Broadband News

Fri, 09th Aug 2019

Huawei boss vows never to ‘give up’ on Australia despite 5G ban

Huawei Australia’s chief executive officer has affirmed the company “will never give up” on the country despite its ban​ from the 5G infrastructure roll-out.

Source: ARN

Thu, 08th Aug 2019

Optus first quarter balances out: postpaid up, prepaid down

Optus has registered a first quarter that saw the Singaporean-owned Australian telco win in some areas, while losing in others.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Wed, 07th Aug 2019

Australia Post to use NBN as part of network infrastructure upgrade

Australia Post has awarded managed service provider Comscentre with a five-year contract to help the organisation upgrade its telecommunication network at over 4,000 sites, including all post offices, mail and parcel facilities, as well as corporate offices across the country.

Source: ZDNet Australia

4000 Australia Post sites to be connected to NBN

More than 4000 post offices and Australia Post corporate offices and mail and parcel facilities will benefit from a network upgrade program that the organisation claims is the largest in the country.

Source: ARN

Tue, 06th Aug 2019

Telstra and MyRepublic most ‘underperforming’ NBN services

Telstra and MyRepublic have been rapped by Australia’s consumer watchdog for their lacklustre fixed-line NBN service during busy periods.

Source: ARN

ACCC takes credit for Optus NBN outage improvements

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has taken credit for identifying an outage issue impacting Optus customers.

Source: ZDNet Australia

NBN Co urged to renew in-home wiring focus in FTTN footprint

Australia’s competition watchdog has urged NBN Co and its retail providers to renew their focus on fixing in-home wiring issues, particularly for users in the fibre-to-the-node footprint.

Source: iTnews Australia

More than one in 10 NBN services ‘underperforming’, with FTTN the worst offender

The latest report from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s broadband performance project reveals that greater than one in 10 NBN services are categorised as “underperforming”.

Source: Computerworld

Telcos including Aussie Broadband hit by ACMA on customer information issues

Seven of Australia's telcos have become the first to be fined by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) under new NBN customer standards that took affect in September 2018.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Telcos fined for not being up-front with how slow their internet speeds might be on the NBN

The Australian Communications and Media Authority slaps seven internet providers with fines for a lack of information about their plans and network speeds under the National Broadband Network.

Source: ABC News

Mon, 05th Aug 2019

Foxtel, BBC Studios ink new long-term content agreement

Foxtel and BBC Studios have reached an agreement on a long-term extension of their partnership securing premium British drama, entertainment, documentaries, natural history, children’s programming and news for Foxtel’s broadcast and on demand platforms.

Source: iTWire

NBN write-down would not impact Budget surplus: Cormann

Australian Finance Minister Mathias Cormann has said a potential write-down of the National Broadband Network (NBN) would not hit the Budget bottom line.

Source: ZDNet Australia

NBN Co floats making 100/40Mbps plans business-only

NBN Co is considering “repositioning” the current 100/40Mbps residential broadband product as a business-only service.

Source: iTnews Australia

The NBN legacy: How not to run an infrastructure project

John Howard spawned the idea, Kevin Rudd forced it into existence, Tony Abbott wanted to throttle it, Malcolm Turnbull saved it from almost certain death and now Scott Morrison will have to carry the can for it, writes Ian Verrender.

Source: ABC News

Fri, 02nd Aug 2019

NBN Co needs to double CVC inclusions, say ABB, Optus

Aussie Broadband and Optus say the amount of bandwidth that comes bundled with NBN services needs to double to keep pace with customers’ data usage, and to keep congestion at bay.

Source: iTnews Australia

Thu, 01st Aug 2019

NBN fiascos still leaving Aussies in broadband limbo

Despite promises last year to break internet connection Catch-22s, telcos are not rolling back to legacy services in the case of a failed NBN installation.

Source: SMH

NBN Co offers to help internet providers buy more of its bandwidth

NBN Co has floated a second surprise incursion into internet providers’ remit by offering to manage the amount of bandwidth they buy and automatically sell them more.

Source: iTnews Australia

Don’t repeat Telstra mistakes when privatising NBN Co, former ACCC head urges

A former head of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, Graeme Samuel, has urged the government to focus on the long-term interests of end-users rather than the sales price when privatising NBN Co.

Source: Computerworld

Telemarketers pressure consumers into signing NBN contracts: TIO

A total of 1,729 complaints were received in 2018 about telemarketers using misleading tactics.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Auscom takes a slice of the Sunshine Coast cable network project

​Sunshine Coast-based Auscom has been awarded a million dollar contract to provide a key part of the International Broadband Submarine Cable Network.

Source: ARN

Telcos slammed for sleazy NBN sales

The use of high-pressure sales tactics by telcos trying to sell NBN services to households and small businesses has been condemned by groups representing consumers and the telecommunications industry.

Source: Computerworld

Wed, 31st Jul 2019

NBN Co sale shouldn't be about price, says ex-ACCC chair

NBN Co shouldn’t be privatised in the short-term or at the expense of users' best interests, former Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) chairman Graeme Samuel says.

Source: iTnews Australia

Optus reveals the extra 'millions' spent a month serving 12Mbps NBN users

Optus is incurring “millions of dollars” a month in excess charges to serve its 12Mbps NBN user base as a result of NBN Co’s price squeeze on the entry-level market.

Source: iTnews Australia

Path still open for InfraCo role in privatised NBN: Telstra CEO

Telstra’s CEO Andy Penn has said there is still potential for the company's InfraCo business to take a stake in NBN Co if the government forges ahead with its privatisation.

Source: Computerworld

Telstra’s former wholesale chief joins NBN Co

Will Irving will join NBN Co as its chief strategy and transformation officer, the network wholesaler announced today.

Source: Computerworld

NBN points to Telstra taking 20% of its revenue in wholesale price debate

After receiving AU$2 billion this year, Telstra is forecast to receive AU$1 billion annually from fiscal year 2021 well into the distant future.

Source: ZDNet Australia

NBN Co blames Telstra payments as a factor keeping prices high

NBN Co has laid part of the blame for wholesale price woes at Telstra’s feet as pressure mounted on the network builder to revamp its offerings.

Source: iTnews Australia

Tue, 30th Jul 2019

Telstra tells NBN Co to scrap CVC charges

Telstra is the latest internet provider to urge NBN Co to scrap the connectivity virtual circuit (CVC) construct, warning it is driving up prices and pushing consumers to look elsewhere for broadband.

Source: iTnews Australia

Vodafone Australia half year loss reaches $153M

​Vodafone Hutchinson Australia (VHA) has closed the half year ended 30 June with a net loss of $153.4 million, a fall from last year's $92.3 million.

Source: ARN

NBN Co upgrades capacity to almost 200 wireless towers

NBN Co has spent the past week performing capacity upgrades for almost 200 fixed wireless towers in six states and territories.

Source: iTnews Australia