Govt open to NBN using skinny fibre, FTTdp, says Fifield
Communications Minister Mitch Fifield has confirmed the Government is open to using 'skinny' fibre and Fibre to the Distribution Point models as part of the National Broadband Network, as speculation continues to mount the two technologies may form the basis of a new Coalition NBN policy to be released ahead of this year's Federal Election.
Fletcher wants Oz to learn from UK broadband policy
In a new blog entry entitled “What can we learn from the UK?”, Liberal MP Paul Fletcher has lambasted the broadband policies of the Gillard Government, unfavourable contrasting them with the approach of the Cameron Government in the UK.
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.
Sysadmin victory: Bulletproof to list on ASX
Sydney-based hosting and cloud computing company Bulletproof Networks has unexpectedly revealed its intention to list on the Australian Stock Exchange through a reverse takeover of a mining firm, in the second example in as many months of a major Australian technology firm going public.
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.
NBN should be top Abbott priority: Poll
An online poll taken by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation this week has shown Australians overwhelmingly believe focusing on the National Broadband Network should be Prime Minister-elect Tony Abbott's highest priority in his first 100 days in office, eclipsing issues such as education, the carbon tax, border protection and the environment.
Govt going down “wrong” piracy path, says iiNet
National broadband provider iiNet has published a sharp blog post accusing the Federal Government of going down the "wrong path" with respect to its efforts to tackle Internet piracy, with the ISP exhorting its customers to become politically active in speaking to politicians from all parties about the issue.
HP CEO Whitman lands in Australia
HP has confirmed its global chief executive Meg Whitman has landed in Australia for a brief visit, in a move that comes as fallout from a bungle at key HP customer the Commonwealth Bank of Australia continues to make itself felt.
Aussie Oracle/Sun partners talk merger
Several key Australian partners have welcomed the acquisition of Sun Microsystems by software giant Oracle, which recently won the approval of the European Union,...
“Billions”: Hockey greenlights Centrelink core replacement
Treasurer Joe Hockey has strongly hinted that the upcoming Federal Budget will include "billions" of dollars worth of funding for a core systems replacement at the Centrelink division of the Department of Human Services (DHS), in a move that represents one of the Federal Government's most long-awaited and largest IT project approvals.
400,000 iPhones: Telstra’s Apple lovefest
With both Optus and VHA experiencing problems with their mobile networks over the past several years, at Telstra it may be a case of making smartphone hay while the sun shines -- if numbers disclosed by the telco's chief executive at its half-yearly results briefing session this morning are to be believed.
NBN Co welcomes Internode’s “very good prices”
The National Broadband Network Company has taken to YouTube to defend the early NBN pricing plans unveiled by Internode this week, arguing the ISP's plans compare "very favourably" to current options in Australia's broadband market.
StartupAUS praises Govt’s tax incentives bill
Advocacy group StartupAUS has welcomed the government’s new tax legislation that will provide incentives for investors, saying the measures are arguably the "most generous startup investor scheme in the world".
“No debate”: Australia needs “gigabit” fibre, says Atlassian co-founder
Billionaire software mogul Mike Cannon-Brookes last night stated that there was "no debate" about Australia's need for "gigabit fiber", in comments that come in direct contrast to controversial statements made on the topic last week by the chief executive of the National Broadband Network.
McLelland leaves AusCERT out in the cold
Attorney-General Robert McLelland has dealt the long-standing AusCERT computer emergency response team (CERT) operated by the University of Queensland a blow with the confirmation his department will run its own CERT completely in-house.
Dept agrees: ‘Public interest’ in Turnbull Blue Book
Malcolm Turnbull's Department of Communications has halved its processing charges for releasing the new Minister's 'Blue Book' incoming briefing under Freedom of Information laws, citing the fact that release of the document would be consistent with the objects of the FoI Act and would resonate strongly with the public, although the final fate of the FoI request is not yet clear.
Morrow predicts “NBN Generation” by 2020
By 2020, NBN Co expects Australia will be "the first country of our size" to make broadband access universal, according to Bill Morrow, the firm's CEO.
BigPond chief Justin Milne quits: Report
The long-time leader of Telstra’s BigPond internet service provider division and current fixed line chief, Justin Milne, has reportedly resigned.
Rejected: Labor to block Greens warrants bill
The Labor Federal Government has flatly rejected legislation introduced this week that would see Australian law enforcement agencies blocked from obtaining access to telecommunications records without a warrant, stating that such regulations would "critically impede national security and law enforcement investigations".
“It’s a shocker”: Telstra board faces shareholders
Telstra's board and senior management today faced down a series of shareholders angry about the company's dwindling share price, with one accusing the beleaguered telco of having suffered "ten years of failure" in terms of its management and another branding the situation "a shocker".
iiNet NBN prices too high, says Coalition
iiNet's National Broadband Network pricing released today were higher than existing ADSL prices and demonstrated Labor's flagship NBN project would not bring Australians cheaper broadband, Liberal MP Paul Fletcher said this afternoon.
‘It’s complicated’, but Vodafone losses are still accelerating
The rate of customer losses being suffered by Vodafone Australia has accelerated again over the three months to the end of September this year, with the company reporting overnight that it lost some 584,000 Australian customers that quarter. However, the troubled company's situation is a little more complex than it looks from the outside.
Tasmania’s Scottsdale rejects NBN towers
One of the first communities in Tasmania to receive the National Broadband Network's fibre infrastructure has knocked back two planning applications for NBN wireless towers in the area, continuing a trend seen nationally of concern over the infrastructure.
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.
A basic NBN Co revenue calculation: $1.73bn a year
Just how much revenue will NBN Co be making once it is finished rolling out its network? Michael Wyres has calculated the minimum case.
Pirate Party appeals data retention censorship
The Pirate Party of Australia today confirmed it would continue fighting to have key documents associated with the Government’s controversial data retention and surveillance package released to the public, flagging plans to appeal a decision by the Federal Attorney-General’s Department to block the release of the documents under Freedom of Information laws.
Turnbull partners with Pollenizer on data startup plan
An open data initiative named DataStart has been brought about by the collaboration of Malcolm Turnbull's Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet with an established Australian incubator, Pollenizer, to support data-driven innovation in Australia.
Qld Police trial Segways for crime-fighting
The Queensland Police Service yesterday revealed that it would kick off what it said was the first Australian trial of the Segway personal transportation vehicle in pedestrian areas, to test their suitability for police operations.
Adelaide Festival Centre deploys Red Hat Linux on Azure cloud
Adelaide Festival Centre has chosen to shift its Red Hat Enterprise Linux system from physical servers to Microsoft’s Azure could computing platform.
Digital tech “critical” for massive agricultural industry growth
Digital agricultural technology (AgTech) will be a "critical component" of Australia's plan to develop a $100 billion agricultural industry by 2030, according to a new StartupAUS report.
iiNet enters mobile market … but you’ll need your own phone
iiNet yesterday launched a range of mobile phone plans, allowing existing customers of its broadband offerings to bundle mobile services into their bill. But there's just one catch; customers will need to bring their own phone.
NBN Co opens peace talks with Simon Hackett
NBN Co chief executive Mike Quigley today said his team had opened discussions with Simon Hackett over the Internode managing director's NBN pricing concerns, but stopped short of saying NBN Co would be able to address what Hackett has previously described as the company's "insane" pricing model.
