Broadband News
Wed, 13th Feb 2019
NBN write-down no solution; what about upgrade, asks ISP
The head of a small Internet service provider has questioned whether a write-down of the value of the national broadband network will end up being the panacea it is increasingly painted as, pointing out that the main problem facing the network is how it should be upgraded to full fibre after the initial build is over.
Source: iTWire
NBN blamed for ruining heritage-listed footpaths
NBN Co is accused of making a poor effort to repair footpaths in inner Sydney, including some that are heritage-listed, after ripping them up to install internet cables.
Source: ABC News
Tue, 12th Feb 2019
The Inside Story Of Aussie Broadband's Anti-Racism Hold Message
We're all familiar with the automated messages that play on loop when you're stuck on call waiting. They tend to alternate between assurances of how important your time is to them, and information regarding where you can submit your query online and thus free up the queue. Last week my partner and I were sitting on hold with Aussie Broadband and experienced a message unlike any other we had before. It informed customers that racially-motivated abuse from customers was unacceptable.
Source: Gizmodo
NBN finally has a 50Mbps or quicker majority network
People will move to higher speeds on the National Broadband Network if its prices are cut.
Source: ZDNet Australia
NBN 12Mbps plan sellers come under scrutiny
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has finally moved to shore up internet performance for users of NBN 12Mbps services, 10 months after concerns were first raised.
Source: iTnews Australia
Almost a quarter of NBN-connected households still opting for 12Mbps
New figures released by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission reveal that efforts by NBN Co to promote the take-up of higher speed broadband plans have had an impact, but a significant proportion of households are still opting for the slowest speed tier.
Source: Computerworld
Mon, 11th Feb 2019
People calling for NBN write-down actually want dramatic price cut: NBN CEO
NBN claims that should a wholesale price cut occur, Australia's digital future is over.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Aussie Broadband predicts long wait for affordable gigabit speeds
Aussie Broadband managing director Phillip Britt believes affordable gigabit speeds in Australia are still “a while” away, requiring - in part - “a change of mindset at NBN Co” to become a reality.
Source: iTnews Australia
Long wait times as Australian telcos get 88 million customer calls
Australia’s five telecommunications companies received more than 88 million enquiries from customers in the 12 months of the 2017-18 financial year and just over 70% of enquiries were resolved on first contact - but in some cases cutomers had to wait up to 4 to 6 minutes for their call to be answered, according to a new report on the customer service performance of telcos from the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA).
Source: iTWire
Tired of waiting on the phone, telco customers opt for web chat
A total of 15 per cent of telco customers in Australia prefer web chat over phone conversations when enquiring with its provider.
Source: ARN
Sunshine Coast cable landing station build begins
Construction is now underway on the $6.6 million cable landing station, the major land-based facility for the $35 million Sunshine Coast International Broadband Submarine Cable network.
Source: iTWire
ACCAN: Low-income Australians cannot afford NBN
Australians have been forced onto higher-end plans, ACCAN has said, and should be offered 50Mbps unlimited NBN connections for AU$30 a month under a government concession.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Fri, 08th Feb 2019
Internet delivered via underwater cable promises to transform Christmas Island
A new undersea cable from Singapore promises to bring for the first time high-speed, reliable internet to Christmas Island, one of Australia's most remote territories. For young people especially, it's a welcome upgrade.
Source: ABC News
What does the end of TPG's mobile network mean?
Industry specialists believe that TPG ceased the rollout of its mobile network for many reasons but not because of the Government ban on Huawei equipment.
Source: ARN
Telstra ‘chaos’ with job allocation system meltdown, says union
The CEPU Communications Union claims homes and businesses across Australia suffered from faults without technician support or repairs and missed installations due to a meltdown on Thursday of Telstra’s internal job allocation system that controls sending workers and contractors to a job.
Source: iTWire
Thu, 07th Feb 2019
Virgin Media trials 8.5Gbps broadband in the UK
Virgin is using Arris DOCSIS and EPON technology across its existing fibre broadband network to bring speeds of around 8.5Gbps to 50 trial customers in Cambridgeshire.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Aussie Broadband kicks off network upgrade
NBN retailer Aussie Broadband is buying international capacity on four subsea cable systems, as well as upgrading its core network with Cisco.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Telstra plans $160m spend on Vic mobile network projects
Telstra has plans to invest more than $160 million on 600 mobile network projects in Victoria during the 2018-19 financial year, with the aim of eliminating black spots, improving data speeds and capacity.
Source: iTWire
Aussie Broadband taps Cisco for network upgrade
Aussie Broadband has announced plans for a national and international upgrade to support 500,000 users, in partnership with Cisco and Telstra.
Source: ARN
Wed, 06th Feb 2019
Aussie Broadband kicks off enormous core overhaul
Aussie Broadband has started a major core network upgrade flagged in September last year, deploying new Cisco routers and boosting capacity between its core data centres as well as on intercapital and international routes.
Source: iTnews Australia
ACCC puts blame for slow NBN speed squarely on FTTN
Fibre-to-the-node connections are acting as a drag on overall speed averages on the NBN, prompting calls for action to remediate problems or migrate more users onto cheaper plans.
Source: iTnews Australia
Aussie Broadband upgrades network
NBN RSP Aussie Broadband has revealed significant network upgrades giving it the capability to support five times as many users than it currently has.
Source: iTWire
TPG keeps top spot for download speeds in fourth NBN report
TPG delivered the highest percentage of maximum plan download speeds, while Exetel delivered on upload speeds and latency in the ACCC's final broadband speed monitoring report for 2018.
Source: ZDNet Australia
FTTP and HFC outperform FTTN in broadband speed test
FTTP and HFC NBN services delivered about 86 per cent to 87 per cent of maximum plan speeds at busy hours, compared to about 79 per cent for FTTN, according to the ACCC’s broadband speed test.
Source: ARN
Optus Fined $10 Million For Misleading Customers
The ACCC has just announced that the Federal Court has ordered Optus to pay $10 million for misleading customers. Proceedings against Optus began in October 2018, with the order being handed down today. In a breach of corporate regulations, some Optus customers unknowingly bought digital content such as ringtones and games through third party billing services.
Source: Gizmodo
Tue, 05th Feb 2019
More than 2,500 NBN Co services disrupted in Townsville floods
NBN Co has confirmed there are currently 2,656 services impacted over the National broadband Network (NBN) in Townsville as a result of the flood in the area.
Source: ARN
YouTube ripping sites the new piracy site-block target
Thanks to the expansion of piracy site-block laws to websites that have the primary effect of facilitating copyright infringement, a series of music copyright holders have sought the block of sites that allegedly allow users to download YouTube videos and strip them down to audio files.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Music industry tackles illicit challenge to streaming services
A group of major music labels is seeking court orders that will force major telcos to block online services that they say represent an illicit challenge to streaming services such as Apple Music and Spotify.
Source: Computerworld
Labor calls on NBN Co to reduce number of missed appointments
The Australian Labor Party has called on NBN Co, the company rolling out the national broadband network, to improve its processes and communication with users in order to reduce the number of missed appointments.
Source: iTWire
Mon, 04th Feb 2019
Telstra blames NBN Co for rising copper costs
Telstra says NBN Co’s decision to use Sky Muster for hard-to-serve premises on metropolitan fringes means higher costs to keep copper infrastructure online for tiny numbers of geographically-spread users.
Source: iTnews Australia