Broadband News
Thu, 13th Feb 2020
Telstra net profit and earnings take a hit
Telstra has seen its first half net profit take a 6.4 per cent hit down to $1.2 billion and underlying earnings before tax decreased 6.6 per cent to $3.9 billion.
Source: ARN
Wed, 12th Feb 2020
ACMA acts against telcos over breaches of critical customer data rules
The telecommunications regulator ACMA has taken action against 15 telcos for failing to provide vital information that supports Australia’s emergency services such as Triple Zero and the Emergency Alert system.
Source: iTWire
Biggest evening dip in NBN speeds seen on 100Mbps plans
Users of 100/40Mbps plans on the National Broadband Network (NBN) are seeing an almost 6Mbps dip in their evening speeds according to the latest instalment of the Measuring Broadband Australia report from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) covering November.
Source: ZDNet Australia
High speed NBN ‘underperforming’ for a quarter of consumers
A quarter of Australians on high speed NBN plans are being delivered an underperforming service, a damning report by the consumer watchdog has found.
Source: ARN
Elon Musk's SpaceX takes one giant leap into Aussie broadband
Elon Musk, philanthropist and madman, is one step closer to being able to provide high-speed internet for Australians.
Source: WhistleOut
Yes, Optus! Telco again tops ACCC broadband speed report
Singtel Optus has again recorded the highest score or 89.9% in the ACCC's Measuring Broadband Australia quarterly report, a compilation and comparison of broadband scores across the country.
Source: iTWire
Tue, 11th Feb 2020
Australia keeps telco data longer than all but three countries
The Law Council of Australia (LCA) has joined the debate for the retention period for data held by the nation's telecommunications carriers to be reduced from the current two-year timeframe.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Telstra payments wipe out NBN first half EBITDA gains
NBN has reported a 40% decline in its earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) for its half-year to the end of 2019.
Source: ZDNet Australia
NBN Co sees revenue increase to $1.81B
NBN Co has seen its half year revenue rise by 39 per cent to $1.81 billion due to strong momentum in total activations, plus continued residential and business growth.
Source: ARN
Mon, 10th Feb 2020
NBN Co boosts National Broadband Network half year revenue to $1.18 billion
NBN Co, the company building Australia’s National Broadband Network lifted total revenue by 39% to $1.18 billion for the six months to the end of December 2019 - up from $1.3 billion in the HY 2018 - with company chief Stephen Rue declaring the result “outstanding during a crucial time of the build”.
Source: iTWire
NBN Co begins renegotiating its role in enterprise market
NBN Co has outlined the uncertainties it faces from no longer entering direct contracts with large enterprise and government users, including clawback mechanisms for fibre build costs.
Source: iTnews Australia
Australian Police Can See More Of Your Metadata Than You Think
A senate hearing has revealed Australian telcos might be giving away more metadata to police than first realised due to "ambiguities" in the controversial data retention laws. This means law enforcement officials have a pretty good clue of what you've been looking at just by looking at the URL.
Source: Gizmodo
Fri, 07th Feb 2020
Phone Metadata Used To Track SA Coronavirus Patients
South Australian authorities have admitted to using phone metadata in order to track the movements of a couple infected with coronavirus after seeing South Korean officials do the same.
Source: Gizmodo
Telstra reveals latest round of job cuts, provokes ire of union
Telstra is cutting an additional 280 jobs as it continues culling its workforce as part of the program announced in 2018 that it would effect a net reduction of 8000 employees and contractors by 2022 - and reduce two to four layers of management, with one in four executive and middle management roles to go.
Source: iTWire
Thu, 06th Feb 2020
Telstra says bushfire costs “in order of $50m”
Telstra is expecting a financial hit from Australia’s devastating bushfires “in the order of $50 million”, with CEO Andy Penn calling for “more urgent action” on climate change as a result.
Source: iTnews Australia
Telstra pledges to help 'vulnerable customers'
Telstra chief executive Andy Penn has announced that the telco giant would commit to a series of changes in a move to provide "vulnerable customers" access to services, while taking into consideration their current financial position.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Vodafone to remove Huawei from core of European network
Vodafone will remove Huawei technology from the core of its European networks following Britain's decision to restrict the Chinese company's role in 5G and new EU guidelines on the firm's equipment, Chief Executive Nick Read said.
Source: iTnews Australia
Optus releases new student discounts
Optus know that textbooks are expensive, but your phone plan doesn’t have to be, which is why they’re offering exclusive discounts for students on a range of plans.
Source: WhistleOut
Wed, 05th Feb 2020
Telstra reveals broadband tax rules may be defined after bill is passed
Telstra says advice it has received from the Department of Communications suggests broadband tax laws will be pushed through parliament in their current state, with any lack of clarity left to regulators to navigate after the fact.
Source: iTnews Australia
Tue, 04th Feb 2020
NBN Co has over 6000 'metro' premises in Sky Muster footprint
NBN Co has revealed over 6000 premises across six major metropolitan areas are now considered to fall within the Sky Muster satellite footprint.
Source: iTnews Australia
How many people really are watching 'The Mandalorian'? Data firms offer numbers that Disney and Netflix won't
For those obsessed with who is winning the video streaming wars, one metric matters: subscriber growth. But Netflix Inc and now Walt Disney Co - with its November launch of Disney+ - typically release that figure quarterly, leaving outsiders to guess at subscriber growth in any way they can.
Source: iTnews Australia
Mon, 03rd Feb 2020
NBN testing short-term satellite connections for disaster recovery
The company responsible for deploying the National Broadband Network (NBN) around Australia is looking to test satellite-based connectivity at emergency evacuation centres.
Source: ZDNet Australia
NBN Co to create a satellite-based 'disaster service'
NBN Co is set to use its response to Australia’s bushfire crisis to create a formal product offering that can offer affected areas “interim” internet services delivered via the Sky Muster satellites.
Source: iTnews Australia
Fri, 31st Jan 2020
Optus has been fined $504,000 for spamming Australians with texts and emails
Optus is fined after three-quarters of a million customers unsubscribed from the company's marketing texts and emails but continued to receive messages.
Source: ABC News
Australian government and opposition dismiss talk of revisiting Huawei 5G ban
Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton has dismissed talk of revisiting the ban slapped on Huawei that prevents it from supplying 5G equipment in Australia, in the face of the UK allowing Huawei into part of its 5G network earlier this week.
Source: ZDNet Australia
NBN Co may try buying into a SpaceX-like service for future Sky Muster
NBN Co is not set on putting more satellites of its own into orbit, and may instead look to buy into - or from - a low earth orbit constellation to power the next generation of its Sky Muster service.
Source: iTnews Australia
Thu, 30th Jan 2020
Telstra builds ACE chatbot for its field technicians
Telstra has created a chatbot for its technicians in the field that enables them to live chat with contact centre agents and draw upon data held in a central knowledge management system.
Source: iTnews Australia
Telstra calls for enterprise market to be exempt from NBN tax
Telstra has called for the enterprise market to be exempt from having to pay up under the proposed NBN levy scheme.
Source: ARN
NBN Co will stop direct deals with enterprise customers
NBN Co has yielded to industry blowback over its enterprise and government business, declaring it will stop contracting directly with users and share sales leads with retailers.
Source: iTnews Australia
NBN Co moves to next stage of engagement with Retail Service Providers
NBN Co, the operator of the National Broadband Network, has announced the next phase of its engagement with Retail Service Providers (RSPs) and enterprise customers.
Source: iTWire