Broadband News
Mon, 16th Mar 2020
Labor calls for telcos to get capacity relief if NBN becomes congested
The Labor Party has called for retail telecommunications providers to be considered for temporary capacity charge relief, in the event NBN speeds become congested as COVID19 leads more employees and children to use the internet from home.
Source: iTWire
Optus offers free data to keep you connected during quarantine
Of the three Australian telcos, Optus are the first to offer additional services in relation to Covid-19. Neither Vodafone, nor Telstra are offering virus-specific assistance for customers at this time.
Source: WhistleOut
Belong will no longer sell NBN 100 plans to FTTN or FTTB customers
NBN customers on FTTN or FTTB connections will no longer be able to buy top-speed plans from Belong.
Source: WhistleOut
Fri, 13th Mar 2020
Optus offers extra mobile data as COVID-19 drives up remote work
Optus is set to give its mobile customers one-off data quota boosts in April in preparation for what could be a large increase in the number of Australians working remotely due to COVID-19 fears.
Source: iTnews Australia
New Zealand blitzes high-end broadband affordability
The New Zealand Commerce Commission (ComCom) has found the nation's 900Mbps broadband plans are well below the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) average price for such plans, while otherwise, New Zealand pays more for its broadband than the OECD average.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Telstra takes $10 off most plan prices
Telstra is taking $10 off its monthly, top-end plan fees for twelve months, putting Australia’s largest network in the grasp of more Australians.
Source: WhistleOut
Thu, 12th Mar 2020
Pick up a half-priced Pixel 4 with Vodafone
Prices for the Pixel 4 have absolutely plummeted this week, with Vodafone dropping the handset costs by 50%.
Source: WhistleOut
Tue, 10th Mar 2020
NBN Co warns against scams
NBN Co has warned that scammers are increasing their efforts to use the NBN brand to steal people’s personal or financial details, with over 180,000 people contacting the builder of the National Broadband Network to report a scam over the six months to December 2019.
Source: iTWire
Federal Court rules Telstra does not need council permission to build payphones
Telstra is allowed to build new payphone cabinets across the country without needing to gain permission from city councils, the Federal Court has ruled.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Mon, 09th Mar 2020
A new wave of 5G to hit Australia
Australians will get an early taste of 5G's full potential when Telstra launches the country's first "millimetre wave" 5G customer trials mid-year, which will see boosted mobile broadband speeds and reduced peak hour network traffic jams.
Source: SMH
SMBs on NBN with wrong broadband plan missing out on full benefits of network
Many small and medium businesses (SMB) on the NBN access network are embracing the cloud to save time and grow, but many think they don’t have the right broadband plan to take full advantage of future opportunities, according to research released by NBN Co and analyst firm Telsyte.
Source: iTWire
Thu, 05th Mar 2020
Telstra wants NBN to take up obligation of supplying voice for fixed wireless
Telstra has said it wants NBN to pick up its obligations to supply voice services within the government-owned wholesaler's fixed wireless network.
Source: ZDNet Australia
TPG's David Teoh urges 5G catch-up as Vodafone merger nears
A combined Vodafone-TPG entity will need to “strengthen and speed up” its 5G rollout to counter the 18-month headstart of competitors Telstra and Optus, TPG Telecom’s executive chairman David Teoh says.
Source: iTnews Australia
TPG still unsure how much broadband tax it could pay
TPG Telecom is still unsure how much broadband tax it could be liable for if the long-delayed legislation is finally passed, owing to the levy’s ill-defined applicability to business services.
Source: iTnews Australia
Vodafone merger plans cost TPG $6M over six months
TPG’s merger plans with Vodafone Hutchison Australia cost the telco $6 million in transaction costs during the six months to 31 January, according to the company’s latest financials.
Source: ARN
TPG reports steady revenue for first half
TPG reported a steady half to January 31 with AU$1.25 billion in revenue reported, up 1% year on year.
Source: ZDNet Australia
ACCC gives up on TPG-Vodafone merger battle
The ACCC has decided against appealing the decision by the Federal Court to allow TPG and Vodafone Hutchison Australia to go ahead with their proposed merger.
Source: ARN
NBN Co wants to set own prices for new home developments
NBN Co has launched a bid to set its own prices to deploy telecommunications infrastructure to new housing developments, a reaction to it being increasingly undercut by rival operators.
Source: iTnews Australia
Wed, 04th Mar 2020
ACCC drops court appeal against TPG-Vodafone merger on legal grounds
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has decided not to appeal a Federal Court decision that the proposed merger between TPG Telecom and Vodafone Hutchison Australia would not substantially lessen competition.
Source: iTWire
Vodafone: no extra charge for 5G
Coinciding with its first 5G sites around Parramatta, Vodafone has announced it will not charge its customers extra for 5G access.
Source: iTWire
NBN Co starts connecting up Australian airports
NBN Co is now deploying infrastructure to three airports - Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney - and negotiating site access to a fourth in Brisbane as part of its work connecting up more complex premises to the network.
Source: iTnews Australia
NBN Co outlines its fear of cheap broadband
NBN Co is continuing to resist pressure to introduce a cheaper entry-level broadband product over fears of the number of users that would wind up using it, eating into long-term revenue and cash flow.
Source: iTnews Australia
Tue, 03rd Mar 2020
Telstra's use of cell on wheels trailers threatened
Telstra is concerned it could be unintentionally barred from deploying its cell on wheels (CoW) portable mobile base stations under new legislative instruments currently being proposed.
Source: iTnews Australia
NBN Co to bring enterprise services into “selected” data centres
NBN Co has revealed plans to roll fibre into the comms rooms of “selected” third party-owned data centres, making it a new connectivity option for enterprise tenants with IT infrastructure hosted in the facility.
Source: iTnews Australia
Mon, 02nd Mar 2020
NBN Co to raise fixed wireless resilience after fiery summer
NBN Co is examining whether to widen environmental exclusion zones and add solar backup options for fixed wireless towers after a particularly devastating bushfire season.
Source: iTnews Australia
The Telstra services still impacted by NSW bushfires
Telstra services in over 20 areas in NSW are still affected by bushfires following the end of summer.
Source: ARN
Sun, 01st Mar 2020
Optus launches ‘world first’ dual band 5G production network
Optus has announced the successful launch of a “world-first’ 2300MHz and 3500MHz spectrum 5G dual-band production network in partnership with Ericsson and Samsung, which it says has the potential to increase 5G capacity and coverage to Optus customers.
Source: iTWire
Fri, 28th Feb 2020
New Telstra 5G WiFi Pro announced as telco pulls back on fastest NBN
Less than a week after dropping the vast majority of NBN 100 plans, Telstra have announced the Telstra 5G WiFi Pro. The device will use the millimeter wave spectrum to deliver the fastest speeds yet.
Source: WhistleOut
New standard means additional ID checks for Aussie telcos
A new industry standard will see telcos required to undertake additional identification checks when transferring mobile phone numbers across from one telco to another or face fines of up to $250,000.
Source: ARN
Microsoft begins blocking 'unwanted applications' like adware and cryptominers, using Edge
The current version of Microsoft Edge adds a new feature that can block PUAs - Potentially Unwanted Applications - like cryptominers and adware.
Source: ARN