‘You’re a disgrace’: Turnbull slams lecturer’s accurate NBN analysis
Communications Minister-elect Malcolm Turnbull has savagely attacked a University of Queensland lecturer for a seemingly innocuous article analysing rising online dissent towards the Coalition's NBN policy, inaccurately labelling the academic's article as "false" and "misleading", and claiming that it was "a disgrace".
Trinity iPad trial recommends wider rollout
A detailed report into one of Australia's first iPad rollouts in an educational setting has recommended the popular Apple tablets be rolled out to all staff and students at a university college, following positive results from a trial involving limited numbers of staff and students.
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...
Older IT workers ‘dumped’ for 457 visa staff
The Australian Computer Society has accused local technology employers of dumping older staff and failing to hire graduates, replacing both categories with "cheap" imported labor through the Federal Government's 457 Visa scheme, as debate continues as to how the nation will serve its growing need for technology skills.
Curtin University deploys Office 365
Perth's Curtin University has flagged plans to deploy Microsoft's Office 365 software as a service productivity suite, in one of the first major known local implications of the technology and ahead of what is expected to be a substantial push by Microsoft of the service in Australia.
ACCC opens up superfast broadband to competition
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has announced it is opening up the wholesale superfast broadband services to competition with the declaration of a five-year "superfast broadband access service".
Nexus S hits Vodafone this Friday
Mobile telco VHA this morning revealed Google's flagship self-branded handset, the Nexus S, would launch to existing customers through its Vodafone brand in Australia this Friday the 9th of March, with general availability to new customers on the 16th of March.
Which Australian mobile retailer has ‘gone Google’?
Google will this week announce that a major Australian mobile phone retail chain has adopted its Google Apps collaboration platform. But with several retailers denying they're the one involved and the search giant refusing to disclose any further details about the identity of the company concerned, mystery surrounds its identity for now.
ABC actively censors NBN issue on Q&A
The ABC's flagship panel discussion program Q&A last night appeared to actively censor the National Broadband Network issue from being discussed on an episode featuring Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull; ignoring a flood of questions from viewers prior to its filming, leaving the issue out of pre-show briefing documents and shutting down discussion on air.
Union slams Telstra health records deal
The Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) has criticised the Coalition Government for its decision to put a private company in charge of the management of confidential and highly sensitive health records for thousands of Australians.
Steinhoff dumps Lotus for Telstra T-Suite
Microsoft has inserted yet another nail in the coffin of IBM's Lotus Notes/Domino suite and is hammering it home, with the company and partner Telstra convincing furniture specialist Steinhoff to dump its Lotus installation and shift to the Telstra-branded version of Redmond's Business Productivity Online Suite.
Internode launches FetchTV for the NBN
Internode customers using fibre connections on National Broadband Network (NBN) and Opticomm-based FTTH (Fibre to the Home) network ports can now benefit from the full subscription TV channel suite offered by FetchTV.
Turnbull wireless complaints getting “tedious”: Conroy
Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has described comments by parliamentary opponent Malcolm Turnbull on the issue of wireless broadband competing with the NBN as "tedious", noting "virtually all experts" were in agreement that wireless and fixed broadband were complementary services, and highlighting what he called Turnbull's "hypocrisy" on the matter.
Atlassian takes $60m venture capital round
Fast-growing Australian software company Atlassian this morning revealed it had taken a US$60 million minority investment from US-based venture capital firm Accel Partners, with a long-term view to a public listing in the US.
Amazon opens Australian office
Global cloud computing and retail giant Amazon today told customers it had opened an Australian office with dedicated local staff to service the cloud computing market, as speculation continues to swirl that the company will also establish a new local datacentre facility to meet customer demand.
Telstra iPhone users finally get visual voicemail
Two and a half years after much of the rest of the world got access to the visual voicemail feature used on Apple's iPhone range, and a year and half after the service hit Vodafone locally, Telstra has implemented the option, announcing this morning that it would charge customers $5 per month for the privilege of using it.
Open Govt declaration attracts filter dissent
The Federal Government's use of its fledgling blog to publish its declaration of open government last week has stimulated a vigorous debate about the initiative -- with some commenters offering their congratulations, and others condemnation over what they see as the contrasting mandatory internet filtering initiative.
Two big steps for eBooks in Australia
Two significant steps were announced yesterday for the advancement of the eBook phenomenon in Australia -- the imminent launch of Borders eBooks and a move by retail chain Dymocks to make its eBooks available in the DNL and ePub formats.
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.
We’re starting our own Reddit, with hookers and blackjack
Reddit doesn't link to enough Australian technology news and views. So Delimiter decided we'd start our own technology news Reddit -- with hookers and blackjack! In fact, forget the technology news Reddit!
Pirate Party: Circumvention promotion offence like Iran, China
The Pirate Party Australia has likened the idea being discussed by the Federal broadband department that promotion of circumvention of the internet filter could become an offence to opporessive censorship regimes in Iran and China.
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.
CCC demands better ACCC oversight of NBN
Industry group the Competitive Carriers’ Coalition (CCC) last week reiterated the need for all-inclusive Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) supervision of the National Broadband Network Company, which it said was currently absent from the company's newly released NBN Co Wholesale Broadband Agreement (WBA).
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.
Health departments shun official iPad trials
Consumers love it. Business professionals in a wide range of fields love it. Politicians (hello, Mr Turnbull) love it. Even babies love it. And increasingly, doctors and other medical professionals love it. But six months after the iPad launched in Australia and with the hyped Apple tablet selling like hotcakes, Australia’s health departments don’t yet appear to be that interested in the device.
Fujitsu toasts cloud SAP deal
Fujitsu this morning revealed its push into the local cloud computing market was starting to bear fruit, with local beverage giant Frucor contracting the IT services giant to provide it with a cloud computing-based implementation of a SAP platform.
Privacy czar wants Google Wi-Fi deletion evidence
Australia's Privacy Commissioner has written to search giant Google requesting it provide several forms of evidence -- including confirmation by an independent third party -- that all of the payload data its Street View cars had collected over the past several years as they brushed past Wi-Fi networks on their journeys around Australia had actually been deleted.
Greens propose Digital Rights Commissioner
The Australian Greens have proposed that Australia should have an "independent human rights commissioner for digital rights" – a new post that would see the holder advocate for citizen's online safety, accessibility, privacy and security.
Network, service upgrades kicking in, says Vodafone
Mobile carrier Vodafone yesterday gave an update yesterday on the upgrade of its mobile network and customer service initiatives, claiming that the achievement of key milestone targets was enabling an enhanced customer experience.
Switkowski in 2009: Fibre to make copper “obsolescent”
NBN Co executive chairman Ziggy Switkowski appears to have radically changed his views on the different merits of fibre and copper broadband technologies over the past few years, it has emerged, with a video interview having surfaced over the past few days showing the executive praising Labor's all-fibre NBN strategy and adding that it would make copper infrastructure "obsolescent".
We’ll filter when the law makes us: Internode
National broadband provider Internode has clarified its position with respect to the limited filtering scheme being implemented by other ISPs, saying it will implement the scheme when it's forced to by law - but not otherwise.
Gillard: Filter is a “moral question”
Prime Minister Julia Gillard yesterday took the high ground in defending Labor's mandatory internet filtering project, describing the issue of how to ensure Australians didn't get access to the wrong content as a “moral question”.
