Broadband News
Thu, 27th May 2021
Optus profit plunges into the red after pandemic-hit year
Telco Optus posted a net loss of $208 million in the year ending 31 March, a dramatic decline from the $402 million profit reported the year prior.
Source: ARN
Wed, 26th May 2021
Tech giants accused of 'gatekeeping' mobile payments in Australia
Google and Apple are facing yet another probe of their anti-competitive practices in Australia, this time over the saturation of the market both players have in the mobile payments space.
Source: ZDNet Australia
NBN Co shared $78m in bonuses among 3819 staff
NBN Co shared almost $78 million in “at-risk” - bonus - payments last financial year among 3819 NBN staff, up to three-quarters of its internal workforce.
Source: iTnews Australia
Microsoft sets Internet Explorer's date with death — kind of
Redmond plans to retire Internet Explorer 11 next year, putting it on the path to a long, slow lingering death as the vendor fully embraces Microsoft Edge.
Source: ARN
Optus, Oppo & Ericsson trumpet success of voice call over 5G standalone network
Optus in collaboration with Ericsson and Oppo, have doubled down on 5G advancements, announcing a successful completion of a voice call over a commercial 5G standalone network.
Source: iTWire
Mon, 24th May 2021
NSW lightning and floods punish NBN FttC connection devices
The company responsible for the National Broadband Network has told the Senate it has replaced approximately 47,700 NBN Co Connection Devices (NCD) used on fibre-to-the-curb (FttC) connections, with New South Wales having the largest impact.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Fri, 21st May 2021
ACMA warns Telstra, Optus and Medion Mobile over identity laxity
Australia’s media watchdog has issued a warning to Telstra, Optus and Medion Mobile for failing to check customers’ identities during number porting.
Source: ARN
Telstra, Optus, and Aldi Mobile warned by ACMA for not verifying new customer info
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has issued formal notices to a trio of telcos after finding each had failed to validate customer details when moving between carriers.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Microsoft to retire Internet Explorer in 2022
Microsoft will pull the plug on its once omnipresent browser, Internet Explorer, next year as it prepares to battle market leader Chrome with its slicker Edge browser.
Source: iTnews Australia
Thu, 20th May 2021
Optus opens up multiple 5G mmWave sites
Optus has turned on its first six 5G mmWave commercial sites in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, as the carrier clocks up one million 5G capable devices on its network.
Source: ARN
NBN evening speeds compared
What are NBN evening speeds, what do they mean for your connection and, most importantly, which providers have the fastest?
Source: WhistleOut
Mon, 17th May 2021
Unlimited NBN Plans
Heavy downloader? Don't want bill shock or capped speeds? Compare unlimited NBN plans here.
Source: WhistleOut
NBN Co pushes back HFC sales restart as workforce system bugs bite
NBN Co has delayed the restart of new hybrid-fibre coaxial (HFC) orders, this time due to problems with a backend system used to assign new connection and assurance jobs to contractors.
Source: iTnews Australia
Telco complaints figures are not always good indicator of seriousness of issues: TIO
Telco complaints figures are not always a good indicator of how widespread a problem can be, a new report released by the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) has said.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Fri, 14th May 2021
Telstra has stopped selling NBN 100 plans to FTTB and FTTN customers. Again.
New Telstra customers at an FTTB or FTTN address can no longer order an NBN 100 plan.
Source: WhistleOut
Mon, 10th May 2021
NBN 250 and NBN 1000 plans in Australia: Everything you need to know
NBN 250 and NBN 1000 plans are here. Here's everything you need to know about these new NBN plans with speeds faster than 100Mbps.
Source: WhistleOut
Telstra's new 400GB mobile broadband plan could replace your NBN
Telstra has got a new range of mobile broadband plans, including one with a massive 400GB allowance.
Source: WhistleOut
‘In the public interest’: ACCC’s Sims urges Federal Court to hear Apple vs Epic Games case
The consumer watchdog has made the unusual move of requesting to speak at a court case between two tech giants, after Apple successfully had the matter suspended.
Source: SMH
Fri, 07th May 2021
NBN Co sees large jump in 250Mbps, gigabit users
NBN Co has revealed that the number of customers on 250Mbps or up to gigabit broadband plans has surpassed half a million, a 20-fold or more increase since the end of last year.
Source: iTnews Australia
Wed, 05th May 2021
NBN 'soft cap' on excess fees may in fact target the threat of 5G churn
Design flaws are already appearing in NBN Co’s proposed ‘soft cap’ on excess bandwidth costs, with most internet providers unlikely to qualify for relief, and widespread suspicion the scheme is designed to disincentivize migrating NBN customers away to 5G.
Source: iTnews Australia
Aussie Broadband chief warns NBN soft cap will be useless until May 2022
Managing director of Aussie Broadband Phil Britt has issued a warning that NBN's proposed soft cap will be useless for half of its life.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Starlink satellite internet service gets 500,000 preorders
SpaceX has received more than 500,000 preorders for its Starlink satellite internet service and anticipates no technical problems meeting the demand, founder Elon Musk said.
Source: iTnews Australia
Tue, 04th May 2021
NBN Co drops new details about how FTTP upgrades will work, including eligible suburbs
NBN Co today revealed a whole host of new information about the FTTP program that will allow customers on FTTN and FTTC technology types to upgrade to a full fibre internet experience, including a comprehensive list of towns and suburbs where the upgrades will be taking place.
Source: WhistleOut
Aussie Broadband now has 5G phone plans
Aussie Broadband today launched a new range of SIM-only phone plans powered by the Optus network, including a range of 5G-ready options.
Source: WhistleOut
Telstra pays AU$1.5m fine after preventing number porting due to COVID hitting offshore
Telstra has coughed up AU$1.5 million to pay a fine levelled at it after the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) found the telco had stopped porting phone numbers due to the COVID-19 pandemic hitting its offshore operations.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Vocus to deploy 2000km 'Project Horizon' terrestrial cable
Vocus will deploy a 2000km high-capacity fibre link between Geraldton and Port Hedland in Western Australia by the end of next year.
Source: iTnews Australia
NBN looking at FttC upgrade to fibre if users want 250Mbps
The company responsible for running the National Broadband Network on Tuesday said it is planning to offer on-demand full fibre upgrades to users on its fibre-to-the-curb (FttC) network that wish to receive over 250Mbps.
Source: ZDNet Australia
NBN Co already wants to upgrade some FTTC users to full fibre
NBN Co is set to upgrade parts of its fibre-to-the-curb (FTTC) footprint to full fibre, despite the technology already being touted as gigabit-capable.
Source: iTnews Australia
Telstra fined $1.5m over Covid-related landline porting freeze
Telstra has been fined $1.5 million over its “unilateral” decision to suspend most landline number porting during the first Covid lockdowns last year when it ran short of offshore resourcing.
Source: iTnews Australia
Mon, 03rd May 2021
NBN nixes dark fibre talks as subcontractors protest pyramid contract model
The company responsible for running the National Broadband Network has ended its consultation on whether to procure any existing dark fibre for enterprise connections, saying it is not cost effective.
Source: ZDNet Australia