Broadband News

Fri, 14th Aug 2009

Southern Cross cuts prices, ups capacity

Southern Cross Cable Network today hit out at suggestions it exploited its position as the only submarine cable provider to New Zealand.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Adam to build Adelaide metro WiMAX network

Adam Internet has won a tender from the South Australian Government to roll out a WiMAX network covering Adelaide's metropolitan area from October.

Source: iTnews Australia

Conroy to roll out WiMax to broadband blackspots

Despite having mothballed the previous government's $1bn OPEL WiMax network plan, Stephen Conroy has announced his great new idea: a WiMax network to cover broadband blackspots.

Source: APC Magazine

Stanhope details Telstra break-up risks

Telstra chief financial officer John Stanhope yesterday outlined the increasing risk levels the Federal Government's National Broadband Network timeline faced if it were to opt for more "extreme" forms of separation for Telstra.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Blog: Telstra's last-mile strategy: Broadband limbo

Let's say a competitor of yours was planning a major new initiative, and you had a few years to get ready before the battle began. You'd probably start bolstering your defences, strengthening your products and working hard to secure customers so you'd have the best defence against whatever new product they were bringing to market.

Source: ZDNet Australia

New head at Broadband department

Peter Harris has replaced Patricia Scott as secretary of the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy.

Source: Australian IT

Canberra's broadband chief to net $2m a year

The head of the Federal Government's broadband network will earn nearly $2 million a year, making him one of the highest paid people on the public payroll.

Source: The Age

Thu, 13th Aug 2009

Tasmanians will have to wait for Internode's naked DSL services

Earlier this week Internode announced the 'launch' of its naked DSL services, NakedExtreme in Tasmania but it is not presently able to connect any customers to this service.

Source: iTWire

NBN Co board meets, sorts out Tassie offspring

At the top of the agenda when the newly-appointed NBN Company board meets in Canberra today – after a brief photo-op with the Minister at Parliament House – will be the composition of the Tasmania NBN Company board.

Source: iTWire

Southern Cross trials 40Gbps Nortel kit

Southern Cross Cables has joined Telstra in trialling 40Gbps technology from Nortel which it hopes will quadruple bandwidth on its undersea fibre link.

Source: iTnews Australia

Industry body: Act now to operationally separate Telstra

The Competitive Carriers Coalition (CCC) wants to see a faster route to operationally separate Telstra, and has pointed to an example abroad to back its call.

Source: ARN

Telstra: giant cash cow at risk of competition

Australia's collection of Big Things – the Big Pineapple, the Big Merino, the Big Banana and so on – is in danger of losing one of its members. Ballina's mayor thinking the Big Prawn has become old and tacky.

Source: SMH

Trujillo was paid $9.06m in 2009

Telstra's former chief executive Sol Trujillo received a total remuneration of $9.06 million, including salary, bonuses and termination payments, for the 2008/09 financial year, it was revealed today.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Telstra boosts revenue in all areas, except wholesale

Telstra has reported a strong result for the full year, broadly in line with guidance and analyst expectations in which all business units posted revenue increases, except wholesale.

Source: iTWire

Australia the pricey country for mobile broadband: OECD

Mobile broadband users in Australia pay more than in any other Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) country according to a new report released by the organisation, which measured mobile broadband usage of the 30 member countries in three brackets: high use, medium use and low use.

Source: Computerworld

Lean model for NBN Co directors

The newly appointed board members of the federal government's national broadband network company will each be paid $90,000 a year.

Source: Australian IT

Wed, 12th Aug 2009

Thursday: Thodey faces first test

New Telstra chief executive David Thodey will face his first real grilling on the telco's future tomorrow when he presents the company's annual results.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Tassie to issue NBN hardware tender shortly

The Tasmanian NBN Company is planning to go to market for network optical transmission hardware in the next four weeks, according to chairman Doug Campbell, but the move hinges on its national sibling devising certain technical plans for the mainland.

Source: ZDNet Australia

iiNet "the standout ISP" says analyst

iiNet has received a glowing investment analyst report ahead of its annual results announcement, scheduled for next Monday 17 August.

Source: iTWire

Ask not what Telstra can do for the NBN but what the NBN can do for Telstra

There has been much discussion about how Telstra might 'help' the NBN by contributing facilities such as ducts etc, but there has been little discussion about how the NBN might 'help' Telstra by giving it much higher bandwidth access to many more customers than it is has available today through any of its access networks. Telstra has given some inkling of this by talking up its Next IP network.

Source: iTWire

Internode brings NakedExtreme to Tasmania

Internode has brought its NakedExtreme broadband service to Tasmania citing "viably priced backhaul" as making delivery possible.

Source: iTnews Australia

Tassie NBN construction in October

Construction of the Tasmanian leg of the national broadband network will begin in October, according to federal Communications Minister Stephen Conroy.

Source: Australian IT

Tue, 11th Aug 2009

States' battle for NBN Co 'embarrassing' - Minchin

South Australian senator Nick Minchin has taken a swipe at the "gratuitous grandstanding" of the three eastern seaboard Premiers, calling attempts to woo the NBN Company headquarters to their own states "ridiculous."

Source: iTWire

Telstra puts open Velocity fibre on table

Telstra has confirmed that opening wholesale access to its Velocity fibre network in new housing estates was "an option going forward".

Source: iTnews Australia

NBN briefing cancelled for lack of takers

A Major seminar which sought to educate Tasmanian businesses about the benefits of the NBN has been cancelled due to lack of interest.

Source: Australian IT

Sept launch for TransACT's 100Mbps

Come September, some customers of Australian Capital Territory internet service provider TransACT will be able to select a 100Mbps download and 20Mbps upload broadband service.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Mon, 10th Aug 2009

NBN will require a govt blank cheque

A new Goldman Sachs report reinforces the market's conclusion that, whatever the National Broadband Network looks like, it is going to have to be taxpayer-funded and the cheques will be massive.

Source: ZDNet Australia

How to broker a Telstra/NBN deal

So a successful NBN negotiation will require the government to recognise the must-haves that Telstra and its shareholders will bring to the table. Conversely, it will require Telstra to recognise the government's non-negotiable requirement: a more competitive market for broadband services.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Internode plan revamp aligns with Pipe cable

Internode is working on a major restructure of its broadband plans to reduce complexity and is eyeing their release as early as next month.

Source: iTnews Australia

Malaysia backs off Internet filter plan

Malaysia's government appeared on Friday to back off plans to censor the Internet after an outcry from opposition groups and complaints from the industry that it would hit investment.

Source: iTnews Australia