Cash Converters joins BMC’s cloud
BMC Software’s software as a service offering Remedy on Demand has won the trust of multinational second-hand goods trader Cash Converters, which today revealed it will use the platform to manage business service incidents across its 310 outlets in both Australia and the UK.
Gen-i considers Australian redundancies
The IT services arm of Telecom New Zealand has confirmed it will shortly reorganise its Australian business, with the potential for some jobs to be made redundant.
Electricity outage takes Centrelink services down
Centrelink suffered a power outage to a datacentre in Canberra last Friday morning that crippled phone, web and face to face services nationwide. Staff were said to be sent home early for at least one Canberra branch and were kept in the dark about what had happened.
Abbott’s cuts are reckless, says Conroy
Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has described Opposition Leader Tony Abbott as "reckless" and election promises to save millions by dropping a training fund for Telstra employees and other sections of NBN Co's deal with Telstra as "senseless cuts".
New Greens Leader holds firm on FTTP NBN policy
New Greens Leader Richard Di Natale has confirmed he will stand firm behind the original universal Fibre to the Premises version of the National Broadband Network, rejecting what he said was the “half-measures” being implemented by the Coalition Federal Government.
Google Australia chief promoted to Mountain View
Two and a half years after he left Fairfax Media to lead Google down under, the search giant's Australian chief Karim Temsamani has been promoted to be Google's head of Global Mobile Sales in its Mountain View headquarters in the US.
Lacking reality: Sysadmins slam “snooping” claims
Australia's peak representative body for systems administrators has taken an axe to claims published in the Sydney Morning Herald last week that a huge proportion of IT professionals abused their system access to illegitimately read others' email, calling for evidence to be presented to back the claim.
NBN Co picks Global Switch for datacentre
NBN Co has picked one of Global Switch's mammoth facility in Pyrmont, Sydney -- one Australia's largest datacentres -- to house much of its infrastructure on a long-term basis.
Lockheed Martin to establish R&D facility in Melbourne
Multinational security and aerospace company Lockheed Martin has revealed that it is to set up a multi-disciplinary research and development facility in Melbourne.
Can Game of Thrones help save Quickflix?
Struggling Australian streaming-media provider Quickflix has taken a punt on the hugely popular HBO series Game of Thrones, securing an electronic distribution deal that will allow online users to watch the series even if they aren’t Quickflix customers.
Govt signs deal to clamp down on multinational tax avoidance
The federal government has agreed to share Australian information with other nations as part of a plan to combat tax avoidance by multinationals.
Choice wants geo-IP blocking abolished
One of Australia's peak consumer groups has recommended the Federal Government investigate whether region-coding and charging Australians higher prices for products based on Internet IP address should be banned, in the context of an investigation which has found little justification for average Australian price hikes of 50 percent on technology goods.
New cloud development aims to support charities
Appichar, a technology company that has been working with not-for-profit organisations for over ten years in the UK and three years in Australia, has launched a locally developed system called ‘Supporter360’ that aims to use the latest cloud technologies to help charitable organisations computerise their operations with minimal capital investment.
Canva raises $15m after repeated previous capital injections
Australian graphic design software company Canva this week revealed it had raised a further $15 million in venture capital investment, in what appears to be the company’s fourth sizable capital raising in only the past several years.
iiNet’s Malone praises BigPond’s Milne
iiNet chief executive Michael Malone has paid tribute to long-time rival Justin Milne's time steering BigPond, describing the Telstra executive's ability to grow the telco's share of the broadband market as "extraordinary".
Adobe’s Wallaby has Aussie roots
A slice of Australia has touched global technology giant Adobe's software development team, with the company naming a Flash to HTML5 conversion tool after one of Australia's favourite marsupials -- the humble wallaby.
TPG’s FTTB rollout still progressing extremely slowly
news Retail broadband provider AusBBS has released new statistics showing that the Fibre to the Basement network which Australia's third-largest telco TPG is deploying...
SkyMesh offers symmetric 100/100Mbps NBN
news SkyMesh has launched a set of broadband plans with symmetric speeds of 100/100Mbps over the National Broadband Network’s Fibre to the Premises infrastructure,...
Telstra 100Mbps HFC cable goes national
Australia's largest telco Telstra late yesterday confirmed it would roll out 100Mbps speeds on its HFC cable nationally, following a pilot of the enabling DOCSIS 3.0 technology in Melbourne from 2009 and a similar rollout by arch-rival Optus.
$80m splash: Carr fills up VC engines
The Federal Government has injected $80 million into four Australian venture capital funds, with the aim of stimulating innovation and accelerating commercialisation in early stage Australian companies.
Nokia: Lumia 800 hits Australia in March
Nokia has reportedly revealed that its first smartphones to feature the Windows Phone 7 operating system, the Lumia 800 and 710, will hit Australia in March, with the 800 to launch through all major local carriers.
Quigley openly slams Coalition’s broadband policy
NBN Co chief executive Mike Quigley has delivered a stinging attack on the Coalition's broadband policy, publicly backing Labor's rival National Broadband Network project just days before the Federal Election due on Saturday.
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.
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.
Rodriguez exits as NSW cans CIO role
Reclusive New South Wales whole of government chief information officer Emmanuel Rodriguez (pictured) will leave his post on the wings of a wide-ranging restructure within the State Government which will see his office devolved into the Department of Technology, Services and Administration super-agency.
Google takes Telstra call on US broadband
Telstra today said it had spoken with Google's Australian management about the search giant's plans announced overnight to provide half a million US...
Dimension Data to fit out flagship Queensland Government skyscraper
Global ICT services provider Dimension Data has won the bid to fit out and support the networking infrastructure for the Queensland Government’s new flagship offices at 1 William Street, Brisbane.
Queensland’s flood-hit Grantham gets the NBN
Internode has switched on high-speed broadband at the first newly completed house in a subdivision of Grantham. The Queensland town is under reconstruction, with 150 residents moving to higher ground, after it was destroyed by floods in January this year. This makes the newly connected home the first to link to the National Broadband Network in South East Queensland.
ANZ becomes Apple Pay’s first Australian bank partner
ANZ Bank has announced that it now offers Apple Pay to its five million Australian customers, becoming the first bank in the country to do so.
Delimiter Christmas Party: 25 November
Keep the night of the 25th of November free for Delimiter's first ever Christmas Party!
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.
Westpac hires 304 new technology staff
Westpac today revealed it had hired 304 additional technology staff over the past year -- mostly in the second half of the year to 31 March -- to support technology projects across its operations, as chief executive Gail Kelly praised its progress on technology improvement.
Australia tax reversed: Office 2016 pricing better in Australia
Microsoft has reversed a lengthy trend towards jacking up the pricing on its software for the local market, with analysis showing Australians will actually pay significantly less for its brand new Office 2016 suite released this week than users in the United States.
SA Govt issues $432m PC, server tender
The South Australian Government has kicked off a sizable procurement process which will see it establish a new purchasing panel for desktop PCs, laptops and servers, in a move that puts its $48 million combined annual spend in the area up for grabs.
Details: iPhone 4 launch parties around Sydney
On the eve on the Apple iPhone4 launch in Australia, we round up all the events planned for midnight tonight around Sydney by the big three telco providers -- with events ranging from the left field to the glamourous.
vividwireless cuts prices for the new year
vividwireless, part of the Seven network and one of Australia’s only independent wireless broadband providers, is reducing the price of its devices and giving them away free to new customers who sign up for eligible plans.
