Traffic spat disturbs group buying market
A war of words has erupted in Australia's fast-growing group buying market, after new entrant Groupon claimed it had already secured the lion's share of local web traffic in the category, despite having only launched in mid-February this year.
Vic Govt kicks off CenITex outsourcing
Just several months after the plans leaked to the media, the Victorian Government has gone to market for IT outsourcing partners to replace large chunks of the service delivery functionality currently provided by its extremely troubled IT shared serices agency CenITex.
Telstra integrates Netflix, Stan, Presto into re-badged Roku box
The nation’s largest telco Telstra today revealed it will launch a Telstra-branded version of the popular Roku TV streaming device to Australians, as the telco struggles to ensure its over-the-top services remain relevant in a next-generation viewing world which increasingly appears to be dominated by the likes of US giant Netflix.
Victorious Samsung to launch tablet for Christmas
Korean electronics giant Samsung today claimed victory in its patent court battle against iPad manufacturer Apple and confirmed plans to launch its Galaxy Tab 10.1 Android tablet before Christmas through a variety of Australian retailers.
Infor gurus to fix Qld Health woes
The Queensland State Government has flown in two highly paid software gurus from Canadian vendor Infor to help fix its ongoing payroll problems at Queensland Health.
Telstra not forced to deploy brand new copper, says Fifield
The office of Communications Minister Mitch Fifield has issued a statement denying that regulatory decisions by the Government were forcing Telstra to install brand new copper in new greenfields estates, adding that it was up to Telstra to decide what technology it wanted to install.
Telstra to release Motorola Xoom in May
Telstra and Motorola today confirmed long-held speculation that the manufacturer's Xoom tablet would launch on the telco's Next G network, with May timing but no pricing revealed at this point.
Greens demand Govt protect Assange
The Government and the Opposition took squirming to new heights recently while handling — or rather not handling — the threat of prosecution faced by Australian citizen and WikiLeaks chief Julian Assange in the USA, a media release put out by the Australian Greens yesterday.
NBN: An electoral house divided
The Tasmanian State Election has shown Australia's politicians just how critical broadband can be as a hot button political issue. But the complete failure of the issue to register in the simultaneous poll being held in South Australia provides a balancing view for the informed observer, showing that broadband will not always be front of mind in every decision the Australian electorate makes; at least not yet.
ACCC calls for better broadband speed information
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has called for consumers to be provided with better information about broadband speeds.
Seven wants all of Engin
With an existing majority shareholding in the company and a number of executives on its board, the Seven Network already has a pretty firm grip on internet telephony and broadband player Engin. But now the company has signalled it wants more.
Telstra’s Craig Middleton … or David Attenborough?
Ever wondered what Telstra spokespeople get up to on their off days? Wonder no more, gentle viewers, but instead watch the video above, where Telstra’s Craig Middleton, a gentleman of our long acquaintance, does his best impression of naturist David Attenborough.
National Party members vote against internet filter
The National Party of Australia has come out swinging against the Federal Government's mandatory internet filter policy, with a motion passed at the party's Federal conference on the weekend against the idea.
BT FTTN network hits 25 million premises milestone
BT has announced that its UK wholesale fibre network, Openreach, has passed the 25-million premises milestone.
Amcom wins Uni of WA cloud work
Perth-headquartered telco Amcom has won a $9 million deal to provide hosted services to the University of Western Australia, in a deal which will see the telco deliver hundreds of servers and over 400 terabytes of storage to the institution.
NBN Co largely cleared over greenfields competition
A Productivity Commission review of the National Broadband Network Company's behaviour in greenfields fibre rollout environments has largely exonerated the company of any uncompetitive behaviour, following complaints made by existing service providers in such areas.
Budget 2016: Tech giants in trouble as tax avoidance ramps up
Companies such as Apple, Google and Microsoft who have been transferring billions of dollars of Australian revenue offshore are set to come under renewed attack from the Federal Government, with a raft of anti-avoidance measures announced in this year's Federal Budget.
Budde says he warned Turnbull about Optus HFC cable issue
Veteran telecommunications analyst Paul Budde late last week said he publicly warned Malcolm Turnbull that the HFC cable network which the NBN company bought from Optus for $800 million was not suitable for use as part of the National Broadband Network, but that the Prime Minister had ignored the analysis, surrounding himself instead with "yes men".
Suncorp invests in Trōv ahead of insurance app launch
Suncorp has bought a US$5 million (A$6.59 million) equity stake in US-based tech firm Trōv.
Video: Simon Hackett’s Tesla Roadster
Internet founder Simon Hackett yesterday posted this video of his record-breaking drive from Darwin to Adelaide as part of the Global Green Challenge in his hot red Tesla Roadster -- an all-electric vehicle. Hackett is believed to own the only Roadster in Australia.
Coalition tiptoes around Telstra break-up bill
Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull yesterday said the Coalition would oppose parts of Labor’s controversial legislation to restructure the telecommunicatons sector and break up Telstra – but would welcome other sections that it found logical.
4G LG Optimus G hits Telstra in March
Korean consumer LG today revealed it would launch its high-end Optimus G smartphone exclusively on Telstra’s 4G mobile network in March.
Dick Smith moves into David Jones
Consumer electronics retailer Dick Smith has revealed it will take over the electronics retail operations of some 30 David Jons stores around Australia from October, as the troubled company's new private equity owners continue to push to rehabilitate its operations.
Jump On It makes founders overnight millionaires
Think Australia doesn't have what it takes to build a new Google or Facebook? Think again.
ShoreTel deploys unified communications for Brimbank City Council
ShoreTel, a California-based provider of phone systems and unified communications (UC) solutions, has announced it has deployed a unified communications solution for Brimbank City Council in Victoria.
NSW Education CIO joins Qantas
Qantas has confirmed a report by the AustralianIT today that outgoing NSW Department of Education and Training chief information officer Stephen Wilson will join the airline as its head of technology, reporting to executive manager of corporate services and technology David Hall.
Turnbull appointee Adcock to leave NBN in search of greater challenge
One of the most high-profile executives appointed shortly after Malcolm Turnbull became Communications Minister has signalled he plans to depart the NBN company in search of greater challenges.
Cryptographers issue belated complaint about Defence Trade Controls fix
Australian and international cryptographers have published statements noting they remain “deeply concerned” about Australian legislation that places some controls on research involving sensitive technologies such as encryption, despite several years of consultation resulting in recent multi-partisan moves to rectify flawed legislation first introduced in 2012.
Microsoft reveals roadmap for new Windows 10 business features
Microsoft has published details of its roadmap for new Windows 10 business features that are likely to make their way to users' machines in the near future, with security seeming a high priority.
Three-year NBN plan shows no politically motivated pattern
Analysis of the National Broadband Network’s three year plan released last week appears to show that the NBN company is not following a politically motivated pattern with respect to its rollout, with Labor and the Coalition largely receiving equal treatment from the company ahead of the upcoming Federal Election.
Details unclear in CSC’s iSOFT buy
US-headquartered IT services giant CSC was today unable to provide any substantive detail about how its planned acquisition of listed Australian e-health player iSOFT would affect customers or staff, noting the buyout process had only just begun.
Qld Education CIO seeks deputies
The chief information officer of the Queensland Department of Education and Training has advertised for a clutch of deputy executives as the department looks to bulk up its strategic IT management talent.
1Gbps demand years away, says Thodey
Telstra chief executive David Thodey said today demand in the average home for the 1Gbps speeds now planned under Labor’s National Broadband Network policy was “a good few years away”, although he welcomed NBN Co’s commitment to providing the upgraded speeds.
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IT sector? Australia doesn’t need it,claims Reserve Bank
Reserve Bank Governor Glenn Stevens has waded into the debate about whether Australia needs a strong home-grown IT sector, claiming the nation hasn't been disadvantaged by failing to grow one since the dot com bubble burst a decade ago.
NBN cost blow-outs Turnbull’s fault, says Labor
The Opposition has turned allegations of cost blowouts in the National Broadband Network project back on the Government, stating that the project's continually falling financial return problem should be laid at Malcolm Turnbull's door for his controversial Multi-Technology Mix.
NBN HFC trial achieves 84Mbps/33Mbps average speeds
The NBN company today revealed it had completed its HFC cable in the Queensland region of Redcliffe and was on track for a June commercial launch of the technology, with users on the trial achieving average downlaod speeds of 84Mbps and average upload speeds of 33Mbps.
iiNet buys Netspace for $40m
iiNet today confirmed it would acquire fellow tier two internet service provider Netspace, in a transaction valued at $40 million.
Misleading ads: ACCC wins appeal against Google
The Full Federal Court of Australia has ruled that Google breached the law by displaying misleading or deceptive advertisements on its search results pages. The decision follows an appeal by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), following an earlier decision in favour of Google.
Satellite NBN a “great opportunity”, West Tasmanian MP claims
Tasmanian MP Brett Whiteley has told residents and businesses unhappy with the satellite broadband the NBN company is planning to deploy in his electorate in Western Tasmania that the infrastructure represents a "great opportunity" and they should stop pining for a Fibre to the Premise instead.
