Broadband News
Thu, 23rd Jul 2009
Telstra funds grassroots development of tech-savvy seniors
Telstra is offering a new round of grants of up to $A50,000 to help community groups teach seniors about using mobile phones and computers.
Source: iTWire
Wed, 22nd Jul 2009
Democrats name net filtering opponent to direct technology policy
The Australian Democrats has appointed an opponent of Internet filtering, and board member of Electronic Frontiers Australia, Geordie Guy as its new national technology policy coordinator.
Source: iTWire
Infrastructure lobby pitches ACCC to set NBN access prices
Australia's competition watchdog should be appointed as overseer of the national broadband network and be "directly involved" in setting access prices, according to a national infrastructure forum.
Source: iTnews Australia
Google pushes need for high speed NBN
Google has made a submission to the Senate Select Committee on the NBN, urging the Federal Government to make the investments and regulatory changes necessary to ensure high-speed internet access.
Source: iTnews Australia
Open IPTV standards needed to integrate NBN services
Video in all its forms has long been touted as a "killer application" for the national broadband network, but according to Ericsson the big opportunity is to exploit tight integration between video content and related services that will be made possible by open IPTV standards and the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS).
Source: iTWire
3G wireless broadband "fastest growing mobile technology ever"
Global HSPA (3G wireless broadband) connections will pass the 150 million mark by the end of September and 200 million by the end of Q1 2010, according to the GSM Association.
Source: iTWire
Tue, 21st Jul 2009
Conroy breaks bond in rush to broadband plan B
The Federal Government's finance management agency says it was left out of the loop on plans to issue billions of dollars in bonds to fund part of the Government's broadband plan.
Source: SMH
NBN study too big for bidders
The federal government's national broadband network implementation study could be too big for just one company to complete in six months.
Source: Australian IT
Tasmania as NBN testbed
The wheels of the $500 million-plus Tasmanian leg of the national broadband network are grinding into motion, and even though there is plenty of work to be done before first services are delivered next year, industry observers are backing the government's ambitious deadline.
Source: Australian IT
Melbourne University to drive NBN innovation
A new $2 million institute has been established to address the lack of knowledge about broadband applications in anticipation of the the Federal Government's National Broadband Network (NBN).
Source: ARN
Telstra fee not all bad: Choice
Telstra is trying to herd customers online by charging $2.20 for over-the-counter payments, but Choice says it's not a bad plan.
Source: Australian IT
Blog: Tasmanian NBN: Small step or a giant leap?
Like the engineers that sat down on day one with an empty blackboard and a mission to get man to the moon and back, building the NBN from the ground up is a daunting and complex opportunity that will present more than its share of challenges.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Conroy faces pressure over infrastructure bonds
The Federal Government office responsible for issuing infrastructure bonds suggested it was excluded from a national broadband network planning process that was yet to begin.
Source: iTnews Australia
Libraries object to internet filtering
The Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) remains opposed to internet filtering, despite concerns raised over library users caught viewing pornography.
Source: iTnews Australia
Mon, 20th Jul 2009
ISPs rubbish claims they are running routers hotter
ISPs have disputed claims by analyst firm Ovum they are choosing to run existing routers and switches 'hotter' than usual to put off having to immediately buy more.
Source: iTnews Australia
Telstra access price hike thwarted
Telstra's legal challenge to the prices set by the Australian competition watchdog of access to its copper network was last Friday rejected in the Federal Court.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Conroy eyes Telstra copper assets for NBN
Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has been forced to dodge suggestions the Government may have to contribute cash as well as equity in the NBN company to attract Telstra's network assets.
Source: iTnews Australia
High-speed broadband 'not necessary for most homes'
A Senate committee has heard that most Australian households will not want broadband speeds as fast as the Government wants to deliver.
Source: ABC News
Sat, 18th Jul 2009
Telstra slapped down on pricing
Telstra's latest attempt to inflate the price of wholesale access to its copper network has backfired, with the Federal Court yesterday dismissing 14 legal claims launched by the telco.
Source: The Australian
Telstra faces massive legal payout
Telstra could be forced to pay millions of dollars in legal costs after losing a long-running battle with the competition watchdog over prices it wants to charge rivals to access its copper network.
Source: Herald Sun
Fri, 17th Jul 2009
Huawei unveils next-generation LTE base station
Telecoms giant Huawei has launched the first large-scale commercial Long Term Evolution (LTE) eNodeB base station aimed at helping to spur the deployment of LTE networks.
Source: iTnews Australia
Blog: Conroy creates super-villain envy
Senator Conroy was recently named Internet Villain of the Year at the British annual Internet Industry Awards. But were the other villains jealous?
Source: ZDNet Australia
Queensland Police plans wardriving mission
The Queensland Police plans to conduct a 'wardriving' mission around select Queensland towns in an effort to educate its citizens to secure their wireless networks.
Source: iTnews Australia
Thu, 16th Jul 2009
Internode enters fixed voice business
Internode hopes to recoup the money it will lose on monthly access line charges on its newly-launched analogue telephone service via voice call costs.
Source: iTnews Australia
Former Ninemsn boss on NBN board
The former boss of Ninemsn has been appointed as an interim director to the board of the federal government's NBN company.
Source: Australian IT
Ziggy remains in NBN race as Anderson ruled out
Former Optus boss Chris Anderson is out of the running for the chairmanship of the national broadband network company.
Source: Australian IT
Tasmania planning April 2010 NBN roll-out?
The telecommunications industry is abuzz with speculation that the Tasmanian Government is planning to commence building its part of the National Broadband Network in April 2010 to coincide with the state election, with supplier tender documents to be issued this week.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Nextep builds unlimited Optus 3G data service
Nextep has extended its transparent LAN private network product with unlimited 3G access from Optus at a price it claims will be "not too dissimilar" from buying business-grade ADSL services.
Source: iTnews Australia
NBNco gets a little brother, TNBNco, in Tasmania
A new entity called the Tasmanian National Broadband Network Company (TNBNco) will be formed to oversee the first stage of the Federal Government's NBN rollout in Tasmania.
Source: ARN
Tassie NBN to be delivered on power poles
Tender documents released today by Aurora Energy appear to confirm that the Tasmanian FttP (fibre to the premises) portion of the National Broadband Network will be delivered via overhead cabling.
Source: iTnews Australia