Broadband News
Tue, 11th Jun 2019
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
Fri, 07th Jun 2019
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
Thu, 06th Jun 2019
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
Wed, 05th Jun 2019
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
EQT walks away from Vocus proposal
Due diligence fails to result in an offer for Australian telco.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Tue, 04th Jun 2019
Telstra to cull 10,000 contractors
Telstra is set to cut back its contractor workforce by 10,000 - or a quarter - over the next two years.
Source: iTnews Australia
Qantas warns future 5G could interfere with its plane wi-fi
Qantas has warned it may have to switch off its satellite-powered wi-fi services below 10,000 feet if 5G is allowed to operate in the same spectrum.
Source: iTnews Australia
Mon, 03rd Jun 2019
Telstra offered 272,397 refunds for premium content charges
Telstra made refund offers to 272,397 customers as a result of the third-party content subscription billing scandal of 2018, though only a quarter actually claimed them.
Source: iTnews Australia
TPG reiterates claim of needing Vodafone merger post-Huawei ban
It also argued that it has insufficient spectrum to roll out mobile networks the same way as Optus and Telstra.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Telstra makes big cuts in payphone call rates
Telstra has announced that it would be sharply reducing the rates for calls placed from its 15,500 public payphones across the country.
Source: iTWire
Telstra to allow its payphones to receive calls
Telstra is set to allow publicly-accessible payphones to receive incoming calls under changes to the way the phones operate and are priced.
Source: iTnews Australia
Vodafone Group brings ex-Telstra CEO onto board
Telco conglomerate Vodafone Group has named former Telstra CEO David Thodey as a non-executive director.
Source: iTnews Australia
Fri, 31st May 2019
Amaysim gets more out of Optus wholesale agreement
ASX-listed telco provider Amaysim Australia has updated its wholesale agreement with Optus signed when the company launched in 2010.
Source: ARN
AGL confirms it considered Vocus acquisition
Energy company AGL has confirmed that it considered a foray into the telco sector through the acquisition of Vocus, but said it has withdrawn a non-binding, indicative offer for the company.
Source: Computerworld
Employees not the target of encryption laws: Home Affairs
Australian developers really do need to relax. Cops and spooks are being told very clearly that the Assistance and Access Act isn't for dragooning you into deceiving your bosses.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Thu, 30th May 2019
Indigo subsea cable linking Australia with South East Asia commissioned
The INDIGO subsea cable system linking Australia with the Southeast Asian region has been commissioned and is ready for use by consortium members, following completion of the Singapore to Perth to Sydney cables.
Source: iTWire
Optus and WA to deliver 4G coverage to 11 remote locations
The locations to receive 4G coverage are either Indigenous communities or tourist destinations.
Source: ZDNet Australia
INDIGO subsea cable system ready to be lit up
The INDIGO cable system, which stretches from Sydney to Singapore, via Perth, has been commissioned and is ready for use by the six consortium members that funded it.
Source: Computerworld
Optus cuts 200 roles, expands Agile program
An Optus spokesperson has confirmed that it expects to around 200 redundancies from changes to its consumer business.
Source: ARN
TPG channel boss departs
Kyle Bunting has vacated his role of head of channel, alliances and dealers at TPG Telecom.
Source: ARN
Wed, 29th May 2019
ACCC sues Sony for refusing refunds on faulty PlayStation games
Global video game company Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe broke Australian consumer law by telling customers they could not get a refund for faulty PlayStation games, Australia's consumer watchdog said in a lawsuit.
Source: iTnews Australia
ACMA warns telcos over lack of info for disability consumers
Australia’s three largest telcos have been warned by the telecommunications regulator over breaches of safeguards for consumers with disabilities.
Source: iTWire
Telstra accelerates 6000 job cuts, junks $500m in legacy IT
Telstra’s massive purge of staff and legacy applications and infrastructure has accelerated sharply, saying it will have 6000 of 8000 slated job cuts “announced” by the end of the financial year, six months earlier than outlined in previous guidance.
Source: iTnews Australia
Australian 5G market to generate $45 billion in annual revenues: report
The enterprise 5G market in Australia is predicted to generate around $45 billion in revenue a year by the mid 20s, according to a newly released research report.
Source: iTWire