Broadband News

Fri, 12th Jul 2019

Telstra restores services after outage, blames unusual traffic volumes in NSW

Telstra says it completed the full restoration of services early this morning after a major outage that affected its enterprise customers.

Source: Computerworld

Thu, 11th Jul 2019

Govt now says 'premature' to cut Telstra from future NBN sale

Telstra may still have a chance at buying part or all of the National Broadband Network in an eventual sale after the new Communications Minister appeared to back away from earlier comments that the telco would be excluded.

Source: iTnews Australia

Telstra outage hits electronic payments, ATMs and EFTPOS

Woolworths has been left processing payments manually amid a Telstra network outage, with other retailers and major banks reporting problems with EFTPOS, ATMs and other electronic payments.

Source: ABC News

Aussie TV viewers still footing the bill for mobile interference

Frank found himself $390 out of pocket after his TV antenna needed a filter to deal with 4G interference, and some installers say the problem is growing.

Source: SMH

Vocus touts 60Tbps capacity on Australia Singapore Cable

Vocus says that end to end capacity on the Australian Singapore Cable (ASC) is now 60 terabits per second (Tbps), up from its September 2018 debut of 40Tbps.

Source: Computerworld

NBN Co to fix aerial cable run between two trees in Sydney

NBN Co is set to conduct “rectification works” on a cable it inherited from Telstra that was found strung up between two trees in Sydney’s south.

Source: iTnews Australia

'We should have gone back': Telstra apologises for stringing NBN cable between two trees

A social-media clip showing cabling suspended across two trees on a suburban Sydney street goes viral on social media — but the NBN says the gaffe was inherited from Telstra, and has likely been that way since 2015.

Source: ABC News

Judge rejects Foxtel push to avoid hearing for proxy blocking case

A suggestion by Foxtel that its latest application for an anti-piracy injunction be heard ‘on the papers’ has been rejected by a Federal Court judge. Instead a hearing of the application, which if granted will block access to a number of web proxy services, has been scheduled for late August.

Source: Computerworld

Wed, 10th Jul 2019

NBN Co's most complained-about access tech is FTTC

NBN Co might claim fibre-to-the-curb users are among its biggest advocates, but users connected with that access technology also lodge more complaints than others.

Source: iTnews Australia

400 buildings hooked up to Adelaide’s 10-gig network

By the end of this month 400 buildings will be connected to an Adelaide fibre network offering symmetrical speeds of up to 10 gigabits per second. By the end of the year, that number is expected to reach 700.

Source: Computerworld

Non-NBN broadband, NBN voice services fare poorly in ACMA complaints report

The Australian Communications and Media Authority has released its first snapshot of telecommunications complaints data as part of a number of ACMA measures to tackle rising dissatisfaction with broadband and phone services.

Source: Computerworld

Telcos taking six days to resolve complaints

Australian telecommunication service providers are taking an average of six days to resolve customer complaints, according to the media watchdog.

Source: ARN

Dodo stung for streaming promises on low-quota NBN plans

Internet provider Dodo will refund 16,000 customers “up to $360,000” after marketing low-speed and low-quota NBN plans as being “perfect for streaming”.

Source: iTnews Australia

'9,500 jobs to save one': How Telstra is slashing its workforce to meet NBN challenge

A year after Telstra announced it was shedding 8,000 jobs, former workers are still coming to terms with the restructure. As the telco modernises and prepares for big changes, some analysts believe the company is facing a make or break moment.

Source: ABC News

Tue, 09th Jul 2019

4G speeds topping 5G in Australia: Opensignal

America can boast of 5G being 2.7 times quicker than 4G, but in Australia, 4G leads the way.

Source: ZDNet Australia

MacTel presses NBN Co to boost reach of 100Mbps+ business services

Macquarie Telecom will use NBN Co’s wholesale price review to press the case for more business-oriented services capable of speeds over 100Mbps in outer metro and regional areas.

Source: iTnews Australia

NBN Co 'should have supplied modems for all connections'

The NBN Co miscalculated when it decided not to supply a modem to each resident on fibre-to-the-node and fibre-to-the-building connections, the head of a small retail service provider says, adding that this could have helped the company diagnose connection issues remotely.

Source: iTWire

Mon, 08th Jul 2019

Telstra finds 5G energy levels sitting well under safety limits

Australian telco says electromagnetic energy used in 5G are similar to 3G, 4G, and Wi-Fi.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Govt maintains NBN Co's $19.5bn loan 'will be' refinanced

The government maintains it has “commercial advice” that NBN Co will be able to refinance its $19.5 billion loan, though the start date for refinancing is being kept out of public view for now.

Source: iTnews Australia

How 'the Netflix effect' killed the NBN's dream

Fixed wireless internet promised so much, like the ability for high-tech businesses to base themselves almost anywhere in Australia. But then along came Netflix and everything changed.

Source: ABC News

Telco unions, Telstra brawl over redundancy benefits

Three Unions representing telco workers have reached a stalemate with Telstra over redundancy benefits for workers moved on by the carrier.

Source: iTnews Australia

Fri, 05th Jul 2019

Aussie telco metadata requests again on the rise

Law enforcement and other agencies are making more requests to access the telco metadata of Australians captured under mandatory data retention laws.

Source: iTnews Australia

Telstra and union at loggerheads over redundancy benefits

Talks between union bosses and Telstra have hit a stalemate over the telco’s proposed revival of a contentious redundancy offer for laid-off workers.

Source: ARN

Australia sought access to 1817 Apple customers' devices in 2H2018

Australian law enforcement authorities made 1817 requests seeking details of customers' Apple devices in the second half of 2018, according to a list of such requests released by Apple.

Source: iTWire

Thu, 04th Jul 2019

ACMA finds worst NBN modems 'barely break' 50Mbps wi-fi speeds

Users of FTTN/B services on the NBN are likely to see a vast range of wi-fi speeds at home, “from mediocre to excellent”, an analysis of modem router performance has found.

Source: iTnews Australia

Samsung lands in hot water and Federal Court for alleged misleading ads

The ACCC has taken exception to the advertised water resistance properties of Samsung's Galaxy phones.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Blocking TPG-Vodafone merger will lead to lower mobile prices, ACCC argues

If a Vodafone-TPG merger does not go ahead, it is likely to lead to lower mobile prices for Australian consumers, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) believes.

Source: ARN

Wollongong man charged with 'malicious' telco cable damage

A Wollongong man has been charged by NSW Police for allegedly damaging telco infrastructure in the Illawarra and South West Sydney regions in order to make fraudulent purchases.

Source: iTnews Australia

ACCC unsure about NBN Co's 'Netflix tax'

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission says there is still insufficient detail to determine if NBN Co’s ‘Netflix tax’ proposal would break net neutrality or cause other problems necessitating intervention.

Source: iTnews Australia

Wed, 03rd Jul 2019

Vocus to push NBN Co for low price plans

Vocus will use NBN Co’s wholesale pricing review to press the need for lower entry-level broadband pricing, revealing cost-conscious consumers are migrating to lesser quality NBN services that cost $11 a month more than ADSL did.

Source: iTnews Australia