Internode has wanted Aussie WoW server for years
National broadband player Internode has discussed the need for an Australian World of Warcraft server with iconic game publisher Blizzard "for many years", the company's managing director Simon Hackett said today.
NBN controversy mars Turnbull’s innovation launch
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull was this morning forced to answer questions about the Coalition's controversial National Broadband Network policy, in the context that his much-hyped Innovation and Science Agenda released today barely mentions the foundational infrastructure it will rely on.
NBN confirms doubled satellite, wireless speeds?
NBN Co today revealed that its satellite and wireless services designed to serve a small proportion of the population will feature higher speeds than previously confirmed, with the services now to provide download speeds up to 25Mbps and upload speeds up to 5Mbps. However, questions remain over the timing and technical details of the company's announcement.
Microsoft Surface to hit Australia next week
Microsoft will start selling its Surface tabletop multi-touch system in Australia next week after a formal launch.
Whirlpool founder slams internet filter
Whirlpool founder Simon Wright has slammed the Federal Government’s internet filtering plans, in a fiery editorial released simultaneously with the results of the broadband forum’s annual survey of its users.
Fibre to the home the ‘preferred’ option, says NZ
New Zealand's conservative party technology minister has hailed fibre to the home as the preferred option for national telecommunications infrastructure, stating during a visit to Australia this week that it made better "fiscal sense" to deploy fibre all the way to the premise where possible, instead of only to neighbourhood 'nodes' as Australia's Coalition is proposing.
WA Auditor slams agencies’ woeful IT security
Western Australia's acting Auditor-General Glen Clarke has issued a serious warning to the state's departments and agencies to beef up their IT security practices,...
Conroy just like Basil Fawlty, claims Turnbull
Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has taken Stephen Conroy to task for what he claimed was a habit by the Labor Minister for censoring the idea of a cost/benefit analysis from anything to do with the National Broadband Network – drawing a comparison with classic Fawlty Towers character Basil Fawlty in the process.
VHA breached Privacy Act, says Commissioner
The Australian Privacy Commissioner today said although Vodafone (VHA) didn't make customers information publicly available on the internet during its recent security scandal, it was nontheless in breach of its obligations under the Privacy Act.
Paul Fegan leaves Telstra
Telstra confirmed yesterday that Paul Fegan would be leaving the company after serving as Group Managing Director, Strategy and Corporate Services for less than a year. Fegan, who joined Telstra in January 2011, was responsible for the company’s mergers and acquisitions, communications, government/public policy and overall corporate strategy.
TAFE Queensland is rolling out TechOne’s education solution
Australian enterprise Software as a Service (SaaS) provider TechOne has inked a deal to provide Student Management solution to TAFE Queensland, the vocational education and training organisation.
Copyright Review will be published by March
The Attorney-General's Department has stated that it believes the Government has an obligation to publish by the end of February the full report which the Australian Law Reform Commission has painstakingly generated over the past several years into whether the Copyright Act is adequate to handle the new digital environment.
NSW Education appoints new CIO
The NSW Department of Education and Training (DET) this morning confirmed it had appointed Victorian public servant Stephen Loquet as its new chief information officer.
Alan Hyde takes NEC Australia’s reins
Ex-SAP Australia and New Zealand chief Alan Hyde has taken on a new role leading the local operation of Japanese electronics giant NEC.
HTC One (M8) lands in Australia
Taiwanese consumer electronics giant HTC this morning revealed its latest flagship Android handset, the HTC One (M8) will be available in Australia from 1 April through all three of the nation's major mobile carriers, with a bevy of enhancements to the popular model. But will the company's latest phone be able to take on the Apple and Samsung juggernauts?
Gamers 4 Croydon hails ‘fantastic’ Atkinson resignation
Gamers4Croydon has hailed the decision by South Australian Attorney-General Michael Atkinson to step down as "fantastic", as the party nervously waits to find out if it won a Legislative Council seat in the state's election yesterday.
Customs appoints new CIO, CTO
The Australian Customs and Border Protection Service has appointed executives to its newly created chief information officer and chief technology officer roles, as the agency continues its drive to extensively restructure its technology operations.
Video: APC Magazine’s Master Builder final
This video documents the final of APC Magazine's Master Builder competition for systems builders. We think it's safe to say we're jealous both of the hardware used and of the speed at which these guys can put together an amazing PC rig!
Australian tech startup BigCommerce closes US$30m funding round
Australian e-commerce platform BigCommerce has announced the closure of a US$30 million (A$41 million) funding round.
NBN Co inks wireless, construction deals
The National Broadband today signed several major billion-dollar contracts that will allow it to proceed to roll out its planned fibre network in several major states, as well as its wireless network covering a smaller proportion of the population nationally.
Vodafone buys TelstraClear for $660m
The nation's largest telco Telstra this morning confirmed it would walk away from its ill-fated venture into the New Zealand market, with rival Vodafone New Zealand to buy its Kiwi division TelstraClear for A$660 million.
IBM Australia goes through redundancy round
Global technology giant IBM is cutting jobs in its Australian operations, Delimiter can reveal, in a move which appears to be part of a broad global cull by Big Blue.
An unusual entrance at Pollenizer’s Christmas party
Web startup consultancy and seed fund Pollenizer last night held its Christmas party on the balcony above its Surry Hills, Sydney offices, in coalition with the Silicon Beach community of local tech startups. At one stage, co-founder Mick Liubinskas makes an unusual entrance, introduced by the company's other co-founder, Phil Morle.
Redflow debuts ZCell enclosure at Sydney energy storage show
Australian energy storage specialist Redflow is set to show its recently launched ZCell home battery and new custom-designed enclosure at the Australian Energy Storage Conference & Exhibition this week in Sydney.
ICAC finds training institute IT manager guilty of corruption
An investigation by the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) has found a former IT manager at the TAFE NSW South Western Sydney Institute (SWSI) guilty of corruption in his official role at the training organisation.
Oracle reveals swathe of Aussie rollouts
Enterprise technology giant Oracle has published details of half a dozen sizable deployments of its technology by Australian customers, as it continues its push to convince local technology buyers of the popularity of its Fusion platforms.
AFP arrests alleged LulzSec hacker
A high-profile takedown is sure to send shockwaves through the hacker community after the Australian Federal Police arrested a 24-year-old IT worker on a variety of charges that could land him up to 12 years in jail.
Telstra launches new mobile broadband plans
Telstra has introduced new mobile broadband plans with what it calls its "most generous" data allowances to date.
Labor open to surveillance discussion
The Australian Labor Party has given the first tentative sign that it may be open to working with the Greens on the terms of a wide-reaching parliamentary inquiry into electronic surveillance practices in Australia.
NSW Health to dump Novell GroupWise
To be honest, whenever we realise there's still a GroupWise implementation out there, we kind of feel like we've discovered an untouched ancient archeological dig. Who knows what treasures can be found buried there, amongst the musty trappings of the past covered in dust? What glories await? What ghosts of the past?
US tech visionary Harper Reed to keynote Cisco Live
Technology giant Cisco has unveiled the line-up for its Cisco Live confab in Melbourne next week, with US-based technology evangelist Harper Reed to feature as one of the main keynotes, alongside several senior global Cisco executives.
Conroy will release NBN study
The office of Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has confirmed the controversial $25 million National Broadband Network implementation study will be released before the Federal Budget in May.
Conroy likes golf, the football and racing
Communications Minister Stephen Conroy likes horse racing, the footy and attending the occasional Telstra corporate golf day, according to parliamentary disclosure documents recently released.
Vodafone bundles PlayBook with BlackBerry
National mobile carrier Vodafone has released a limited amount of information about how it will price Research in Motion's BlackBerry PlayBook, noting the device will be available bundled on a single monthly plan with the BlackBerry Bold 9780 handset and will launch next week on June 29.
Telstra’s 4G just “bragging rights”, says Optus CEO
Optus chief executive Paul O'Sullivan this afternoon said his company wasn't yet seeing consumer demand for the next 'fourth generation' or 4G of mobile networks and devices, adding that plans to deploy the standard by rivals like Telstra were little more than "bragging rights".
Prime Minister’s office blocks Gmail, Hotmail
The department which houses Prime Minister Julia Gillard, her staff and the Cabinet yesterday signalled it would bow to a request from the Federal Auditor-General and block access to public web-based email services such as Hotmail and Gmail from 1 July, with the auditor seeing the platforms as an inherent security risk.
RIM appoints Ray Gillenwater as ANZ MD
BlackBerry maker Research In Motion has appointed Ray Gillenwater Managing Director for Australia and New Zealand. Gillenwater replaces Adele Beachley, who resigned in February.
No more TouchPads for Australia
HP has reportedly confirmed that the last batch of its TouchPad tablets currently being manufactured will be available only in its North America region only -- meaning Australians will not get one last chance to pick up the now-canned devices for a song.