Premier announces “technology revolution” for Victoria Police
Victoria’s frontline police men and women will soon be kitted out with state-of-the-art mobile technology intended to bring about a "technology revolution", thanks to funding allocated in the latest state budget.
Screw you, Turnbull: TPG starts FTTB deployment
National broadband company TPG today revealed it had started deploying its planned Fibre to the Basement rollout in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, in a move which directly challenges a statement by Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull that the legality of such deployments would be examined by a panel within the next six months.
Vodafone replaces CEO Dews
Vodafone Australia yesterday announced the appointment of Bill Morrow as the company’s new chief executive, succeeding Nigel Dews, the current Vodafone CEO who has been assigned a senior role within Vodafone part-owner Hutchison Whampoa, reporting to group managing director, Canning Fok.
NBN corporate plan lands 2PM today
The National Broadband Network Company will release its latest corporate plan at 2PM today, with Communications Minister Stephen Conroy and NBN Co chief executive Mike Quigley to host a press conference in Sydney this afternoon.
WA taxi reforms to ‘level playing field’ with firms like Uber
The Western Australian Government has announced plans to transform the state's highly regulated taxi industry to increase flexibility, safety and affordability in the face of disruptive competition such as Uber.
Final NBN first release site now live in South Australia
Today marks the end of the first release National Broadband Network (NBN) trial sites on mainland Australia, with a celebration held at the fifth...
Your cloud data was never secure, says Microsoft
Microsoft has attempted to dampen concerns about US Government access to Australian information hosted in American cloud computing facilities by claiming cooperation between governments would likely mean either country's law enforcement branches could get access data they wanted anyway -- regardless of where it was hosted.
Conroy: EFA deliberately misled public on filter
Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has again accused the leaders of Electronic Frontiers Australia of deliberately misleading the Australian public in its campaign against the Government's internet filtering project.
NBN Co to use Citrix desktop virtualisation
The National Broadband Network Company this morning revealed it would deploy Citrix-based desktop and application virtualisation to help provide services to its burgeoning workforce – including third-parties which need access to its systems.
UNSW creates IT startup incubator
The University of New South Wales (UNSW) has announced the launch of what it describes as its Venture Incubator Space under the auspices of the university’s School of Computer Science and Engineering.
NBN satellite gateway for Merimbula
Merimbula, on the NSW Far South Coast, is to be the site of the National Broadband Company’s first satellite ground station gateway. This facility will enable NBN’s Long Term Satellite Service (LTSS) to “transmit high-speed internet to homes, farms and businesses in remote parts of Australia,” a media release by NBN Co issued last week said.
Vic Govt claims early wins from ICT strategy
The Victorian Government has published a list of accomplishments which it claims to have achieved off the back of its previous whole of government ICT strategy, as it releases a new vision for the 2014 and 2015 years.
AFP arrests two alleged ‘Anonymous’ members
The Australian Federal Police this morning revealed it had arrested two Australian men who it alleged were members of the loose-knit confederation of Internet activists who self-organise under the banner "Anonymous", claiming that the pair were involved in "a campaign targeting Australian and international websites".
Patriot Act applies to Amazon Australia, warns Ninefold
Australian cloud computing specialist Ninefold has warned that any datacentre set up by global rival Amazon Web Services in Australia would still be subject to US legislation, despite being located in a different jurisdiction.
Finally, Foxtel launches full IPTV service
Pay TV giant Foxtel has launched an Internet streaming version of its service that will allow those with certain smart TVs, gaming consoles or generic personal computers connected to their TVs to access a large chunk of the company's content through the public Internet, without the normal requirement to have a Foxtel cable or satellite connection.
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.
Dental network builds Azure data extraction tool
Microsoft revealed this week that Australian dental network Dental Corporation had built a tool using its Windows Azure platform which allowed it to extract data stored in dental practices around Australia, in what the software giant is billing as a case study of its 'hybrid' cloud computing concept in action.
Boyce queries Conroy, Smith on US filter concerns
Queensland Opposition Senator Sue Boyce has written to Communications Minister Stephen Conroy and Foreign Affairs Minister Stephen Smith asking for more information on the US government's inquiry about the Government's internet filtering project.
Court throws out Australia Post digital lawsuit
The Federal Court has dismissed a lawsuit brought by Australia Post against fledgling e-post joint venture Digital Post Australia with reference to the similarity in the name of the company with its own well-established brand.
Fifield praises “superfast” Fibre to the Node rollout
Communications Minister Mitch Fifield has praised the controversial Fibre to the Node technology which the NBN company is launching at the moment as part of the Coalition's Multi-Technology Mix vision, describing FTTN as "superfast", despite the fact that some residents may only get speeds of 50Mbps.
ACCC sues firm for alleged fake iPad sales to Aboriginal communities
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has started Federal Court proceedings against a company alleged to have sold counterfeit iPads to Aboriginal communities.
Nitschke promotes hacking class to beat filter
Pro-choice euthanasia information and lobbying group Exit International has started holding what it describes as 'hacking masterclasses' to show seniors how they can circumvent the Federal Government's planned internet filter and access practical information on euthanasia.
Hackett takes 40 percent UltraServe stake
Internode founder Simon Hackett has made another major investment in an Australian technology company, with the beneficiary this time around being cloud computing and managed hosting services group UltraServe, which has been in operation since the year 2000.
Delusion? South Australia pledges “No more big ICT projects”
The South Australian State Government has issued a new whitepaper designed to provoke discussion of its future ICT strategy, promising as part of the document that from now on, it won't pursue "big ICT projects" any more, with all technology-related initiatives to last 90 days at most.
Beattie “ashamed” of Australia’s Internet piracy
Former Queensland Labor Premier Peter Beattie has published a strongly worded article stating that he is "ashamed" of Australia's record on Internet piracy, in the latest sign that the two major sides of politics may be in agreement about the need to tackle the issue through new legislation.
$408 outright: Telcos discount Galaxy Tab
Telstra and Vodafone have dramatically chopped their list price for the 7" version of Samsung's Galaxy Tab tablet by more than half in some cases, with the device now costing as little as $408 outright -- compared to $999 when the tablet first launched in the closing months of 2010.
Market better to deliver broadband, says Abbott
Tony Abbott this week said the private sector could deliver broadband cheaper and more swiftly than the Government's National Broadband Network project, in comments which Communications Minister Stephen Conroy said illustrated a growing divide between the Opposition Leader and Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
Future Fund snubs Telstra
Telstra's shareholders voted overwhelmingly in favour of three resolutions at its annual general meeting on Friday. The only problem? The company's largest shareholder, the Federal Government's Future Fund, issued a protest vote against all three.
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.
No back door, Microsoft tells Parliament
Global technology giant Microsoft has definitively told Australia's Federal Parliament that it does not have a back door in its software that would allow the company to provide access to the IT infrastructure of the Parliament, which would include private files and emails held by Members of Parliament, Senators and their staff.
Labor pledges to go after Apple for “extraordinary” tax habits
The Federal Opposition this week pledged to force tech companies like Apple and Google to pay their "fair share of tax in Australia", with Shadow Communications Minister Jason Clare describing Apple Australia's claim that it should only pay $85 million of tax on local revenues of almost $8 billion as "extraordinary".
“Really good job”: Abbott praises Turnbull’s NBN work
Opposition Leader Tony Abbott this week said the fact that the Australian population overwhelmingly believed long-time rival Malcolm Turnbull would be the best choice for leader of the Liberal Party indicated that Turnbull was doing “a really good job” as Shadow Communications Minister, including his ongoing attacks on Labor’s National Broadband Network project.
