Broadband News

Thu, 26th Nov 2009

IIA snubbed in iiNet case

The NSW Federal Court has told Australia's peak internet lobby group it won't be allowed to intervene in a landmark copyright trial against internet service provider iiNet.

Source: Australian IT

Conroy can relax as hot air obscures phone bill

The rising temperature over Capital Hill and the scheming, trading and emissions emanating from a Federal Opposition intent on destroying itself has helped obscure what was to be one of the most important parliamentary debates of the year.

Source: SMH

Wed, 25th Nov 2009

AFACT opposes IIA's intervention in iiNet case

A group of copyright holders suing Perth ISP iiNet for copyright infringement today opposed the IIA's application to intervene in the trial.

Source: Australian IT

AFACT fight costs iiNet $4 million

The legal stoush between the Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft (AFACT) and iiNet will cost the ISP $4 million.

Source: ARN

Coroneos takes iiTrial heat

Internet Industry Association (IIA) chief Peter Coroneos faced heated questions in Federal Court yesterday over a "knockout blow" the IIA had planned for an increasingly prolific copyright movement.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Tassie fibre testers get free TiVo

Hybrid Television Services has announced a partnership with the Tasmanian Government to trial its TiVo device on the TasCOLT test-bed fibre network.

Source: iTnews Australia

Q&A: ISPs in 2010 - Unwired

With the revelation of the NBN, the potential break up of Telstra, the AFACT vs iiNet and ISP-level filtering trials, 2009 has shaped up as quite a year for ISPs. What could be in store in 2010? We ask some of the leading internet service providers. In this edition, Unwired's CEO David Spence.

Source: Computerworld

Tue, 24th Nov 2009

Day 21: IIA chief Peter Coroneos grilled on the stand in iiNet case

Internet Industry Association chief Peter Coroneos has fronted a fiery cross-examination in the Federal Court today, as representatives of the world's major film studios attempted to portray the IIA's application to enter the iiNet copyright case as providing "nothing new".

Source: iTnews Australia

Conroy readies fibre-for-greenfields draft

Communications Minister Stephen Conroy will release within days the discussion draft of legislation that would mandate fibre connections for all greenfield sites, a key indicator for developers and infrastructure providers in making near-term investment decisions.

Source: iTWire

TransACT unveils 100 Mbps fibre exchange

TransACT has unveiled a fibre exchange facility that will provide connectivity of up to 100 Mbps to 16,000 premises in new housing estates in Canberra.

Source: iTnews Australia

Day 21: iiNet tackles the Telecommunications Act

Barristers for ISP iiNet have sought to dispel inferences by the film industry that the ISP’s Telecommunications Act defence is a recent invention - insisting that it was something iiNet staff had in mind when the internet service provider refused to take action on infringement notices.

Source: iTnews Australia

Organisations should prepare for the NBN now: Gartner

Enterprise network users must evaluate their attitudes, relationships and approaches to sourcing networking services in Australia, because of the radical NBN-fuelled changes emerging in the telecommunications environment.

Source: Computerworld

Day 21: iiNet attacks film industry's freezone claims

ISP iiNet attempted a systematic deconstruction of a number of arguments put forward by the film studios in the Federal Court today in an attempt to demonstrate authorisation of copyright infringement on the ISP's network.

Source: iTnews Australia

Day 21: iiNet sample users didn't take up quota offers

ISP iiNet's sample of 20 customer accounts surfaced in the copyright case showed there was "no correlation" between infringing activity and download quotas, the Federal Court heard today.

Source: iTnews Australia

ISPs gear up for Tasmanian NBN

Internode and iPrimus have flagged their involvement with the $43 billion National Broadband Network's (NBN's) initial rollout in Tasmania.

Source: ARN

Mon, 23rd Nov 2009

Ludlam: Telstra-split Bill unlikely in '09

The Bill that will decide whether Telstra remains vertically integrated is set for debate in parliament this Thursday, but Greens Senator Scott Ludlam doubts it will happen this year and blames Shadow Communications Minister Nick Minchin for it.

Source: ZDNet Australia

BigPond redirects typos to 'unethical' branded search page

Telstra has begun redirecting failed domain name lookups on its BigPond broadband network to a Telstra-branded search page which includes advertisements and pay-per-click links.

Source: iTnews Australia

Forget the NBN, 100Mbps is already here

Telstra and TransACT will shortly begin offering 100Mbps broadband to many customers. By moving early, the companies have not only raised the bar for Australia's broadband services, but thrown down a challenge to a government that now faces increased pressure to deliver the NBN as promised.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Local net content in line for review

The federal government has opened the door for regulation of local content on the internet after Minister for Broadband Stephen Conroy confirmed the government's intention to commence a review of convergent media regulation.

Source: Australian IT

Telstra reform may be delayed

The legislative dismemberment of Telstra could be delayed indefinitely unless the Senate can speed through debates on the party-dividing emissions trading scheme that comes before parliament this week.

Source: Australian IT

Sat, 21st Nov 2009

3 set to utilise Vodafone network

3 mobile customers look set to get expanded "on network" 2G coverage, thanks to the merger of the two telcos announced earlier this year.

Source: Whirlpool

TransACT to kick off FTTP gateway in the ACT

Transact will unveil a new Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) gateway in Canberra on Tuesday in what it is describing as a 'first of its kind in Australia'.

Source: Computerworld

iiNet first on national broadband network

The Perth company iiNet is the first internet service provider to break cover and say it will move its customers on to the $43 billion national broadband network.

Source: SMH

Fri, 20th Nov 2009

Optus upgrades HFC too

Optus has finally put an end to speculation on whether it will follow Telstra's upgrade of its hybrid fibre coaxial (HFC) network, announcing that it has already started work on its cable in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Telstra CEO: iPhone tethering for Next G (finally) coming soon!

Better late than never, Telstra boss David Thodey says the carrier is working with Apple to enable Next G tethering on the iPhone.

Source: APC Magazine

Telstra builds $280m NSW education fibre network

Telstra will build a $280 million fibre network connecting all NSW schools and TAFE institutes with fast broadband services over the next four years.

Source: iTnews Australia

As Telstra sits on Next G, Optus starts 4G trials

Optus will trial Long Term Evolution (LTE) mobile technology from next year. Let's hope it's better than their current 3G network.

Source: APC Magazine

Thu, 19th Nov 2009

Day 20: iiNet can't vet AFACT copyright allegations

ISP iiNet would have to break the law to verify allegations of copyright infringement raised in notices from the film industry, the Federal Court heard today.

Source: iTnews Australia

Comms Alliance defines first NBN wholesale services

Communications Alliance has released a paper proposing a definition for wholesale ethernet services to be provided by the National Broadband Network and other broadband infrastructures.

Source: iTWire

Day 20: iiNet refuses to play police for film industry

ISP iiNet should not have to accept the film industry's "outsourcing" of rights management or deal with the fallout from passing on infringement notices, the Federal Court heard today.

Source: iTnews Australia