NBN Co reveals first five wireless zones
NBN Co yesterday revealed the first five Australian locations which will receive a high-speed wireless connection as part of the Federal Government's flagship National Broadband Network (NBN) scheme.
Optus launches Motorola RAZR V
Google-owned US handset manufacturer Motorola has launched its latest high-end Android-based smartphone in Australia, the RAZR V, through the nation's number two telco Optus.
Digital Realty flags new datacentre construction in Melbourne
Global technology firm Digital Realty is to establish a new datacentre in Victoria that will create hundreds of new jobs in the state.
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AT&T to deploy Gigabit fibre to 100 US cities
US telco giant AT&T overnight revealed it would deploy Fibre to the Premises infrastructure in 100 major US cities in the United States, delivering gigabit broadband speeds in a model which directly contradicts statements by Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull that the telco is focusing on the Coalition's preferred Fibre to the Node model.
Microsoft’s Dynamics AX for Azure cloud to launch in Australia
Microsoft has announced that Dynamics AX, the latest version of its Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software product, will soon be available in Australia and hosted in local data centres.
Apple CEO bitchslaps Melbourne store staff in front of whole company
In an email to all staff, Apple CEO Tim Cook has reportedly called a recent incident in which black teenagers were turned away from an Apple store in Melbourne "unacceptable".
Pressured Turnbull agrees to aerial FTTP trials in Tasmania
Under siege from all sides of politics over the Federal Coalition's reluctance to pursue a full Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) broadband rollout in Tasmania, Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has spoken to NBN Co about the possibility of conducting FTTP trials in the state that would test Labor's plan to deploy fibre on aerial electricity poles.
BlackBerry PlayBook due 20 June, from $579
Research in Motion's BlackBerry PlayBook tablet will launch through all of Australia's major mobile carriers as well as retailer Harvey Norman in three different models from 20 June, the Canadian company said today, with recommended retail prices starting at $579.
56 IT jobs to stay in Hobart DHS
Federal Human Services Minister Marise Payne has backed away from the Government's plans to shift some 56 IT jobs to the mainland and away from the Hobart office of the Department of Human Services, as the Liberal Party faces an increasingly difficult state election in the Apple Isle.
Adobe increases Australian Creative Cloud prices
Software giant Adobe has informed its users of its intention to substantially increase the price of accessing its Creative Cloud family of image and video editing products, in a move which appears set to cause frustration amongst the company's already tetchy local user base.
Victoria Police appoints CIO without IT background
Victoria Police, which has one of the most troubled IT departments in Australia's public sector, has appointed as its new chief information officer a senior police officer with a distinguished career but who appears to have no specific experience with IT operations, in an effort to pull itself out of the deep mire which has swallowed its technology capability in recent years.
NBN Co’s construction chief quits
NBN Co today confirmed its head of construction Patrick Flannigan had resigned from his role; news that came just days after negotiations broke down between the fledgling fibre monopoly and some 14 construction firms about the construction of the nation-wide network.
National Innovation and Science Agenda: Turnbull releases $1bn massive list of new policies
news Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull this morning released a huge list of new policy initiatives relating to technology, innovation and entrepreneurship, as part of...
Developers association investigates Team Bondi
The video game industry's peak global body for professional developers has pledged to investigate Australian studio Team Bondi, in the wake of allegations the company mis-treated staff during the lengthy development process for its flagship L.A. Noire game launched last month.
Too late? WA wants central Fiona Stanley PMO
The Western Australian Government has gone to market for a provider to establish a project management office (PMO) to will coordinate development activities between its problematic Fiona Stanley Hospital build and its wider health department, just weeks after it admitted that the IT systems associated with the hospital had blown out in cost by an amount expected to be between $25 million and $50 million.
NBN Co promises business case by May 31
The company in charge of building and operating the National Broadband Network this afternoon promised to deliver "a full business case" to the Government for the project by May 31, in the wake of the release of the NBN Implementation Study earlier today.
Former US Govt CIO in Aussie speaking tour
Former US whole of government chief information officer Vivek Kundra will hit Australia over the next several weeks for a speaking tour that will include events for his new employer Salesforce.com, as well as the Australian Information Industry Association.
iiNet opposes data retention, web blocking plans
One of Australia's largest telcos, iiNet, has sent the Australian Senate committee examining reform of national telecommunications interception legislation an extremely strongly worded statement warning of the dangers of extending or even maintaining current data retention and website blocking practices.
Jeff Smith quits Suncorp for IBM
Second-tier Australian bank and financial services group Suncorp today announced that its long-serving top technology executive Jeff Smith would leave to take up a senior role with IBM in the United States, in an announcement which marks the end of an era for the nation’s banking IT sector.
NBN to boost HFC broadband with DOCSIS 3.1 in 2017
NBN Co has revealed that it plans to launch super-fast HFC broadband services next year using DOCSIS 3.1 – a new technology that can produce up to 10 Gbps symmetrical data speeds over the hybrid fibre-copper cable networks.
ASD releases Windows 8 hardening guide
The Australian Signals Directorate appears to have released a guide to hardening Microsoft’s Windows 8 operating system, three years after the software was released for use by corporate customers, and as Microsoft is slated to release its next upgrade, Windows 10.
Is a 4G Samsung Galaxy S II coming to Australia?
Samsung appears to be on the verge of launching a plethora of new mobile phones and tablets into the Australian market, with the Galaxy Note confirmed to be on its way, and 4G versions of the Samsung Galaxy S II smartphone and Galaxy Tab 8.9 tablet reported to be arriving shortly.
Mac markup: Apple levies Aussie tech tax
Iconic technology giant Apple will price its new range of products unveiled tonight substantially higher in Australia than in the US, reversing a trend seen recently where the company has appeared to be narrowing the pricing gap between Australia and its home country.
OzLog won’t include web history: AG
The office of Attorney-General Robert McLelland today denied reports that a controversial data retention policy -- dubbed "OzLog" online -- being considered by his...
Why Ray White, Flight Centredumped Exchange for Google
Google this morning fired a broadside directly into the good ship Microsoft, claiming victory over the email platforms of several large Australian companies -- Flight Centre and Ray White. But why did the pair choose to dump their incumbent Outlook Exchange platforms and 'go Google'?
NSW Police tackles ballooning data with dropbox
The New South Wales Police Force has revealed plans to deploy a low level document management system somewhat akin to the easy access storage solutions offered by vendors like Dropbox and Box, as its existing systems continually struggle to deal with massively growing data volumes of files being used by its staff.
Pacnet joins NZ Pacific Fibre consortium
Asian telco Pacnet has joined the Pacific Fibre consortium which is aiming to build an undersea fibre telecommunications cable between Australia, New Zealand the Unites States.
ACS hires CEO with no IT experience
Australia's peak organisation for technology professionals has hired a new chief executive without any direct experience in the technology sector.
Huawei is head-hunting in South Australia
Chinese manufacturer Huawei yesterday announced it would create 50 new jobs in South Australia, as part of its commitment to build Vodafone Hutchinson Australia's new network; news that comes as the state's Premier Mike Rann is visiting the company's facilities in China.
VHA dodges iPad questions, revamps plans
Vodafone Hutchison Australia executives dodged and weaved in front of an audience of journalists in Sydney today when asked to outline their plan for Apple’s iPad launch in Australia in late April.
Internode ads target BigPond’s Kombi van
Tier two internet service provider Internode has unveiled a series of advertisements satirising Telstra's "I've been everywhere" broadband ads, which feature a blue Kombi van.
An Aussie IPTV revolution we can believe in
The founder of DVD and streaming online video service Quickflix has made a stirring speech to a local investment conference, arguing that Australia is at the beginning of "an IPTV revolution" that will see the nation's entertainment choices reach equal par with those available in the US through popular platforms such as Netflix.
Government “botched” NDIS IT systems, says Labor
Labor has said the Coalition Government has "botched" the rollout of the IT systems for the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) healthcare programme.
Sydney iPhone 4 launch: Photos by Delimiter
In this last photo gallery of the Sydney iPhone 4 launch last night, Delimiter journalist Jenna Pitcher goes behind the scenes at Telstra to meet the crew from Masterchef -- and witnesses the cutting of a giant iPhone-shaped cake. Jenna also checks out the (lengthy) queue outside Optus' store down the street.
No NBN customers for Vodafone yet
Mobile telco Vodafone yesterday confirmed it had not yet connected any customers to National Broadband Network infrastructure as part of its trial of the network, three months after it started working with NBN Co to test the NBN waters.
Conroy savages Coalition’s rural fibre complaints
Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has issued an angry statement rejecting Coalition criticism of Labor’s plans to deploy fibre to the home infrastructure in rural areas throughout Australia, demanding the Coalition “come clean” with its own plans for rural Australia.
Shorten says Govt has “bungled” the Census
While acknowledging that the Census "does a lot more good than harm", Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has said that the government has "bungled" 2016's official survey of the Australian population.