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.
Optus to triple Tasmanian 3G coverage
The nation’s number two telco Optus yesterday revealed it would invest $25 million in its 3G mobile network in Tasmania over the next two years, tripling the number of base stations in the state to over 100 and increasing the capacity of existing sites to boost signal.
Govt introduces Innovation and Science legislation
The Coalition Government has introduced its Innovation and Science Australia Bill to parliament, a move it said will place innovation and science at the centre of its plan for Australia’s future economic prosperity.
Lonely Planet dumps SAP, Salesforce.com for NetSuite
Business software giant NetSuite has revealed that Australia-headquartered travel publishing firm Lonely Planet will consolidate its business systems on the vendor's OneWorld platform, ditching existing systems from rivals SAP (R/3 4.7) and Salesforce.com in the process.
Telecoms industry raises concerns over latest TSSR draft
A coalition of industry groups has raised concerns over new national security legislation for the telco sector – the draft Telecommunications and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2015.
Optus CIO quits as telco abolishes role
An extensive restructure of Optus' technology divisions has seen its chief information officer Lawrie Turner resign from the business.
HP reigns supreme in Aussie PC market
Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who's the most popular PC vendor of them all? HP, according to the latest data from analyst firm IDC, which yesterday crowned the US giant king of Australia's PC market, with almost a quarter of machines shipped over the last three months of 2010 in Australia being from HP.
Turnbull inaccurate on internet filter details
Malcolm Turnbull has appeared to make a number of incorrect statements over the past week regarding the Federal Government's now defunct mandatory Internet filtering policy, as the Shadow Communications Minister and other senior Coalition figures continues to make inaccurate statements in the communications portfolio.
Australia’s first driverless bus takes to the road
Australia’s first "fully driverless" and electric shuttle bus took to the streets of South Perth yesterday for the on-road stage of its ongoing trial, according to the RAC.
iiNet Labs fathers BoB Lite
National broadband company iiNet has extended its popular BoB integrated ADSL router product line with what it has billed as the first product to come out of its new in-house development labs -- a younger sibling dubbed BoB Lite.
UK pledges “fastest” broadband in Europe
One of the key politicians responsible for delivering telecommunications policy in the UK delivered a major speech overnight pledging to deliver UK residents the "fastest" broadband of any major European country by 2015, through a range of initiatives combining fibre to the home, fibre to the node and wireless technologies.
Internet Australia raises concerns over ‘hidden consequences’ of TPP
Internet Australia, an organisation that represents Internet users, has called for "widespread debate" on all the provisions of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement, especially those that could have “hidden consequences”.
CVC rebate won’t change Internode’s NBN prices
Internode has confirmed it won't update its National Broadband Network pricing following a deal with NBN Co on a rebate on pricing for its Connectivity Virtual Circuit capacity links, with the ISP's managing director Simon Hackett noting the rebate had already been taken into account when the prices were set.
Photos: PM Gillard launches Macquarie datacentre
Prime Minister Julia Gillard launched Macquarie Telecom's new Sydney datacentre in Sydney last week. Macquarie is billing the facility, dubbed the 'Intellicentre 2' as Australia's most advanced high-security datacentre. It cost $60 million to build.
Optus details own network expansion effort
Its rivals Telstra and Vodafone Hutchison Australia have over the past several weeks detailed mobile network expansion plans in the hundreds of millions of dollars or even more. But SingTel subsidiary Optus doesn't appear fazed by the revelations -- laying out progress on its own efforts in a detailed statement this week.
Turnbull rips copyright portfolio from Attorney-General’s Dept
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has ripped responsibility for copyright (including Internet piracy), classification and censorship matters out of the portfolio of Attorney-General George Brandis and allocated them to Communications Minister Mitch Fifield, in what appears to be a damning indictment of Brandis’ handling of the issues.
HP opens new Sydney security ops centre
Global technology giant HP yesterday announced it had created a new dedicated Security Operations Centre (SOC) in Sydney that will support the company's managed security services platform and deal with customers located around the globe.
NBN Co in-sources contact centre
In what appears to be something of a reversal of a previous outsourcing strategy, the National Broadband Network Company has announced that it would set up a new contact centre located at Varsity Lakes on the Gold Coast in Queensland. The centre would be ready for operations in the second half of this year, and is expected create more than 130 jobs.
Qld kicks off whole of Govt ICT audit
The new Liberal-National Party State Government in Queensland has announced it will conduct a six month whole of government audit into ICT systems used across the state public sector, in a bid to identify potential savings and efficiencies ahead of projected rationalisation of its ICT assets and processes.
IPA damns “extraordinary” data retention policy
One of Australia's most prominent conservative and free market-focused think tanks has published a strongly worded critique damning the Federal Government’s planned telecommunications surveillance and data retention reform package as "excessive" and "systematically" breaching Australians' right to privacy.
RAA bulks up senior IT leadership
The Royal Automobile Association of South Australia (RAA) has signalled plans to make a series of senior hires to bulk up its IT leadership team in the wake of the development of a new five-year ICT plan.
Dell Streak exposes itself for Optus
It's been a long courtship, but Dell has finally found a match made in Heaven for its Streak mini-tablet and combination smartphone, with Optus set to launch the device in Australia with a three month exclusive starting from October 1.
Openstack gaining traction in Australia
A survey of attendees at the country's first OpenStack conference held in Sydney last month has indicated that OpenStack is likely to experience growth in the Australian market over the next 18 months.
Final closure: TPG buys AAPT for $450m
In a move which will finally put paid to Telecom New Zealand's lengthy and frustrated failed adventure into Australia, second-tier telco TPG this morning revealed it would buy its ailing Australian division AAPT for $450 million.
Husic: Govt ‘ignoring’ concerns over equity crowdfunding bill
The Labor opposition has once again criticised the government's stance on its proposed equity crowdfunding legislation, which was introduced to Parliament in early December.
Aussie mobile startup wins $2m funding
Australian mobile app platform startup biNu this week revealed it has picked up $2 million in investment funding from a number of high-profile investors, including TomorrowVentures, the investment group of Google chairman Eric Schmidt.
Dell sells services business to Japan’s NTT Data
Computing giant Dell has announced that Japan-based NTT Data is to acquire its IT services consultation division, Dell Services.
Victoria Police takes first step to address IT failures
The Victorian Government has allocated a small investment of $2.5 million to Victoria Police to start addressing the failures of IT systems which the force has said partially lay behind the death of an 11-year-old boy and his father in the state last month.
Uber takes ATO to court over GST
Ride-sharing company Uber has taken the Australian Taxation Office to court over the agency’s insistence that drivers providing its ride-sharing service collect GST the same way taxi cabs do, in a move that represents Uber’s latest legal battle against the taxi industry.
One year later: TASSIE SCHOOLS NOT ON THE NBN
Almost a year after the National Broadband Network was officially switched on in Tasmania, the State Government has been forced to concede that no school in the early stage release towns of Scottsdale, Midway Point and Smithton have actually been connected to the next-generation fibre Internet the project will provide.
NBN gridlock: Peak hour congestion takes down FTTN for some
Some early adopter users of the Coalition's preferred Fibre to the Node technology on the National Broadband Network are seeing their broadband service slow to a crawl during peak hour periods, leading to questions about the fitness of model for permanent use on the NBN.
