Broadband News

Thu, 15th Aug 2019

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

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