NBN Tasmania drops “ready to roll” pamphlets
The Tasmanian division of the National Broadband Network Company has dropped pamphlets in communities touched by the first stage of the network rollout, promising "unlimited possibilities" and that the network is "ready to roll".
“Large ISP” (TPG?) refuses to deploy Interpol filter
The Australian Federal Police has revealed that its limited mandatory ISP filtering scheme based on a list of offensive sites supplied by Interpol has not yet been taken up by most of Australia's ISPs, with only Telstra and Optus having implemented the filter so far and a further "large ISP" having flat out refused to comply with the project.
Bartlett launches Tasmanian digital economy strategy
Tasmanian Premier David Bartlett (pictured above, second from the left) yesterday released a new innovation strategy for the state, including a segment on how the state government can invest to promote Tasmania’s digital economy.
Will the Nintendo 3DS hit Australia in March 2011?
Most of Australia's video game retailers and Nintendo itself are remaining tight-lipped on when the Japanese giant's next flagship device, the 3DS, will hit Australia, but some expect the handheld console to be released locally at the same time as international markets.
The return of Telstra’s 3G hotspot in a thong
The idea is clearly genius and worth funding further -- it's a 3G hotspot ... IN A THONG! Someone throw more money at this guy!
Sarv Girn becomes Reserve Bank CIO
Recently departed Westpac group general manager of Enterprise Technology Services Sarv Girn has picked up a high-profile position as the new chief information officer of the Reserve Bank.
Westpac poised to dump Lotus Notes
Westpac Banking Corporation, one of Australia's largest users of IBM's beleagured Lotus Notes/Domino ecosystem, has finally confirmed it is ready to dump the platform in favour of Microsoft's rival Outlook/Exchange system, in a move which constitutes the latest nail in the coffin for Notes in Australia.
Telstra offers free data following mobile network outage
Telstra is offering free data for a day for all customers this Sunday following an outage in its national mobile network that affected voice and data services for some customers.
VMware appoints new Australia and New Zealand chief
VMware, a provider of cloud and virtualization software and services, has appointed Alister Dias as Vice President and Managing Director for Australia & New Zealand.
EB Games was wrong: No Aussie Battle.net server
Blizzard have dug their heels in yet again - an Australian spokesperson has declined to comment on the speculation of Australian servers for the Battle.net online gaming platform and instead re-released a statement from April this year of the intention of region locking Australians to South-East Asian servers.
CenITex cuts another 60 staff
Troubled Victorian Government IT shared services group CenITex has flagged plans to cut another 60 staff from its roster, as wider plans progress to outsource the infrastructure and services currently being provided by the group to other Victorian Government departments and agencies.
After a decade, Nola gives up DiData reins
After ten years at the top, IT services group Dimension Data today revealed the long-serving chief executive of its Australian division, Steve Nola, would take a step sideways to lead its growing global cloud computing business.
Cloud computing decimates Vic Uni’s IT dept
If you're nervous about the impact that the deployment of cloud computing infrastructure could have on the need your organisation has for dedicated IT staff, you probably don't want to read this chilling article by iTNews, which details some rather mercenary comments by Victoria University on its own plans in the area.
Budget 2016: Govt establishes joint taskforce to fix myGov
The Government has established a joint taskforce to remediate its troubled myGov digital identity and verification platform, bringing in experts from a number of government departments and throwing $50.5 million at the project.
ACCC approves Telstra’s variation to NBN Migration Plan
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has approved Telstra’s variation to the Migration Plan, which is aimed to further protect customers and maintain services as the firm shifts to the national broadband network.
NBN Co gets new chairman
A new chairman with a history leading the Asian division of finance giant Morgan Stanley has been appointed to the National Broadband Network Company, with incumbent Mike Quigley to relinquish the role but keep his permanent chief executive officer spot.
iiNet halts share trading as AAPT rumours swirl
Speculation about a deal that could see national broadband provider iiNet pick up a chunk of embattled Telecom New Zealand subsidiary AAPT is likely to rapidly intensify this morning with the news iiNet has halted trading of its shares.
Coca-Cola Amatil’s journey: Lotus Notes to BPOS
Beverage company Coca-Cola Amatil (CCA) is halfway through the massive task of migrating its over 8,000 employees off Lotus Notes and onto Microsoft's hosted Business Productivity Online Suite, the company revealed in a presentation at Microsoft's Tech.Ed conference on the Gold Coast this week.
Filter bills on track for Feb/March
The legislation to introduce the Federal Government's controversial internet filtering scheme is on track to land in Parliament as early as late February or...
Cisco’s Williamson takes APAC role
The long-time leader of Cisco's Australian division has been promoted to take on responsibilities for the US networking giant's newly created Asia-Pacific operation, with the company planning to appoint a successor for the local lead role "in the near future".
Vodafone confirms internal restructuring
National mobile telco Vodafone has confirmed a report by News Ltd newspaper The Australian that it's planning to cut members of its executive team, in a wide-ranging restructure that could affect a number of mid-level executives at the company.
Electronic Frontiers Australia outlines 2016 priorities
Electronic Frontiers Australia (EFA) has spelled out its priorities for the coming year, addressing a host of areas including data retention, intelligence gathering and copyright issues.
“Infantile display”: Ludlam on Brandis’ surveillance arrogance
Greens Senator and Communications Spokesman Scott Ludlam has has accused Attorney-General George Brandis of delivering an "embarassing and borderline hysterical" and "infantile" display in Federal Parliament, due to the Liberal Senator's continued refusal to answer basic questions about the surveillance powers used by Australian intelligence agencies.
HPE may cut 200 Adelaide jobs, just months after hiring binge
Just months after flagging a sizable expansion of its business in South Australia, insiders have revealed Hewlett Packard Enterprise is actually in the throes of cutting several hundred staff from the state.
Hockey admits: We can’t shut down the NBN
Shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey yesterday admitted that the Opposition would find it hard to “shut down” the National Broadband Network project completely if it wins the upcoming Federal Election in September, and would release further details “in the next few weeks” about the Coalition’s plans for the project.
Lessons for Australia? UK outlaws IT contracts larger than £100m
The UK Government has taken a startling new stance on major IT contracts, outlawing new deals larger than £100 million (AU$190m) and declaring that it's time the country moved past traditional arrangements with "legacy technology giants", in a move which appears to mirror similar State Government initiatives in Australia.
NBN rollout update a “fantasy”, says Turnbull
Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has dismissed the latest update to the rollout plans for Labor's National Broadband Network project as a "fantasy", pointing out that the initiative has been under way for four years but has failed to meet its targets and has only successfully rolled out infrastructure to a "miniscule" number of premises.
Foxtel comes to Xbox 360
Microsoft and Foxtel today revealed that the cable television platform would be offered as a streaming and video on demand service directly through Microsoft's Xbox 360 consoles.
Internode comes to Call of Duty’s Aid
National broadband provider Internode has called a cease fire in the ongoing battle between video game fans and the publishers of the popular Call of Duty franchise of games, setting up a deal with GameServers.com that will see local servers delivered for the game's newest Black Ops iteration.
Twitter caves to Conroy’s troll pressure
news Global social networking site Twitter has agreed to closer cooperation with Australian law enforcement authorities, including handing over users’ IP addresses in certain...
Govt could shift 450 sites to Drupal cloud
The Federal Government has revealed long-range plans to migrate its public-facing websites to Drupal on a software as a service (cloud computing) basis, in a move which could end up seeing around a third of the government's 1,200 odd-sites migrated off commercial and other alternatives and onto the open source platform.
High Court iiTrial verdict set for 20 April
iiNet has revealed that Australia's High Court will lay down its verdict in the national broadband provider's high-profile legal battle with a coalition of film and TV studios next Friday 20 April at 10AM, in a move which will finally provide closure to the long-running online copyright infringement case.
New Qld CIO defends Govt IT debacles
Queensland's new whole of government chief information officer Peter Grant has defended the state's record on major IT projects in his first interview since taking the position in December last year.
CIO Curran outlines ambitious Westpac IT consolidation strategy
news Westpac chief information officer Dave Curran has outlined an ambitious IT platform consolidation strategy for the bank which will result in a centralised...
Federal Govt issues Internet tender
The Federal Government has taken the first step in wide-ranging plans to consolidate its telecommunications spend, issuing a request for proposals from suppliers for whole of government internet services.
CASA cuts red tape for drone operators
The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) has announced that regulatory requirements for operators of remotely piloted aircraft, or drones, are to be relaxed later this year.
Delimiter appeals Turnbull Blue Book censorship
Delimiter has appealed a move by the Department of Communications to block the release of new Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s ‘Blue Book’ incoming ministerial briefing under Freedom of Information laws.
Govt to introduce Data Breach legislation in 2015
Attorney-General George Brandis has confirmed the Federal Government still plans to introduce mandatory data breach laws before the end of 2015, in a move that is aimed at making the Government’s controversial Data Retention scheme more transparent.
