia's five largest telcos authorisation to form a special working group to keep businesses and consumers connected and supported during the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus.
Source: ARN
Labor calls for free NBN broadband access for families, children
The Australian Labor Party has called for an NBN rebate — and free NBN broadband access for a period of at least 12 months — to help connect families and children with no Internet at home, ensuring access to broadband for children it says are potentially missing out on the benefits of connectivity.
Source: iTWire
NBN Co, telcos get ACCC authorisation to co-operate during COVID-19 crisis
National Broadband Network operator NBN Co and five retail service providers have been authorised by the competition regulator the ACCC to work together on measures to keep telecommunications networks operating effectively during the COVID-19 crisis.
Source: iTWire
Tue, 31st Mar 2020
Sharp drop in consumer complaints to telcos: ACMA
Complaints about services by telecommunications consumers to telecoms providers dropped sharply in volume in the 2019 December quarter, declining by 25.9% compared to the same period in 2018.
Source: iTWire
Mon, 30th Mar 2020
You know it's bad when even Telstra is telling you to stay home
We should all be staying home as much as possible right now, but just in case, that wasn't clear enough, Telstra is offering up another reminder.
Source: WhistleOut
Australia 86th of 159 countries when it comes to cost per Mbps
Australia stands 86th in the world when it comes to the cost of an Mbps of broadband data, according to a study by vouchercloud, a company that belongs to the global e-commerce marketplace Groupon. The data showed that Australians pay US$1.15 (A$1.86) per Mbps.
Source: iTWire
No large files during day and evening, Comms Alliance pleads
Australia's telecommunications industry body the Communications Alliance is asking broadband subscribers to consider ways to lower data traffic during peak hours to mitigate network overloading caused by an increasing number of people self-isolating and working from home.
Source: iTnews Australia
Aussie Broadband rallies industry behind NBN Co
Aussie Broadband managing director Phillip Britt is rallying internet providers to get behind NBN Co and its team as they put in “insane hours” and alter work practices “to keep everything running” for internet users.
Source: iTnews Australia
Fri, 27th Mar 2020
Telstra tells iOS users to stay home
Australian incumbent telco Telstra is telling users of iOS devices to stay inside and not come out.
Source: ZDNet Australia
COVID-19 lockdowns, self-isolation measures put Internet under pressure
Internet infrastructure is being put under significant pressure as rolling lockdowns begin to bite as COVID-19 and associated self-isolation measures transform working practices, according to data from a commercial spin-off from Monash University.
Source: iTWire
Thu, 26th Mar 2020
Telstra cuts up to $15 per month from mobile broadband plans for 12 months
Telstra has cut the price of the majority of its mobile broadband plans by between $10 and $15 per month, with plan prices now starting at $15 per month for 10GB.
Source: WhistleOut
Optus is bringing onboard 500 new customer care staff
Optus is putting on 500 new staff in customer service and support, including 300 who will start tomorrow, to rebuild capacity in the wake of call centre closures offshore.
Source: iTnews Australia
Foxtel Gives Customers Extra Channels For Free During Coronavirus Pandemic
Foxtel has announced that it will be providing its customers with extra content and screen usage for free as COVID-19 keeps more people at home.
Source: Gizmodo
TPG receives tick from US for Vodafone Australia merger
A month after the Federal Court of Australia approved the merger of TPG and Vodafone Hutchison, the transaction has received the tick of approval from US regulators. US approval was needed as one of TPG's subsea cables passes through the US territory of Guam.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Wed, 25th Mar 2020
Optus adds 4G backup to NBN plans
Optus has followed the lead of Telstra and Vodafone, adding a modem with 4G backup to its range of NBN plans.
Source: WhistleOut
Peak evening demand still the network capacity challenge
One of the lovely things about local telco Aussie Broadband is that it publicly shows the capacity of its NBN customer network.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Telcos send out millions of COVID-19 SMSs for Aus government
Australia’s mobile operators are in the process of sending batches of text messages to millions of Australians on the government’s behalf to warn them about the coronavirus.
Source: iTnews Australia
NBN Co boosts data for rural and regional Sky Muster users
NBN Co has increased data allowances for regional and remote customers using Sky Muster services during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Source: ARN
NBN Co to unmeter over 70 percent of traffic on Sky Muster Plus
NBN Co will permanently unmeter all internet traffic bar “video streaming and VPN” on its Sky Muster Plus service, with the government saying as much as 70 percent of usage will now be covered.
Source: iTnews Australia