Auditor General: WA Govt should “prioritise online delivery of services”
Western Australian Auditor General Colin Murphy has released a report saying there are "significant savings and benefits" to moving government services online.
Melbourne CDN startup wins $2.3 million
Melbourne-based cloud content delivery network startup MetaCDN this week revealed it had completed one of the largest early stage investment rounds in an Australian technology startup over the past several years, winning $2.3 million in funding from investors including Starfish Ventures and the University of Melbourne Endowment fund.
Brandis refuses to answer piracy questions
Federal Attorney-General George Brandis has flatly refused to comment on a report that the new Coalition Government has signalled plans to restart long-running talks between the telecommunications and content industries to deal with the issue of Internet piracy, with the Liberal Senator declining to answer any question on the issue.
Consulting firm ditches Google Apps for BPOS
Well, well, well. Looks like it’s not only Lotus Notes and Novell GroupWise customers who are dumping their collaboration suites for the Microsoft option. According to a case study published on Microsoft’s site on 14 July and quickly and mysteriously removed, Redmond has pulled one back from arch-rival Google.
Apple brings Aussie app store pricing into line
Apple has taken a new stance on pricing of applications in its iTunes and Mac app stores, with prices for apps in Australia now closer to their US counterparts.
Legal threat: Cudo warns deals aggregator site
Australian 'deal of the day' site Cudo has sent local group buying aggregation site Buyii a letter claiming it is infringing its copyright by listing its deals and logo alongside those of rivals.
Australia gets Flash web video on demand service
Two veterans of mega-portals Yahoo!7 and ninemsn have formed a new Australian startup to launch online video on demand services in competition with new offerings from Telstra, FetchTV and more.
Telstra still abusing monopoly powers, warns ACCC
The nation's incumbent telco and industry-described 800 pound gorilla Telstra is still abusing its quasi-monopoly powers and not treating its wholesale broadband customers the same as its retail customers, the national competition regulator has warned, as debate continues to swirl about the telco's role in the future National Broadband Network rollout.
Brisbane Airport outsources IT to Data#3
Queensland-headquartered IT services group Data#3 yesterday announced it had won a contract with Brisbane Airport Corporation, as the group continues a drive to transform its technology services delivery model.
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.
CSC’s new Docklands facility: Photos
Today IT services giant CSC opened its new facility in Docklands, Victoria, promising a $78 million investment in Victoria over the next 10 years. The facility was opened by Minister for Finance and Deregulation Lindsay Tanner.
Accenture parlays CBA skills into Child Support win
The Federal Department of Human Services today announced a deal with IT services giant Accenture that will see the company help replace the ageing Child Support payments system, using the SAP technology which Accenture developed extensive skills with during the Commonwealth Bank's core banking placement project.
Melbourne college in 1,100-seat Win7 migration
Uniting Church school St Leonard's College has in the past few months completed a sizable desktop migration to Microsoft's new flagship operating system Windows 7, in a rollout that also saw its supporting server infrastructure switched from Novell Netware to Windows Server 2008 R2.
iiNet to double quota in new NBN satellite plans
iiNet has announced it will soon launch broadband products based on the wholesale availability of services from NBN's Sky Muster satellite, which was successfully launched last October.
Attorneys-General delay R18+ game decision
Australia’s Federal and State Attorneys-General have further postponed reaching a decision on whether to introduce a R18+ classification for video games in Australia, according to the gaming industry’s peak representative body.
Telstra launches dual-channel HSPA+ hotspot
The nation's largest telco Telstra has launched another 3G mobile Wi-Fi hotspot to support its flagship Next G network, with the device to be the first to support higher speeds through dual-channel support for the HSPA+ technology used on the telco's network.
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.
Fifield rejects concerns about $641m NBN FTTN blowout
Communications Minister Mitch Fifield this afternoon refused to substantially answer questions in the Senate about leaked internal NBN documents showing that the cost of remediating Telstra's copper network has blown out by a factor of ten times to $641 million, instead attacking Labor for its performance with respect to the project.
Coalition failed to resource NDIA properly, PwC report finds
A new report by 'Big Four' auditor PwC has levelled criticism at the Coalition Government over failures in the way it resourced the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and cast doubt on its ability to transition to full service.
WA Health told: Hire a goddamn CIO already
A state parliamentary committee has told Western Australia's Department of Health to end four years of acting appointments and hire a permanent CIO, in the wake of news that the lack of such an executive role in the department contributed directly to the fiasco at the state's new Fiona Stanley Hospital, much of which has revolved around poorly delivered IT systems.
End of an era: JB Hi-Fi’s Uechtritz retires
Today marks the end of an era for technology and entertainment retailer JB Hi-Fi, with long-time chief executive Richard Uechtritz announcing his decision to retire from the company in July or August.
Lenovo kicks off mega four-day sale
Over on our sister site, Delimiter Marketplace, we've just reported that Chinese manufacturer Lenovo has kicked off an extensive four-day sale on its popular ‘Think’-branded laptops, PCs, workstations and servers. Australian customers can to pick up discounts of up to 30 percent, depending on what they buy. Not bad for a weekend special!
Alan Jones slams Turnbull’s NBN performance
Alan Jones has attacked the performance of Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull in holding Labor’s National Broadband Network project to account, with the shockjock commentator attempting to use a variety of inaccurate statements about the NBN to demonstrate that Turnbull is avoiding the issue and “plotting” against Liberal leader Tony Abbott instead.
VHA network investment FTW, say analysts
Technology analysts today agreed VHA's network replacement unveiled this morning was a win for the telco, but disagreed on the reasons behind the investment.
NBN Co inks WA, Vic construction deals
news NBN Co has signed landmark contracts with two construction firms which will fuel the rollout of the fledgling fibre network in Victoria and...
NBN changes mind again: Some HFC suburbs to get FTTN after all
The NBN company last week reportedly said it would deploy its Fibre to the Node rollout model to some areas already covered by HFC cable networks, in a move which appears to represent the second time the company has changes its policy on the issue.
Gartner approves as clouds swirl Canberra
The final release of a strategic directions paper on cloud computing by the Federal Government has been praised by a distinguished analyst at research house Gartner, as discussion about how and whether governments should jump on board the new cloud paradigm continues to swirl in Canberra.
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.
Second fatality mars NBN rollout
The National Broadband Network project has suffered what is believed to be its second fatality, with a contractor in the Blue Mountains town of Katoomba reported to have lost his life while working on NBN infrastructure on Friday.
Hasta la vista, Turnbull: Conroy is “the Terminator”
In one of the more amusing articles we’ve seen discussing the relative performance of Communications Minister Stephen Conroy against his nemesis Malcolm Turnbull, Bernard Keane argues at Crikey that Conroy is akin to one of science fiction’s greatest villains.
Optus caught up in SingTel restructure
The nation’s number two telco Optus will undergo a substantial restructure which will see its long-time chief executive take up a wider role within its parent SingTel, it was revealed today, as SingTel reorganises its Asia-Pacific operation around a series of core vertical businesses rather than its traditional geographic markets.
Telstra exchanges a “disgrace”, says CWU
Telstra is "failing to maintain its exchange buildings" and many are in a "disgraceful state", the Communications Workers Union (CWU) has said.
Qld poaches Tassie broadband chief
The Queensland Government has poached one of the lead architects of Tasmania's early stage participation in the National Broadband Network rollout to lead its own broadband strategy.