No pristine photos: Telstra rejects copper challenge
The nation's largest telco Telstra has declined a challenge to provide photos highlighting good examples of the best-maintained infrastructure in its national copper telecommunications network, following the publication several weeks ago of a "worst of the worst" gallery of photos of the network.
Attorney-General won’t confirm TSSR bill revamp
Attorney-General George Brandis has refused to confirm whether the Government will accede to the Opposition’s demand that it provide a revised draft of its planned telco national security bill, in the wake of loud complaints from Australia’s entire technology sector about the controversial legislation.
Conroy staffer + Telstra PR enters Parliament
Stephen Conroy might no longer be Communications Minister, and his party might no longer be in power, but the Victorian Labor Senator has just gained a new ally in Parliament, courtesy of the election of his former policy advisor and current Telstra regulatory affairs manager Tim Watts to Nicola Roxon's seat of Gellibrand.
Ludlam recount finds “hundreds” of misplaced votes
Greens Senator Scott Ludlam has revealed the ongoing recount of the Senate vote for the Federal Election in Western Australia has found “hundreds” of misplaced votes, in a move which the tech-savvy Senator said validated his request for a recount that could see him hold onto his seat in the state.
Telstra launches LG Android phone
The nation's largest telco Telstra has intensified its focus on the Android mobile phone platform, revealing plans to launch LG's Optimus handset into the local market tomorrow -- and before any other carrier gets their hands on it.
Telstra, Vodafone price the HTC EVO 3D
Telstra and Vodafone have this afternoon revealed pricing for HTC's 3D EVO device, that will soon become available in Australia.
The EVO 3D features a...
Pirate Party launches anti-surveillance petition
The Australian division of digital rights movement the Pirate Party has launched an online petition through which it is collecting support from Australians who object to the wide-ranging new tranche of surveillance and data retention powers currently being proposed by the Labor Federal Government.
Telstra restructures … yet again
Telstra chief executive David Thodey has again embarked on a major restructuring effort within Telstra, representing the latest in half a dozen such initiatives since the executive took Telstra's reins in mid-2009.
NBN Co internal FTTN analysis: Turnbull refuses to retract inaccurate claim
Malcolm Turnbull has flatly ignored a request to retract a highly inaccurate claim the Communications Minister made on national television last week in an attempt to discredit an important internal NBN Co analysis casting doubt on viability of the Coalition's NBN policy.
COO Yuile takes AAPT’s Broad reins
Telecom New Zealand subsidiary AAPT this morning revealed its chief executive Paul Broad had resigned, with his post to be taken up from 1 July by the company’s chief operating officer David Yuile.
TPG buyout to require public inquiry, says iiNet
The chief executive of iiNet today said a public inquiry would need to be held if rival broadband company TPG decided to extend its stake in his company to the point where an acquisition was on the cards -- and the issue could become a policy question to be decided by the Federal Government.
Telstra boosts broadband bundle quotas
As it promised several weeks ago, Telstra has upped the included data quotas on some of its home bundled packages as part of its launch of its T-Box flagship integrated media centre, which goes on sale this week.
Anonymous takes filter protest to the streets
The loose coalition of individuals who attacked Federal Government technology infrastructure last week under the banner of "Anonymous" has unveiled plans to take its protest against the internet filtering initiative to the streets.
Status quo remains in Telstra’s South Brisbane
The nation's largest telco Telstra has confirmed it will not address several of the largest complaints by other ISPs about the way it is handling its new fibre rollout in the South Brisbane exchange area, despite signing a new accord regarding the region with Communications Minister Stephen Conroy.
Now Jason Clare writes to ABC over Nick Ross ‘gag’
Shadow Communications Minister Jason Clare has stated that he is "very concerned" about claims that the ABC gagged its former technology editor from reporting on the NBN, and has joined his Victorian counterpart Philip Dalidakis in demanding answers from ABC managing director Mark.
HTC won’t confirm Flyer tablet for Australia
Taiwanese electronics giant HTC has refused to confirm any plans to launch its flagship Flyer tablet in Australia, after unveiling the device to international interest at the Mobile World Congress conference in Barcelona yesterday.
NBN Photos: Kiama’s big orange button
Did the Federal Government buy big "turn it on" buttons in bulk when it approved the National Broadband Network policy? It's starting to look that way, judging by the amount of NBN launch events it has held over the past few years. Today's big orange button comes from Kiama, where the NBN was officially switched on this morning.
HTC Desire bug fix reaches consummation
Telstra and HTC late on Friday said they would that night make a bug fix available for the GPS problems which had been plaguing owners of the handset manufacturer's Android-based Desire mobile phone, which went on sale for the first time in Australia late last month.
1,375 votes lost in Western Australia: Ludlam recount stalled in bureaucracy
The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) has revealed it lost 1,375 votes during the recent Federal Election and will need to investigate the situation further before it can advise whether Greens Communications Spokesperson Scott Ludlam will keep his Senate seat or be replaced by the Palmer United Party.
Telstra cutting top execs’ pay levels
Telstra chief executive David Thodey appears to be taking a dramatically different approach to remunerating its top executives compared to his predecessor Sol Trujillo, with new executives coming on board over the past several years attracting pay packets millions of dollars less than those they are replacing.
Microsoft criticises AG Dept’s cloud rules
Global technology giant Microsoft has asked the Federal Government to review a controversial policy enacted by the Attorney-General's Department last year which which require departments and agencies to explicitly acquire the approval of the Attorney-General and the relevant portfolio minister before government data containing private information can be stored in offshore facilities.
Hypocrisy? Fletcher pushs tech exports to China while TSSR bill looms
Parliamentary Secretary Paul Fletcher has taken the extraordinary step of publicly advocating for Australian technology firms to sell products and services into the booming Chinese market, while the Federal Government that he is part of is seeking to pass legislation which may block Chinese companies from selling to Australia’s public sector.
Coalition dumps Lundy’s $42m NICTA boost
The Coalition has revealed an extra $42 million in funding to support peak ICT research group National ICT Australia (NICTA) unveiled several weeks ago by Labor Digital Economy Minister Kate Lundy will be a victim of its election drive to cut costs.
New Nationals leadership slammed copper as “redundant” in 2005
The new federal leadership team of the Nationals unveiled late last week -- Barnaby Joyce and Fiona Nash -- personally criticised the use of copper for broadband services in 2005, it has emerged, telling the then-Howard Government to focus on the use of Fibre to the Premises technologies instead.
Fifield rejects Quigley’s NBN analysis out of hand
Communications Minister Mitch Fifield has rejected detailed analysis by former NBN CEO Mike Quigley that the up to $15 billion blowout in the NBN company's costs revealed in August was due to the Coalition's Multi-Technology Mix model; but without providing contrary evidence to show how Quigley's analysis was incorrect.
Appeal won’t stop illegal downloads: iiNet
iiNet chief executive Michael Malone this afternoon rejected a renewed legal challenge by a coalition of film and TV studios as "disappointing and frustrating", adding it would not stop illegal downloads of copyrighted material.
V8 Supercars deploys Office 365
Software giant Microsoft this morning revealed racing specialist V8 Supercars had adopted its Office 365 software as a service productivity suite, citing the fact that it had outgrown its previous IT platform and needed room for expansion.
BitTorrent “not time-critical”: Telstra defends trial
The nation's largest telco Telstra claimed over the weekend that BitTorrent-style peer to peer traffic on its network was "not time-critical" and so could be slowed on its network "without significant consumer detriment", in an extensive statement defending highly controversial plans to trial several new network management practices.
You’re flat out wrong, NBN Co tells AFR
NBN Co and two of its key contractors have categorically denied a front page report by the Financial Review this morning that the contractors weren't bidding for the next round of NBN construction deals due to rollout delays, describing the newspaper's report as "patently untrue".
Fibre speeds “amazing”, but Bernardi slams “hopeless” NBN installers
Conservative Liberal Senator Cory Bernardi has labelled the performance of his his new National Broadband Network fibre connection as “quite amazing”, but has slammed the NBN company for a bungled installation which required repeated visits to get the connection running.
Stress less: NBN Co reassures Tasmania
Fledgling fibre monopoly NBN Co has responded to criticism that it's not explaining its mission well to Tasmanian residents, pointing out that it had appointed a community relations manager in the state, and reassuring those in areas to be served by wireless that existing ADSL broadband based on Telstra's existing copper network wouldn't be shut down for 10 years.
Nintendo Wii U hits Australia on 30 November
Nintendo announced this morning that its new Wii U console would launch in Australia on 30 November this year, with several different pricing options available ranging from a "Basic Pack" at $349.95 to a "Premium Pack" containing a black model with more space for $429.95.
Defence inks research deal with IBM
Assistant Minister for Defence Stuart Robert yesterday announced a new alliance between the Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) and IBM to conduct research in a range of what the pair described as "high-end defence technologies".
