Broadband News Page 85 - Oz Broadband Speed Test

First packets transmitted on Internet Down Under 30 years ago

Sunday marks 30 years since the first packets were transmitted on the Internet in Australia. The network came to Australia because of a recognition by the Australian Vice Chancellors' Committee, now Universities Australia, that the country was suffering a serious brain drain as many researchers were leaving the country.

Source: iTWire

NBN Co set to issue wholesale pricing review paper

The NBN Co, the company rolling out Australia's national broadband network, is set to issue a wholesale pricing review to a number of telecommunications providers on Thursday in a bid to quell disquiet in the industry.

Source: iTWire

NBN Co wants to create a cut-price 100Mbps product

NBN Co is set to give existing 100Mbps users a performance boost from September while exploring ways to introduce a cut-price 100Mbps product.

Source: iTnews Australia

NBN Co backs down on 12Mbps price crunch

NBN Co is calling a temporary halt to a two-year campaign it has waged against over one million users on cheaper plans.

Source: iTnews Australia

NBN Co prepares to roll out more changes to wholesale pricing

NBN Co has launched an industry consultation on wholesale pricing, with the network operator indicating it wants to encourage the uptake of higher speed plans as well as make NBN services more attractive to lower-income households.

Source: ARN

Optus, Adelaide Crows agree long-term esports deal

Australia’s second largest telco Optus has further strengthened its ties with AFL club Adelaide Crows, agreeing to a long-term partnership with the club’s esports operations.

Source: iTWire

NBN Co prepares for NPIS transformation

NBN Co has extended technical trials of a new platform meant to transform the way key business transactions with its retail service providers are processed.

Source: iTnews Australia

Telstra outage pulled plug on AusPost, ING, Bendigo, Cuscal payments

Telstra has been identified as the source of an outage that knocked out payments and ATM services for Australia Post, Bendigo Bank, ING Australia, Bank Australia and Cuscal on Tuesday.

Source: iTnews Australia

Telstra, Optus want NBN Co's price-setting power reined in

NBN Co’s ability to set prices and withdraw offers with little consultation is set to be tested after the practice drew heavy criticism from Telstra and Optus.

Source: iTnews Australia

Reported losses from NBN scams increase by nearly 300% in 2019: ACCC

Consumers lost more than AU$110,000 each month in the January to May period.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Vocus loses another potential suitor as AGL walks away

AGL states it is no longer confident its proposal would create value.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Telstra asks its 30,000 employees what they really think with 'experience pulse'

Telstra has insourced employee engagement data collection and diagnostics activities, setting up a new “experience pulse” that presents the data to 3300 “people leaders” across the telco.

Source: iTnews Australia

Auditor sees risks in government management of NBN loan

The Australian National Audit Office has expressed concerns over the handling of a $19.5 billion government loan to NBN Co, with the communications department unable to provide evidence of a suitable governance framework to oversee the company’s compliance with the lending arrangements.

Source: ARN

AGL Energy has no plans to break up Vocus

AGL Energy has no plans to break up its takeover target, Vocus Group, but instead will aim to grow the combined businesses, AGL CEO Brett Redman said.

Source: ARN

Netflix and Stan subscription revenue to jump 13.7pc by 2023, says PwC

Popular streaming services will experience a surge in subscribers and revenue, while Foxtel is falling behind, according to PwC's latest report.

Source: ABC News

FibreCo Qld given AU$8.6m to establish state-owned fibre backhaul

The Queensland government will be spending the cash over two years to stand-up the state-owned entity.

Source: ZDNet Australia

AGL launches $3b bid for telco company Vocus

AGL has signalled an aggressive move to broaden its business away from legacy coal-burning infrastructure to data infrastructure with its bid for the telecommunications business Vocus.

Source: ABC News

Comms minister says NBN privatisation ‘some way away’

With the roll out of the National Broadband Network due to be completed next year, Australia’s new communications minister says that there will not be an immediate push to privatise NBN Co.

Source: Computerworld

AGL Energy makes $3B proposal to acquire Vocus

AGL Energy has been granted access to conduct a four-week due diligence on Vocus roughly one week after the publicly-listed energy provider withdrew its offer after being "unable to agree to due diligence terms that were acceptable".

Source: ARN

AGL Energy tests $3bn price for Vocus

AGL Energy is back in the hunt for telco Vocus with a non-binding $3 billion proposal on the table, pending the outcome of due diligence.

Source: iTnews Australia

Optus rethinks how telco customer problems get solved

Optus is testing new ways to solve customers’ problems that avoids putting the customer on hold or having to repeatedly explain the problem every time their call is passed between support areas.

Source: iTnews Australia

NBN Co's Sky Muster Plus to start at $45 a month wholesale

NBN Co will price its forthcoming Sky Muster Plus satellite service that unmeters some traffic and can burst above 25Mbps at a minimum of $45 a month wholesale.

Source: iTnews Australia

iiNet introduces symmetric gigabit business broadband plan

Strings attached include an almost AU$900 per month price tag and a 36 month commitment.

Source: ZDNet Australia

NBN Co fights to keep control of its 5G spectrum

NBN Co is fighting to keep some semblance of control over prime 5G spectrum it has rights to as a multi-year campaign to relieve it of the valuable asset edged closer to success.

Source: iTnews Australia

Optus 'concierge' to take grief out of NBN migration

Optus has created an ‘NBN concierge’ to oversee the connection of customers to the NBN, a move that is clearly intended to help it differentiate from retail providers still competing on price.

Source: iTnews Australia

Vocus' Christmas Island link pricing set for market test

Regulated pricing for a Vocus subsea transmission link connecting Perth to Christmas Island will now be market-tested to judge whether or not it hits the mark.

Source: iTnews Australia

NBN Co mulls mmWave for potential boost to fixed wireless capacity

NBN Co wants Australia’s spectrum regulator to leave open the option of the government-owned company acquiring licences for so-called mmWave frequencies to help combat the capacity squeeze of its fixed wireless service.

Source: Computerworld