Broadband News
Sun, 26th May 2019
Paul Fletcher to oversee last leg of NBN rollout after Morrison’s ministerial reshuffle
Paul Fletcher will oversee the rollout of the National Broadband Network as Australia’s new communications minister, ahead of the scheduled completion of the NBN in 2020.
Source: ARN
Fri, 24th May 2019
TPG and Vodafone challenge $15bn merger rejection
TPG and Vodafone have filed a case with an Australian court challenging the competition regulator’s move to block their $15 billion merger.
Source: iTnews Australia
Aussie Broadband retires Wideband, updates enterprise arm
Telecommunications provider Aussie Broadband will retire its Wideband Networks brand due to trademark concerns and because it makes "good commercial sense".
Source: ARN
Thu, 23rd May 2019
ACCC publishes guide for problem-plagued NBN fixed wireless broadband customers
Australia’s competition watchdog, the ACCC, has published a guide for NBN fixed wireless customers, advising them how to seek compensation when they encounter problems with broadband services, including slow speeds.
Source: iTWire
NBN Co upgrades 'vast majority' of packet-dropping backhaul links
NBN Co has performed upgrades on “the vast majority” of 238 backhaul links identified last month as experiencing unacceptable levels of packet loss.
Source: iTnews Australia
Optus apologises for outage, says issues completely fixed
Any Internet issues faced by Optus users on Thursday have been individual service-related issues, the company says, adding that these were not related to the overnight outage reported in these columns.
Source: iTWire
NBN fixed wireless users get ACCC advice on slow speeds
NBN Co is being given fresh motivation to fix congestion in its fixed wireless network as new rules and guidance take effect on how such services are sold, remediated and remedied.
Source: iTnews Australia
Wed, 22nd May 2019
Telstra's 5G add-on for new mobile plans costs AU$15 a month
Customers signing up to yet-to-be-released mobile plans will receive free 5G connectivity for at least 12 months.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Telstra begins selling its first 5G device
Telstra has begun selling its first commercial 5G device, an HTC-manufactured mobile hotspot that also supports 4G. The company's CEO also revealed today that Telstra would charge many of its customers a premium to receive 5G connectivity.
Source: ARN
Telstra launches Australia's first 5G mobile hotspot, also supports 4G but no 3G
The HTC 5G Hub can be ordered today, delivering 5G speeds in active areas, and working as a 4GX modem elsewhere (although no 3G capabilities are within), with Telstra saying it isn't just Australia's first 5G/4GX media hotspot, but the world's, too.
Source: iTWire
Samsung to deliver Galaxy S10 5G, its first 5G device, from May 28
Set to be available via Telstra and Samsung's own Experience Stores from May 28, and a free upgrade for select Telstra S10+ customers earlier this year, the S10 5G will also feature a 6.7-inch screen, bigger battery and the promise of "an incredible camera experience".
Source: iTWire
Optus lures travellers with roaming add-ons
Optus has launched a new suite of international usage and roaming add-ons on selected prepaid plans targeting travellers.
Source: iTWire
Telstra to offer free 5G connectivity for first year
Telstra will offer 5G connectivity free to all customers with a compatible device for at least a year, marking its aggressive entry into the next-generation cellular space.
Source: iTnews Australia
Tue, 21st May 2019
TIO on shakeup path, starting with its own board
The first signs of progress in a proposed shake-up of the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) are emerging, as the ombudsman begins consulting on the removal of alleged industry influence.
Source: iTnews Australia
ACCC starts breaking out Vodafone NBN customer connections
Vodafone Australia is sitting around the level of Aussie Broadband and MyRepublic in the latest ACCC Wholesale Market Indicators Report.
Source: ZDNet Australia
NBN Co registers drop in entry-level services
The proportion of households with services at the slowest NBN speed tier decreased during the first quarter of the year, with the number of 12 megabits per second (Mbps) services also dropping in absolute terms, according to figures released today by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).
Source: Computerworld
NBN Co's 12Mbps user base falls below one million
NBN Co is servicing 166,569 fewer premises on the lowest 12Mbps tier than just three months ago, with Vocus and TPG seeing particularly large falls in their 12Mbps user bases.
Source: iTnews Australia
Three-fifths of NBN users now on higher speed plans: ACCC
Nearly 60% of the 5.2 million Australian households connected to the NBN at the end of March are on plans that offer 50Mbps or higher download speeds, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission says in its quarterly Wholesale Market Indicators Report.
Source: iTWire
Game and shame: Internet providers called out again on NBN speed claims
Internet providers are under renewed pressure to scale back their advertised “typical” evening speed claims for NBN services following the release of a new metric that shames alleged under-performers.
Source: iTnews Australia
NBN Co targets July for bursty Sky Muster services
NBN Co is set to make its Sky Muster Plus satellite service - capable of bursting above 25Mbps - generally available in July following commercial trials that start this month.
Source: iTnews Australia
Mon, 20th May 2019
Australian telcos blindsided by US trade war hit to Huawei
Telstra, Optus and Vodafone are trying to work out the implications of the latest hit to Huawei, this time through the Android operating system.
Source: SMH
Add a recovery phone number to block automated hijack attempts: Google
Study finds adding a phone number to a Google account blocks all automated attempts, 99% of bulk attacks, and 66% of targeted attacks.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Optus claims 100Mbps average speeds on 5G fixed wireless
Optus is set to invite more customers to connect to its 5G precursor fixed wireless service after getting the first crop of users to achieve average speeds of 100Mbps.
Source: iTnews Australia
Optus to offer 5G to selected users, top speed 295Mbps
Australia's second biggest telco Singtel Optus will give select customers in five suburbs the opportunity to sample its 5G Home Broadband product by the end of the month.
Source: iTWire
Indigo consortium's subsea cables 'about to go live'
The Indigo consortium’s subsea cables connecting Singapore-Perth and Perth-Sydney are “about to go live”, entrepreneur Bevan Slattery says, adding a new route option for Australian internet traffic.
Source: iTnews Australia
Fri, 17th May 2019
Telstra launches customer rewards program
Telstra has launched its loyalty program - Telstra Plus – claiming a ‘first of its kind' loyalty program for an Australian telco.
Source: iTWire
Thu, 16th May 2019
ACCC blames CMS error for leaking TPG-Vodafone decision
The ACCC has conducted a full investigation into the incident that occurred on 8 May whereby the merger information between TPG and Vodafone was leaked prematurely.
Source: ARN
ACCC happy with competition level in NBN aggregation
Competition watchdog will not require dark fibre providers and NBN aggregators to report pricing data.
Source: ZDNet Australia
No need for dark fibre, NBN aggregation providers to report to ACCC
Competition in the market for NBN aggregation services is developing as the rollout of Australia's broadband network continues and there is, therefore, no need to ask dark fibre and wholesale aggregation service providers to provide pricing and supply data, the ACCC says.
Source: iTWire
Wed, 15th May 2019
Optus cracks AU$9 billion in operating revenue as profits drop for fiscal year
Fourth quarter jumps help stem full year profit reductions.
Source: ZDNet Australia