Samsung beats Apple to take top Aussie mobile spot
Analyst firm IDC’s ANZ Quarterly Mobile Devices Tracker released this week showed that Samsung has overtaken Apple to claim the No. 1 spot in the Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) mobile phone market. Samsung has been growing rapidly and has shown continuous growth for the past three quarters in the ANZ market.
Qld inks whole-of-govt Microsoft deal
The Queensland Government has inked a comprehensive whole-of-govt software licensing deal with Microsoft that will reportedly see all of its agencies migrate to Windows 7.
Uni of Queensland to deploy private cloud
The University of Queensland has revealed plans to deploy a significant swathe of private cloud infrastructure, as it ramps up plans to provide its individual faculties and divisions with a centralised pool of computing resources that can easily provision hundreds of virtual servers.
Defence dumps distributed computing plans
The Department of Defence has taken the unusual step of abandoning plans to go to market for one of the three major tranches of IT outsourcing programs it has been evaluating over the past several years, opting instead to renew a contract in the area with Unisys, despite the fact that it will shortly be forced to re-examine the deal anyway.
Australia’s Aconex wins huge Panama Canal deal
Australian company Aconex this week announced a deal that has the potential to put it squarely on the global stage in its role as a provider of software as a service-based project collaboration solutions to the construction and engineering sectors.
iiNet sells TransACT’s FTTP to NBN Co
National broadband provider iiNet this afternoon revealed it had reached an agreement which would see the National Broadband Network Company buy the fibre to the premises network which iiNet bought 18 months ago with its acquisition of Canberra-based TransACT.
Westpac revamps broking platform
Top-tier bank Westpac has launched a new online trading platform for its 250,000 broking customers, describing the new tool as providing "fast and efficient" access.
Quickflix sacks one third of workforce
Ailing IPTV and online DVD rental business Quickflix has revealed plans to sack one third of its workforce and initiate a plethora of other restructuring moves as it struggles to keep its trouble-plagued business afloat.
Greens win NBN FoI victory as Turnbull falters
The Greens last night celebrated what they described as "a big win for transparency and openness" regarding Labor's flagship National Broadband Network project, successfully moving amendments to the current NBN legislation before parliament that will open up NBN Co to scrutiny through Freedom of Information laws.
Makita Australia tried to “break” Windows 10 and failed, so deployed it instead
The IT department at the Australian office of Japanese power tool maker Makita tried to “break” Microsoft’s latest Windows 10 operating system and failed to do so, so ended up deciding to deploy the software throughout its operations to staff, the company revealed last week.
Telstra forcing fibre voice bundling
From Communications Day yesterday comes the news that Telstra will force other ISPs who sign up to sell services over its new fibre network in South Brisbane to also resell a compulsory voice service alongside broadband.
“Below target”: Andrew Bolt slams NBN progress
Conservative commentator Andrew Bolt has continued his ongoing series of attacks on Labor's flagship National Broadband Network project, claiming that the project is behind target and describing the way it accounts for having finished network construction in a given area as being "rubbery".
‘Evil’ hacker also DistributeIT culprit, claims firm
Web hosting company DistributeIT has accused a suspect arrested this week by the Australian Federal Police of being the same hacker, known online as 'Evil', who effectively destroyed its business last month by remotely destroying the functionality of a number of its servers.
Aussie tech stocks in share price bloodbath
The global sharemarket rout triggered by the downgrade of the US Government's credit rating has had a dramatic effect on Australian technology stocks, with all of the nation's major listed technology companies suffering share price drops over the past several days ranging from three percent to over 22 percent.
Buggy Parliament web filter blocked The Punch
The Federal Government's internet filtering scheme isn't in place yet, but politicians are already complaining about an overly zealous web filter much closer to home -- the one installed in Canberra's Parliament House.
Qld school iPad trial a strong success
Queensland’s education department has published several extensive reports detailing recent trials of iPads within the classroom, with the documents overwhelmingly classing the Apple tablets as a success, including in their ability to help students improve their academic performance.
Tasmania’s first Tier III datacentre reaches next stage
Tasmania’s first Tier III datacentre has moved a step closer to the construction stage with the purchase of a site for the facility, according to its Western Australian operator, Red Cloud.
Telstra buys Kloud, invests in Instart Logic
Telstra has entered an agreement to acquire Kloud, a firm that helps governments and companies seeking to transition their workloads and applications to the cloud. Additionally, the telco indicates it has made a strategic investment in Instart Logic, a provider of next-gen application delivery services.
Trio of Aussie IT startups win investment
Three Australian IT and web startups have revealed that they have attracted sizable investment rounds over the past week, as the nation's startup community continues to gain in scale amid a constant and ongoing series of capital injections that is fuelling individual company growth and the growth of the local ecosystem as a whole.
Labor dances around telco national security support
Labor’s Shadow Assistant Minister for Communications Michelle Rowland has made a series of nebulous statements expressing vague concern about the Government’s latest package of telco-related national security reform, but without actually taking a position on the controversial legislation.
NBN Co to deceive users on FTTN/FTTB speeds
The National Broadband Network Company has issued a product specification document in which it openly considers the possibility of allowing customers on its planned Fibre to the Node or Basement (FTTN/B) infrastructure to order speeds between 50Mbps and 100Mbps which their connections could not actually deliver.
iiNet launches $109.99 100Mbps terabyte NBN plans
National broadband player iiNet has revamped its National Broadband Network plans to match its newly minted ADSL and VDSL broadband plans, with the headline offering seeing customers offered a terabyte of download quota coupled with 100Mbps speeds and local and national telephone calls included, for $109.99 per month.
Unknown replaces SA Attorney-General Atkinson
A back-bencher politician whose views on the video game industry are unknown has been appointed to replaced outgoing South Australian Attorney-General Michael Atkinson.
Telstra’s Android tablet unveiled: Just $299
It's no Apple iPad. But for the price Telstra will charge for it, it might not have to be. Yesterday Telstra detailed for the first time the complete specifications and pricing of its new T-Touch Tab Android tablet device, which it will start selling in Australia on November 2.
Atkinson quits SA Attorney-General role
Controversial South Australian Attorny-General Michael Atkinson (pictured) has resigned from the role in the wake of ongoing public criticism and a voter backlash in his seat of Croydon in this weekend's state election.
Western Sydney Uni deploys 5,000 Microsoft Surface tablets
Western Sydney University is to deploy 5,000 Microsoft Surface 3 devices in order to boost flexible learning within its courses.
Mobicity, Kogan start selling Galaxy Nexus
Independent online retailers Mobicity and Kogan have started selling Samsung's Galaxy Nexus handset, ahead of any planned Australian launch by Samsung itself or any mobile carrier partners.
Video: Dell Streak flashmob takes over Circular Quay
Looks like Dell organised a wee little flashmob to take over Circular Quay to promote its new Streak smartphone/tablet, which launches on Optus on October 1. Good effort or extreme marketing gone too far? You be the judge.
Labor decries more NBN “jobs for the boys”
The Opposition has accused Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull of unethical behaviour in the appointment of another former Telstra executive of his personal acquaintance to help guide the National Broadband Network Company, with the news today that former BigPond and OzEmail chief Justin Milne would join NBN Co's board.
Telstra loses Far North Qld link
The nation's largest telco Telstra this morning revealed it had lost a key network link in Far North Queensland and would suffer some disruption to emergency services calls, as telcos in general continue to struggle with a trail of destruction in the state left in the path of Tropical Cyclone Yasi.
“Criminal neglect”: Qld Govt IT fixes to cost up to $6 billion
Queensland’s new IT Minister Ros Bates said this week it would cost the state between $3.7 billion and $6 billion replace the “mess of mismatched, miscellaneous and duplicated [ICT] systems” which the previous Labor administration had left the state with.
Telstra gets a new CIO
Telstra has appointed former Seek, Wespac, NAB and Standard Chartered Bank technology executive Patrick Eltridge to be its new chief information officer, following the resignation of John McInerney in June.
‘Bold & visionary’: UK MP loves Australia’s NBN
One of the UK Government’s up and coming technology-focused politicians, Chi Onwurah, has declared Australia’s National Broadband Network to be bold and visionary following a visit Down Under and asked her own country’s administration why it doesn’t have similar ambitions in its own, much more limited broadband policy.
Ludlam suspects Govt of bugging his iPhone
Greens Senator Scott Ludlam has publicly stated that he suspects law enforcement agencies of bugging his mobile phone, despite admitting that he doesn't have a shred of evidence that such action might be taking place, and despite the fact that he has not had his mobile phone examined for bugging software.
Wikileaks Party deregistered due to lack of members
The short-lived political party formed around Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has been deregistered by the Australian Electoral Commission after it fell short of the requirement to have 500 registered members.
NSW wants to ban smartphone, tablets, from courts
The New South Wales State Government has flagged plans to amend court security legislation to ban the use of devices such as smartphones and tablets to communicate events inside courtrooms to those outside, in a move that could squash see a trend towards using Twitter to report court events live.
