Broadband News

Mon, 16th Dec 2019

Canberra squares up to 5G safety concerns as pace of rollout picks up

The federal government has pledged $9m to address community concern about the safety of 5G, as the rollout of the next generation of mobile technology gathers pace.

Source: SMH

Thu, 12th Dec 2019

Aussie Broadband introduces cheaper NBN 100 / 20 plans

Aussie Broadband has rejigged its plan range with the introduction of new NBN 100 / 20 plans.

Source: WhistleOut

The ACCC is going to need a standard speed measurement for one ADSL2+

On Wednesday, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) published the submissions to its inquiry into the lower end of the NBN market, launched in October.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Govt to provide $26.9m for ACCC to monitor digital platforms

The Federal Government will provide $26.9 million for the Australian competition watchdog to keep an eye on competition issues arising with digital platforms, with the ACCC to set up a special unit for this purpose.

Source: iTWire

NBN Co opposes regulating NBN service pricing

NBN Co has strongly opposed the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s prospect of regulating prices of entry level NBN services.

Source: ARN

TPG 'contemplates' future of sub-$60 NBN plans

TPG has threatened to pull its cheapest sub-$50 a month NBN plans off the market - and potentially all 12Mbps plans it offers, which could cause major repercussions for price-sensitive users.

Source: iTnews Australia

Wed, 11th Dec 2019

NBN Co challenges Australia's $60 broadband 'sweet spot'

NBN Co is fighting a government-led bid to create an unlimited “entry-level” product for $60 a month by challenging the extent to which that sweet spot ever existed in Australia’s broadband market.

Source: iTnews Australia

Vocus calls NBN Co's constant price discounts a "con"

NBN Co’s use of temporary discounts and waivers to change its prices are a “con” that result in little more than “sugar hits” for internet providers and end users, according to Vocus.

Source: iTnews Australia

Aussie Broadband pins unlimited 100/20Mbps plan as new NBN flagship

In the wake of National Broadband Network announcing its new pricing structure at the end of November, Aussie Broadband has unveiled a new set of residential plans.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Tue, 10th Dec 2019

Save $10 per month on most Telstra mobile plans

Telstra is discounting most of its mobile plans by $10 per month for your first 12 months.

Source: WhistleOut

Accessible Telecoms made easier with Vodafone: ACCAN

People with disability will now be able to access in-store information about telco products suited to their needs through a new partnership between disability telecommunications service Accessible Telecoms and Vodafone Australia.

Source: iTWire

Optus completes 5G data call using 2300MHz spectrum

Optus is claiming to have made the world's first 5G data call using 2300MHz spectrum.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Optus and Ericsson make 5G call over 2300MHz

​​Optus has made its first 5G data call over 2300MHz spectrum in what is being claimed to be a world-first by a telecommunications carrier.

Source: ARN

How NBN Co struck its bothersome business deals

NBN Co is continuing to assert itself in the enterprise and government market, recently signing on big four bank Westpac in addition to the likes of Woolworths, Coles and Australia Post.

Source: iTnews Australia

Sat, 07th Dec 2019

Vodafone will now email out your eSIM phone plan

Customers will no longer need to go a Vodafone store to get an eSIM-powered phone plan, with the telco today enabling online orders and SIM swaps for subscribers with a compatible device. Vodafone customers after an eSIM will now receive a QR code email, along with a confirmation code sent to their phone via text. Scanning this QR code will add the to a compatible device.

Source: WhistleOut

Fri, 06th Dec 2019

Telstra's Tumut exchange "severely damaged" by fire

Fire has “severely damaged” the Telstra exchange in the NSW Riverina town of Tumut, cutting fixed-line and Telstra mobile services to the entire town.

Source: iTnews Australia

Telco industry called to pitch in on mobile number porting fraud rules

The consumer watchdog wants industry help to work out how best telco providers should handle the porting of mobile numbers to avoid fraudulent requests.

Source: ARN

NBN contractor fined $40K over unpaid work

​Queensland networking contractor Attain Solutions has been fined $41,040 for failing to pay a teenage worker for a month of work.

Source: ARN

Thu, 05th Dec 2019

Sydney has the worst mobile network out of major Australian cities

Sydney has the worst performing mobile network out of major Australian cities, according to global mobile data analyst Tutela, who just dropped a new report on 3G and 4G mobile quality. The report looked at the five most populated cities in Australia: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide.

Source: WhistleOut

Optus CEO Allen Lew steps down

Optus has a new CEO with Allen Lew stepping aside and deputy CEO Kelly Bayer Rosmarin taking the role “with immediate effect”.

Source: iTnews Australia

Vocus to build subsea loop to Barossa gas project

Vocus is set to build a 500km cable loop off its north-west cable system to service the forthcoming multi-billion dollar Barossa gas project.

Source: iTnews Australia

Huawei ban will act as ‘5G tax’ on Australians

Excluding Huawei from Australia’s 5G roll-out will act as a ‘5G tax’ on citizens and increase the cost of deploying the technology by between $700 million and $2.1 billion, the networking giant said on Wednesday.

Source: ARN

Wed, 04th Dec 2019

TPG expects ‘margin headwinds’ until NBN roll-out completes

​TPG has signalled its business will face “headwinds” for the next two years until the NBN is finally rolled out.

Source: ARN

Aussie Broadband customer opens new office in outer Melbourne

Broadband retail service provider Aussie Broadband has opened a new office in Lynbrook in the outer South East of Melbourne, with one of the company's customers officially opening the office at a ceremony on Wednesday.

Source: iTWire

Vodafone creates new lead role for major incidents

Everyone knows outages at telcos and banks are always bad news from a customer perspective.

Source: iTnews Australia

TPG questions why NBN is overbuilding business infrastructure

TPG has added its voice to the chorus of commercial telcos querying NBN's targeting of business customers.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Tue, 03rd Dec 2019

Loyalty schemes on runway for data harvesting reset: ACCC

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has called on retail giants Coles and Woolworths to stamp out the entrenched practice of automatically linking their members’ payments cards to their customer loyalty profiles.

Source: iTnews Australia

Labor says it will fix encryption laws it voted for last year

This time last year, the Australian Labor Party waved through the government's encryption Bills, formally known as the Assistance and Access Bill, and threw out the line that it to keep the nation safe.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Mon, 02nd Dec 2019

Get three months of unlimited data through amaysim

amaysim is kicking off the holiday season with a rather nifty promo: customers who take up one of the telco's top two mobile plans will get unlimited data for their first three recharges. That's truly unlimited, no strings attached data, as opposed to "unlimited" data where your speeds are capped after you exceed a base allowance.

Source: WhistleOut

ACCC to steer clear of eSIM regulations for now

Telstra and other mobile network operators are to be given more time to open eSIM functionality up to mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs).

Source: iTnews Australia