Medibank nicks ANZ exec to lead IT operations
Health insurer Medibank Private this week revealed it had nicked a senior IT executive from ANZ Bank who had also led IT for the UK’s National Health Service to lead Medibank’s IT operations.
News Corp Australia dumps Exchange for Gmail
The new chief technology officer of publishing giant News Corp Australia has wasted no time making big changes to the organisation's IT infrastructure model, announcing a huge formal move to Google's mail and calendaring suite just months after taking on the position.
Lenovo tablets to hit Australia in September
Global technology giant Lenovo this afternoon revealed it would shortly become the newest contender in what is speedily becoming a very crowded local tablet computing market, confirming plans to launch two new ranges of devices running Android 3.1 in September this year.
Who will host an iPhone 4 launch party?
Despite a report to the contrary, none of Australia's major telcos will confirm whether they are planning to host a midnight launch party when Apple's new iPhone 4 goes on sale in Australia on Friday 30 July.
Telstra acquires app developer Readify
Telstra has announced the acquisition of Readify, an Australian app development firm that has previously provided services for Microsoft.
Technology giants evac Brisvegas as floods rise
A number of major Australian technology companies were yesterday forced to evacuate Brisbane staff from their premises as rising flood waters threatened the city's central business district.
Around 2,000 Telstra staff left the company's Brisbane facilities, with the location of its headquarters in the city particuarly being an issue.
9,000 get on the Vodafone class action bus
Local law firm Piper Alderman today claimed to have collected the details of some 9,000 customers who were interested in taking part in a class action lawsuit against mobile telco VHA over its troubled Vodafone network hiccups over the past few months.
“Get on with it”: Ludlam tells Govt on data breach notification bill
Greens Deputy Leader and Senator Scott Ludlam has filed a Senate motion demanding the Government "get on with" its plans to introduce mandatory data breach legislation, pointing out that the concept had multi-partisan support and would be likely to pass Federal Parliament in quick order.
Wireless a focus as NBN Co ramps jobs
The National Broadband Network Company this week advertised several dozen new jobs as it dramatically ramped up hiring in the wake of political certainty over its future, including several wireless roles that will play a key role in its rollout of next-generation wireless infrastructure around the nation.
Foxtel to launch first Internet piracy blocking attempt in early 2016
National pay TV operator Foxtel has reportedly confirmed plans to launch an attempt early in the near year to have a specific website allegedly hosting pirated film and TV content blocked, in what is expected to be the first test of new legislation designed to tackle Internet piracy.
AHL dumps Exchange for Lotus … and back again
It was only five years ago that diversified Australian company Amalgamated Holdings (AHL) caused controversy in Australia's IT sector by becoming one of the few major groups to dump Microsoft's Outlook/Exchange platform in favour of IBM's troubled Lotus Notes/Domino suite. But now the company has gone back to Microsoft.
Telstra starts VDSL vectoring FTTN trial
The nation's largest telco Telstra has reportedly kicked off a trial of the Coalition's preferred fibre to the node, VDSL and vectoring technologies in an effort to show what they are capable of on its copper network, as the Coalition's plan to dial down Labor's more ambitious fibre to the premises NBN rollout gets into gear.
$100k fine: Software cops bust ad agency
A un-named Melbourne-based advertising agency has agreed to pay $100,000 in damages to an alliance representing software companies, after it admitted it didn't have licences for all of the software it was using.
Education departments go wild for the iPad
Schools and universities right around Australia have jumped headfirst into trials of Apple's hyped iPad tablet as they rush to discover exactly what the device's use will be in the educational field -- sometimes with the support of their overarching education departments, and sometimes without.
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.
‘It’s not our fault’: Kogan on dumping high-usage customers
Maverick online retailer Ruslan Kogan has blamed an upstream wholesale Telstra partner for a policy which has seen some early adopters of his company's "unlimited" mobile plans dumped for using too much of their quota.
iSOFT to chop 800 jobs
Australian e-health giant iSOFT late yesterday revealed the full extent of the drastic action it will take in an attempt to halt its sliding financial fortunes, confirming plans to lay off 800 staff, constituting 17 percent of its total workforce, over the next financial year.
Farce: Adobe CEO flatly refuses Australian price questions (video)
The chief executive of global software vendor Adobe, Shantanu Narayen, has refused to directly address questions regarding price markups that can see Australians pay up to $1,400 more than US residents for the company's software, in a press conference in Sydney this morning which at times threatened to descend into a farce.
Now all of Australia’s racing ministers are demanding metadata access
Australia's state racing ministers have reportedly agreed to form a unified front to demand that Attorney-General George Brandis give state racing regulatory agencies access to metadata under Australia's new data retention laws, following existing demands from the agency oversee the Melbourne Cup in Victoria.
Westpac demotes CIO, makes CTO redundant
Westpac Banking Group has dramatically shaken up its senior IT executive team, slicing some responsibilities away from previous top IT dog Clive Whincup and reportedly making its chief technology officer Jeff Jacobs redundant.
Fortescue deploys HP server stack
Mining giant Fortescue this week revealed it had deployed a broad swathe of technology products and services from diversified global technology vendor HP as it overhauled much of its basic underlying IT server infrastructure.
Australia top Game of Thrones pirating nation
Australia is the nation which most pirates the popular HBO television series Game of Thrones, new analysis released this week has shown, with time delays and cable TV lock-in being the primary culprits believed to be behind the nation's copyright infringing habits.
NBN Co’s MTM choices “prudent and efficient”, finds Analysys Mason
Analyst firm Analysys Mason has found in a detailed report commissioned by the NBN company that the NBN company's initial design for its Fibre to the Node, Basement and HFC cable networks is "prudent and efficient".
Morrow hints at long-term FTTP upgrade for MTM NBN
The chief executive of the NBN company has stated in a radio interview that the National Broadband Network will eventually go to "the same place" as Labor's original Fibre to the Premises model through continual upgrades to the network over time, in a move which appears to offer long-term hope for those displeased by the Government's controversial multi-technology model.
Wishful thinking? NBN CEO says HFC will do 30Gbps, FTTN 5Gbps
The chief executive of the NBN company this morning claimed the top-end speeds for the company's HFC cable network could be as high as 30Gbps and that its Fibre to the Node network could do 5Gbps, but without providing any evidence as to why this would be the case.
Australia welcomes the iPad … with caveats
Australians have broadly welcomed the launch of Apple's iPad tablet this morning, with some minor reservations about restrictions or lack of features on the device.
Talent manager builds on Windows Azure
Talent management firm PageUp People has picked Microsoft's Windows Azure public cloud computing platform to host its CareerPath application, according to a statement issued by Redmond late last week.
ABC tech editor claims broadcaster “gagged” his NBN coverage
The ABC's outgoing technology editor today claimed he had been "gagged" by the broadcaster from publishing further articles about the National Broadband Network, after several initial articles heavily criticised the Coalition's Multi-Technology Mix model.
Telstra kicks off recruitment program to deal with NBN HFC contract
Telstra has launched an internal recruitment programme aimed to fulfil workforce needs as the firm prepares to design and manage the upgrade of its former hybrid-fibre coaxial (HFC) cable TV network as part of the NBN roll-out.
Telstra customers threaten desertion over P2P trial
Telstra's plans to kick off a trial that will see it throttle some peer to peer services on its ADSL broadband network have been met with an outraged reaction from its customers, with many instantly threatening to cancel their services and take their business elsewhere if the trial goes ahead.