Govt seeks substantial boost to surveillance powers
The Federal Government today revealed a wide-reaching program to substantially reform its telecommunications interception and surveillance powers with the aim of bolstering the ability of law enforcement organisations to fight crime, including the introduction of a so-called "data retention" scheme that has attracted a great deal of controversy in Australia under the 'OzLog' banner.
Michelle Rowland appointed Shadow Minister for Communications
Labor MP Michelle Rowland has been appointed to the Shadow Cabinet, taking on the role of Shadow Minister for Communications.
DFAT blocks media from public TPP briefing
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has taken the extraordinary step of rescinding confirmations of attendance for journalists who had registered to attend a public briefing on the controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement in Sydney today, stating that the meeting is “off-the-record”, and that journalists are not welcome.”
NBN may be delayed by Alcatel-Lucent strike
Employees at Alcatel-Lucent Australia have threatened to commence industrial action to defend wages and entitlements, in a move that could see the rollout of the National Broadband Network delayed.
Filter an example of Rudd’s Whitlamesque stupidity, says Linton
Reactions to Shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey's startling revelation last night that the Coalition would vote against Labor's mandatory internet filtering policy -- likely dooming it to fail -- continued to roll in this morning, including one from outspoken filter opponent and Exetel chief John Linton.
Coalition pledges to expand startup incubator support
The Coalition Government has pledged to invest an extra $15 million into boosting Australia’s startup scene if it is re-elected in July.
Tenix terminates Oakton deal, demands $19m
The traffic infringement and management branch of Tenix Solutions has terminated a contract with IT services firm Oakton and has filed a claim for...
Vodafone releases $39 plan with unlimited text
Vodafone Hutchison Australia has launched a new $39 Plan with "infinite" text messages included, with a range of handsets for zero monthly cost to choose from, including the Samsung Galaxy S II.
My School gets 9 million hits on first day
The Federal Government's controversial My School website, which allows visitors to digg up data on and compare schools, attracted approximately 9 million page impressions on its first day yesterday, Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced today.
NBN Sky Muster broadband will be “world leading”, says Ovum report
Telecoms research firm Ovum has announced that the NBN Sky Muster satellite broadband service will be a "world leader" in its market.
Turnbull’s NBN answers “make sense”, says Budde
Veteran telecommunications analyst Paul Budde has praised the Coalition for publishing an extensive 'frequently asked questions’ regarding its rival National Broadband Network policy unveiled last month, noting that the additional explanations of the policy "make sense" and that the Coalition is "moving forward" on the issue.
REA Group moves email to Telstra’s cloud
Online real estate giant REA Group has migrated its in-house staff email system to Telstra's T-Suite platform, purchasing 750 Exchange Online accounts in what Telstra said was its biggest T-Suite cloud computing deal so far.
Launceston city now has total NBN coverage
Launceston has become the first city in Tasmania to be declared ready for service on the NBN network, with all suburbs now "ready for service", NBN Co has announced.
Pollenizer takes a further $1.1m, rejigs model
Australian startup incubator Pollenizer has raised a further $1.1 million to continue to develop its operations, and has substantially reformed its model on building startups to place a higher emphasis on its staff acting as co-founders of the startup companies it helps to foster.
NBN Co kicks off FTTB, FTTN trials
The National Broadband Network Company has revealed plans to commence trials of the Fibre to the Basement and Fibre to the Node network infrastructure models, including use of the vectoring standard, as the Coalition’s plan to reshape Labor’s previously Fibre to the Premises-based NBN vision kicks into gear.
Bailey quits Macquarie for non-profit COO role
Long-time Macquarie University chief information officer Marc Bailey has left the educational institution to join non-profit group Intersect, which focuses on applying advanced ICT technologies to the practice of research.
Tasmania to build on-island cloud for community and government services
The Tasmanian Government has announced it will build an on-island cloud service that will host most government data and services in the near future.
Visionstream to cut workforce, says union
Telecoms and ICT services provider Visionstream is to slash its workforce, the Communications Workers Union (CWU) has said.
auDA passes on Groupon domain scandal
Australia's domain name regulator late last week said the scuffle between US online coupon giant Groupon and local imitator Scoopon was out of its jurisdiction, because the Australian company had registered the "Groupon" business name in Australia as well as the local domain name associated with it.
Unlimited 76Mbps for $38: BT’s awesome FTTN prices
British telco BT has temporarily drastically cut the price of accessing its Fibre to the Node-style network, delivering speeds and data quotes unheard of in Australia, in another demonstration of the national consequences of the failure of the Australian Government's telecommunications policies over the past decade.
Adobe hikes CS5 prices for Australia
Global software giant Adobe has slapped a substantial premium on Australian prices for its latest Creative Suite 5 suite launched this week when compared to equivalent US prices for the same software.
Watch: Conroy’s NBN transparency reform a “legislative stunt”, says Fifield
Communications Minister Mitch Fifield has labelled Stephen Conroy's successful amendments to force a radical degree of transparency on the NBN company as being a "legislative stunt" from the Labor Senator he said was still serving as the defacto Shadow Communications Minister.
NBN Tasmania details Hobart, Launceston rollouts
The Federal Government today said it had made a capital injection of $100 million into the Tasmanian arm of the National Broadband Network Company in order to facilitate the rollout of optic fibre to the cities of Hobart, Launceston, Burnie and Devonport.
Commission of Audit recommends ‘cloud-first’ policy
The new Coalition Government’s Commission of Audit (CoA) has strongly recommended the Federal Government adopt a "cloud-first" IT infrastructure procurement policy, in a move which would clear up Canberra's often-confused approach to the issue and see it follow other jurisdictions such as Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria.
Telstra switches on Brisbane fibre
The nation's largest telco Telstra yesterday began switching on the new fibre broadband services it has recently installed in the South Brisbane exchange area, as it continues its project to replace its copper network in the area.
Netregistry backs Gerry Harvey’s GST war
Local hosting and domain name specialist NetRegistry has backed the Gerry Harvey-fronted push for a level tax playing field between Australian and international retailers, saying the issue was affecting its massive local small to medium business customer base.
NBN Co doubles coverage, user base over past year
The NBN company has doubled the amount of premises it serves and the number of end user customers actually connected to its network over the past year, the company announced this morning, as the deployment of its broadband network around Australia continues to proceed.
Great Australian Blackout hits 500 sites
Over 500 Australian web sites will modify their design starting from Australia Day to include a black aesthetic and protest message against the Federal Government’s internet filtering scheme, according to Electronic Frontiers Australia.
NBN switched on in Kiama, Minnamurra
Australia’s second mainland National Broadband Network (NBN) site has been turned on this morning, with residents in the Kiama Downs and Minnamurra area set to gain access to the high-speed network.
Dropbox opens Sydney office
Cloud computing storage player Dropbox has announced it is opening an office in Sydney, as competition in the local enterprise cloud storage market accelerates.
IT firms dominate stock market listings, report says
An OnMarket report has revealed not only that IPOs in Australia are delivering some unusually high returns to investors, but that IT firms are now dominating stock market listings over all other sectors.
Victoria launches new body to give startups a boost
The Victorian Government has unveiled a new body called LaunchVic that is aimed to accelerate startups, drive new ideas and create jobs in the state.
WA Govt funds Telstra mobile expansion
The nation's largest telco Telstra the Western Australian State Government's Regional Mobile Communication Project (RMCP) contract, a deal which will see Telstra receive $39.2 million from the state government and in return provide a value return of $106 million in the form of direct capital expenditure and access rights to Telstra’s infrastructure.
Made in Australia: Windows Phone 7 apps plugged
Developed Down Under (DDU) is a new, free, Aussie-made mobile phone app for the Windows Phone 7 platform that officially went live about a week ago.
British ISPs demand BT separate from Openreach
The CEOs of Sky, TalkTalk and Vodafone in the UK have contacted the communications watchdog Ofcom demanding that BT-subsidiary Openreach be split off from the telco in order to improve services for customers and build a "truly world-class national broadband network".
Vodafone loses 154k more customers
Ailing mobile telco Vodafone has revealed it lost a further 154,000 customers in the three months to the end of September, with the continued customer churn piling on more financial woes for the company and signalling that the company's internal transformation under new chief executive Bill Morrow may not yet be having a positive impact.
NSW Dept of Finance seeks group CIO
The New South Wales Department of Finance, Services & Innovation (DFSI) has advertised for a new group chief information officer, with its longstanding incumbent CIO Malcolm Freame reportedly shifting into a different role inside the state’s public sector.
Optus fixes unmetered YouTube loophole for prepaid customers
Optus says it has now solved a technical limitation that unintentionally allowed some of its prepaid customers unmetered access to YouTube.
In a statement, the...
Music industry moves to block KickassTorrents over piracy concerns
Members of Australia's music industry have teamed up to block peer-to-peer file-sharing site KickassTorrents over piracy concerns.
Abbott contradicts Turnbull on NBN costs
Opposition Leader Tony Abbott today said a Coalition Government would "pause" the Federal Government's NBN, claiming such a move could save money in the Federal Budget, in comments which appear to place the Liberal leader at odds with the view of his Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull on the issue.
