Broadband News
Fri, 23rd Aug 2019
Huawei sheds Australian jobs as 5G ban begins to bite
Huawei says it has cut its Australian headcount by 100, with the Chinese telco equipment manufacturer blaming a government decision to bar it from participating in the roll out of 5G networks.
Source: ARN
Thu, 22nd Aug 2019
'My internet is better than it was in Sydney': Outback textile artist's pleasant surprise
Burketown, a town in north-west Queensland, can be cut off from the world for months at a time during the wet season, but it's got better internet than in Sydney according to a textile designer.
Source: ABC News
Vocus sees opportunity to snare big business deals with NBN Co
Vocus is hoping for a slice of some of the enterprise and government deals now going through NBN Co, as well as business accounts slighted by recent account management changes by Telstra.
Source: iTnews Australia
Vocus revenues flat following 'year of significant change'
Vocus has come out a self-described "year of significant change" with a 44 per cent drop in net profit after tax (NPAT) to $34 million.
Source: ARN
Goodbye smartphone, hello brain: Welcome to the world of 6G
With 5G mobile internet infrastructure still in its infancy, Chinese telecommunications company Huawei begins research into 6G technology in its Canadian office — but what does this actually mean?
Source: ABC News
Wed, 21st Aug 2019
China cries foul over Facebook, Twitter block of fake accounts
China said on Tuesday it had a right to put out its own views after Twitter and Facebook said they had dismantled a state-backed social media campaign originating in mainland China that sought to undermine protests in Hong Kong.
Source: iTnews Australia
Vodafone calls for price cuts on Tasmanian subsea cables
Vodafone has made a play for lower internet transmission costs to and from Tasmania by asking the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to review premiums currently chargeable on the route.
Source: iTnews Australia
Tue, 20th Aug 2019
Remote parts of Northern Territory get mobile coverage for first time
Optus has switched on two new mobile sites in the Northern Territory as it progresses work on its mobile blackspot program.
Source: iTWire
Myriota and Optus Business add terrestrial connectivity to satellite IoT plans
Internet of Things (IoT) technology startup Myriota has signed an agreement with Optus Business to add mobile connectivity to its plans.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Mon, 19th Aug 2019
Judge allows Roadshow to raise piracy cases quicker, blocks more piracy websites
Village Roadshow has won another legal battle against piracy, with the Australian Federal Court on Monday granting an application for carriage services providers (CSPs) to block another set of overseas hosted websites that linked, streamed, or torrented movies and TV shows.
Source: ZDNet Australia
NBN Co's FTTC and HFC build costs rise again
NBN Co has seen further increases in its build cost-per-premises in the fibre-to-the-curb (FTTC) and hybrid fibre coaxial (HFC) footprints, which it attributes to civil works and other causes.
Source: iTnews Australia
Fri, 16th Aug 2019
Optus 5G home broadband kits are now available in select stores
Two Optus stores in Sydney are now slinging 5G home broadband.
Source: WhistleOut
Comms Minister Fletcher roasts telcos in speech
Australia's Communications and Cyber Safety Minister Paul Fletcher has roasted several telcos, and the industry in general.
Source: iTnews Australia
Telstra sells stake in newly established property trust, raises $700M
Telstra has established a property trust that will see the publicly-listed telecommunications provider own 37 of its existing exchange properties.
Source: ARN
Thu, 15th Aug 2019
Good deal: Telstra is flogging Samsung 5G phones for up to $350 off
If you've been thinking about picking up a brand new Samsung 5G phone from Telstra, now is the time.
Source: WhistleOut
NBN Co says it is unlikely to scrap CVC charges
NBN Co is unlikely to scrap bandwidth charges levied on internet providers that connect into its network, though it is confident it could radically change its price construct if it wanted to.
Source: iTnews Australia
Optus shifts 100k premises out of NBN 12Mbps in three months
Optus has shifted over 100,000 premises off 12Mbps NBN services after revealing the financial toll they were having due to price changes by NBN Co.
Source: iTnews Australia
Andy Penn argues Telstra is actually making the NBN cheaper
Telstra CEO Andy Penn has refuted suggestions by NBN Co CEO Stephen Rue that commercial agreements between the pair are inflating NBN Co’s costs and keeping wholesale prices high.
Source: iTnews Australia
Telstra full-year profit tumbles 40 per cent to $2.1b
The result is roughly in line with market expectations given the ongoing $600 million hit to earnings caused by the NBN rollout.
Source: ABC News
Telstra sees profit plunge 40% for full year
Telstra has once again pinned the National Broadband Network (NBN) as the cause of a drop in profitability, claiming it is responsible for AU$600 million in negative earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA).
Source: ZDNet Australia
NBN Co's revenue per user creeps up to $46 a month
NBN Co recorded another $1 rise in its average revenue per user to finish at $46 as of June 30, edging it closer to its long-stated targets.
Source: iTnews Australia
NBN chief rejects suggestions the project is a 'cut-price lemon', says it will be complete by mid-2020
The $51 billion National Broadband Network will be completed on time and within budget by mid-2020, according to the project's chief executive Stephen Rue.
Source: ABC News
NBN Co revenue nears $3B
NBN Co has posted a 43 per cent increase in revenue with closing the 2019 financial year with $2.8 billion in revenue, $200 million above forecast.
Source: ARN
Wed, 14th Aug 2019
Vodafone launches eSIM for phones and tablets
Vodafone customers with select devices can now ditch their physical SIM card.
Source: WhistleOut
Tue, 13th Aug 2019
ACCC targets Google and Facebook with five investigations underway
Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) chair Rod Sims has used his speech at the Melbourne Press Club to reignite discussions on the market dominance of digital platforms such as Facebook and Google, and at what cost that comes to a consumer's privacy.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Yikes! Optus' SIM-only plans just got worse
Optus' SIM-only plan range is now more expensive, thanks to a price refresh.
Source: WhistleOut
Mon, 12th Aug 2019
NBN scam reports now averaging 100 a day
NBN Co is receiving upwards of 100 calls from the public each day about suspected internet connection scams, as the rollout of the $50 billion network picks up pace.
Source: iTnews Australia
NBN moves into Layer 3 with Sky Muster Plus launch
The company responsible for deploying the National Broadband Network (NBN) across Australia has taken the wraps off its Sky Muster Plus plan, first flagged in November last year.
Source: ZDNet Australia
NBN Co launches burst-capable satellite service, with some data unmetered
NBN Co has officially launched its Sky Muster Plus satellite service, which will allow some basic Internet activities to be conducted without eating into a household’s or business’s monthly data allowance.
Source: Computerworld
In this suburb, one third of homes don't have internet access
The internet at Wally Douglass's house is slow, so he uses the computer at his community centre to apply for jobs. He's about to turn the service off altogether so he can afford a rent increase.
Source: ABC News