Optus dumps off-peak quota, raises prices
news The nation's number two telco Optus has revamped its broadband plan structure in a move which will see it follow rival iiNet and dump the practice of separating quota into on- and off-peak chunks, but it has also simultaneously raised prices on most broadband plans, in a move that has already angered some customers.
ACCC knocks back NBN Co contract
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has issued a draft decision rejecting the 'Special Access Undertaking' (SAU) which will guide NBN Co's long-term relationship with the regulator and retail ISPs, noting that the contract had a great deal of merit but still needed work.
AFP raids Parliament House over NBN leaks
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) has confirmed a raid on Parliament House yesterday in relation to its investigation into the alleged unauthorised disclosure of Commonwealth information relating to NBN Co.
NBN makes construction chief redundant
The National Broadband Network Company today confirmed it had made its head of construction Dan Flemming redundant, just 18 months after he was appointed, in a move that marks the second time the leadership of the company's construction team has changed in less than two years.
“Cooked books”: Abbott misleads on NBN
Opposition Leader Tony Abbott appears to have made a number of mistakes or factual inaccuracies in a wide-ranging speech criticising Labor's National Broadband Network project, alleging, for example, that the project's funding was based on "cooked books" and that retail prices would be three times higher than on current broadband networks.
“Fibre zealots”: The Australian backs Ziggy’s Caretaker breach
A senior columnist at The Australian newspaper has backed what he described as Ziggy Switkoski's "well-aimed" breach of the Caretaker Conventions, supporting the idea that the NBN chair's action was necessary to deal with "rumourtrage" about the project.
Aussie telcos seek iPad talks with Apple
Several of Australia's largest mobile telcos have flagged plans to open talks with Apple about how its tablet product announced this morning will be sold in Australia.
NSW Police wants huge internal social network
The New South Wales Police Force has flagged plans to deploy a sizable internal social networking platform, as it moves ahead with plans to better serve the information needs of its 17,000 police officers and 4,000 civilian administration staff.
Samsung Pay hits Australia via AMEX and Citibank
Mobile wallet app Samsung Pay launched yesterday in Australia, with American Express and Citibank as its supporting card issuers.
iiNet, Internode, Primus discuss filter with AFP
Australian ISPs iiNet, Internode and Primus are preparing to implement the limited Internet filtering scheme promulgated in Australia by the Australian Federal Police in cooperation with international policing agency Interpol, the AFP stated in documents revealed this week.
Telcos still waiting on Data Retention funding, one year after bill passes
Communications Alliance, Australia's primary telecommunications industry body, has criticised delays over funding for telcos following the Federal Government’s mandatory data retention legislation a year ago.
Telstra’s biggest rivals: Google, Apple, Facebook?
Telstra's biggest competition in future may come not from traditional telcos, but from innovative players like Google, Apple and Facebook, according to one analyst -- and the big T may not be prepared for what's coming.
Qld Govt reportedly dumps CIO Grant
The Queensland Government has reportedly "removed" its whole of government chief information officer Peter Grant from his position, just 18 months after the executive was appointed to the role for the second time.
Google Australia increases tax bill slightly, but results still globally inconsistent
The Australian division of search and software giant Google has published its latest set of financial results for the 2012 calendar year, revealing that it paid several million dollars more tax than the paltry $74,000 sum it claimed in 2011, but also that its revenues and headcount jumped substantially over that period.
Qantas in nation-wide Cisco VoIP rollout
Australia's largest airline Qantas today confirmed it had recently commenced an extensive internal deployment of Cisco IP telephony hardware that would touch some 18,000 users.
NSW Trade + Investment wants to go full cloud
The NSW Department of Trade and Investment has signalled plans to continue shifting more of its IT assets to cloud computing platforms as part of a "journey" away from managing and owning its own infrastructure, in the wake of the successful deployment of a wide-ranging ERP platform based on a SAP software as a service solution.
Consumer groups again excluded from piracy talks
Attorney-General George Brandis last week confirmed he could not remember having met with consumer organisations with respect to the development of the Government's new Internet piracy policy, and appeared to state that he viewed the public interest in the matter primarily through the lens of the creative industry.
Pauline Hanson to fix NBN “white elephant” with FTTN/Wi-Fi combo
Senator-Elect Pauline Hanson wants to use a combination of Fibre to the Node and a wireless technology similar to Wi-Fi, it has emerged, as the One Nation Leader takes a step into the national spotlight courtesy of her victory in the Senate over the weekend.
Photos: Red Rock Oracle Leadership Forum 2011
These photos are from UXC subsidiary Red Rock's recent Oracle Leadership Forum, which was held at Sydney's Luna Park on March 17.
Telstra to sell Android-based Desire in April
Telstra this morning revealed it would in April start selling its first smartphone based on Google's Android platform, with an exclusive three-month deal to...
ACMA wants all your mobile phone spam
The Australian Communications and Media Authority launched what it dubbed "Spam SMS" -- a spam reporting service where users can forward SMS spam to a certain phone number to report it to the regulator.
“Liar!” Rowland demands Turnbull tell NBN truth
Shadow Assistant Minister for Communications Michelle Rowland has accused Malcolm Turnbull of being a "liar" and failing to "tell the truth", with respect to the Communications Minister's ongoing false statements about the cost of Labor's National Broadband Network policy.
SHINING A LIGHT IN: Victoria’s major IT projects under review
Several of Victoria’s major government watchdogs and the new Coalition government itself have taken the first steps in bringing the state’s trouble-plagued technology projects to heel, putting one flagship project on ice and scheduling others for a series of reviews that will govern their future.
Telstra ploughs $50m into fixing network outages
The nation's biggest telco Telstra today revealed it would plough a combined $50 million of funding into initiatives designed to stop it from suffering future major mobile network outages of the type that it has suffered over the past several months.
Samsung Galaxy S owners getting Froyo shortly
Australian owners of Samsung's Galaxy S handset will be receiving the Android 2.2 (Froyo) update over the air to their devices shortly, if they haven't already, according to the South Korean electronics giant.
Gillard strongly defends Huawei NBN ban
Prime Minister Julia Gillard has strongly defended the Government's decision to ban Chinese technology giant Huawei from making bids to supply equipment to the National Broadband Network project, rejecting suggestions the move would cause diplomatic ructions and emphasising the Australian Government's right to make its own choice.
‘Financial gap’ opens up in Telstra NBN talks
The nation's largest telco Telstra today said a gulf had opened up between its financial expectations and those of the National Broadband Network Company in ongoing talks between the pair about how Telstra's assets and customers could be migrated to the new fibre network.
Telstra to buy Adam Internet
The nation’s largest telco Telstra has announced plans to firm up its already dominant position in Australia’s broadband market, through the acquisition of South Australian broadband provider Adam Internet.
FTTP NBN would cost $8.5bn more, claim ‘leaked’ Govt docs
A switch back to an all-fibre National Broadband Network would reportedly cost the Federal Government an extra $8.5 billion and potentially cause a wider Federal Budget black hole, according to a new set of documents which appear to have been leaked to the media late last week.
Aussie startup Tjoos gets acquired
Australian online coupon website Tjoos has been acquired for an undisclosed sum by online media company Internet Brands.
NBN: How core is self-interest to the debate?
One of the signatories to a national broadband proposal unveiled at the eleventh hour to rival Labor’s own long-running NBN project has accused vendors and telcos of stirring up hype for a fibre-optic cable future in line with a view to serving their own interests in generating massive contracts and gaining operating certainty.
ATO re-negotiates Accenture engagement
The Australian Taxation Office appears to have re-negotiated its arrangement with Accenture to carry out work on its troubled Change Program, ending its current contract with the IT services giant and beginning a new one.
Global Health inks e-health deals with SA, ACT govts
Global Health has inked a deal with SA and ACT governments to roll-out its proprietary electronic medical record (EMR) system across the Adelaide Primary Health Network and in the ACT.
Ballarat Uni claims 89% of BitTorrent is illegal
The University of Ballarat has published a research paper claiming 89 percent of BitTorrent files it studied during a certain period were confirmed to infringe copyright, a result immediately hailed by the Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft as a victory in its war against file sharing.
NBN kicks off FTTN roll out in new areas of Tasmania
The NBN has commenced construction work in Tasmania that will use fibre to the node (FTTN) technology to connect several new communities.
Pirate Party, EFA hail ‘common sense’ victory
The Pirate Party Australia has welcomed iiNet's internet piracy victory over a coalition of film and TV studios, describing it as "a victory for common sense", while civil liberties group Electronic Frontiers Australia said sanity had prevailed.
IBM sued for bullying, sexual harassment
A former senior sales consultant who worked in for IBM in Melbourne has filed a $1.1 million lawsuit against the technology giant for sexual harassment, unlawful discrimination and bullying, noting she feels "worthless" after an alleged ordeal at the company she had formerly put on a "pedestal".