“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".
NSW Govt seeks storage as a service
The New South Wales State Government has gone to market for storage as a service capabilities to replace its existing in-house storage solutions, in a move that will add to the rapid ramp-up of the state's adoption of cloud computing services.
Brisbane reveals $353 million IT overhaul
Australia's largest council administration, Brisbane City Council, has revealed an ambitious plan to spend $353 million on a comprehensive new SAP-based business administration platform which will see some 62 legacy systems shut down and replaced with the aid of IT services firm Accenture.
Qld’s email project stuck in low gear
The Queensland-based Courier Mail newspaper revealed this week that the state's Labor Government has spent $46 million on its whole of government email platform, despite it so far catering to just 2,000 accounts.
NBN backers question Turnbull’s support
A number of commentators and politicians have questioned a claim by Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull that the Coalition would not "cancel or roll back" the Government's National Broadband Network project, with one commentator labelling the claim as "disingenuous".
Perth app developer wins $1.1m capital
Perth-based smartphone app developer Filter Squad this week announced it had taken a new $1.1 million funding round led by fellow Perth firm Yuuwa Capital, as the startup continues to leverage its popular Discovr iOS app into commercial success.
Telstra, Optus, TPG, Vodafone splurge on 1800MHz spectrum
Four major telcos have together splashed out over half a billion dollars on shares of the 1800 MHz spectrum band, according to the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA).
TPG may buy iiNet, Telstra tells staff
Telstra has issued a newsletter to its staff informing them that iiNet's buyout of Internode will likely see TPG vaulted into clear third place in Australia's broadband market, following a likely buyout of iiNet by TPG.
Hope for Ludlam as WA recount confirmed
The electoral fate of Greens Senator and Communications Spokesperson Scott Ludlam is likely to hang in the balance for some time yet, following confirmation yesterday by the Australian Electoral Commission that it would conduct a partial recount of the Western Australian Senate vote in the Federal Election.
Budget 2010: E-Health gets $466.7 million
The Federal Government has allocated a huge chunk of change in this year's Budget towards the creation of long-awaited electronic health records for Australians -- $466.7 million over two years to support the initiative.
HTC’s update “nightmare”: Desires finally get Froyo
Six months after Google first released the 2.2 or 'Froyo' version of its mobile operating system, HTC has made the update available to Australian owners of its flagship HTC Desire handset – through its website, if not directly over the air.
Now Federal Govt plans mobile tender
The Federal Government will today release a whole of government request for tender for mobile phone hardware and services, continuing a string of purchasing initiatives aimed at driving efficiencies across Canberra's entire public sector.
Apple iBooks manager could be Sydney-based
Iconic technology giant Apple has advertised for an executive to manage its fledgling iBooks product for the Asia-Pacific and Canada regions, adding the position could be based in Sydney or Toronto.
WA Govt to trial driverless electric bus
A staged trial of a driverless electric shuttle bus will take place in Western Australia later this year, according to the state government.
New chair takes reins as NBN Committee sits this Friday
The Senate Select Committee on the National Broadband Network will hold its first public hearing under the control of its new chair, Senator Jenny McAllister, this Friday morning, with nbn’s recent hiring spree and progress around its deployment of Fibre to the Node technology likely to be on the agenda.
ASG picks up $35m CIMIC IT services deal
Perth-headquartered IT services group ASG this week revealed it had picked up a deal worth at least $35 million over five years with CIMIC Group — the massive construction and contracting group previously known as Leighton Holdings.
Roxon conflates cyber-bullies, protests, data retention
Nicola Roxon has publicly linked the religious protests held in Sydney last week over a YouTube video and the issue of cyber-bullying to the Federal Government's wide-ranging packaging of surveillance and data retention measures, in what the Federal Attorney-General stated was "a lot of different trends coming together".
Labor forces NBN Co back to Senate
The Opposition has forced senior executives from the National Broadband Network back to take questions from a Senate committee for the third time in a month, as debate grows about whether and to what extent such constant hearings represent obstruction of the company's work.
Parliament wants mandatory anti-virus, firewalls on every PC
The Federal House of Representatives’ Standing Committee and Communications has recommended that Australians be forced to install anti-virus and firewall software on their personal computers before internet providers allow them to be connected to the internet.
Fujitsu to deploy emergency dispatch system for Tasmania
Fujitsu has signed a contract with the Tasmanian Department of Police, Fire and Emergency Management for the implementation of a new computer-aided dispatch system for emergency services.
Our Prime Minister may have been factually inaccurate on 7:30 on NBN copper costs
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull appears to have made a statement on national television which may have been factually inaccurate regarding the National Broadband Network, claiming on 7:30 tonight that the cost of remediating Telstra's copper network was not ten times the amount originally estimated, despite evidence to the contrary.
Ballarat wins Linux.conf.au 2012 bid
A year after its unsuccessful bid to host Australia's flagship Linux conference in 2011, a team representing the regional Victorian centre of Ballarat has won the right to host Linux.conf.au in early 2012.
Samsung’s Galaxy S II hits Optus early June
Optus today confirmed the mobile phone which giant gadget blog Engadget has rated as possibly the best smartphone bar none will go on sale through its network in "early June", and will be available on a range of plans starting from $63 per month in total on a 24 month contract.
Christmas 2010 for Windows 7 phones?
It may be Christmas before Australians will be able to get their hands on a mobile phone with Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 Series platform...
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.
Wi-Fi Motorola Xoom hits JB Hi-Fi
Motorola has launched a version of its Xoom Android tablet without 3G mobile broadband support, with the device having gone on sale through JB Hi-Fi and other retailers today for a recommended retail price of $689, a price which makes it comparable with the Wi-Fi version of Apple's market-dominating iPad.
Startmate announces class of 2012
Startmate, the Sydney based mentor-driven seed fund that invests in Australian techies who have ambitions of creating startups, has announced its latest class of protégées for the 2012 program. The fund was announced at the Tech23 2010 event held in Sydney and it has a stated mission of helping create world-class companies that will solve customer problems.
Telstra and NBN Co haven’t started talks yet
Telstra yesterday confirmed it had not yet kicked off renewed negotiations with NBN Co over access to its HFC cable and copper networks, as concerns continue to grow that the Coalition's Broadband Network Project, which has several components highly dependent on the talks succeeding, is likely to be significantly delayed.
Telstra offers free NBN trial in Tasmania
The nation's largest telco Telstra has revealed plans to hold a three-month free trial of fibre to the home services over the fledgling National Broadband Network rollout in Tasmania, bringing the total number of ISPs to sign on in the state to five.
NBN imports Canadian HFC cable expert as CTO
The National Broadband Network Company has appointed a new chief technology and security officer who has extensive experience running a HFC cable network but little with other forms of network deployment, in a move which mirrors the Coalition's changed focus for the company's network rollout.
Labor issues detailed evidence for Turnbull’s MTM delays, cost blowouts
The Opposition has published a detailed and referenced comparison table which appears to conclusively show that Malcolm Turnbull's version of the National Broadband Network project is behind on almost every measure by its own measurements, as well as having blown out in costs substantially.
Leidos closes Lockheed merger
US-based multinational defence company Leidos has announced the successful completion of its previously announced merger with Lockheed Martin's Information Systems & Global Solutions (IS&GS) business.
Adam confident on NBN despite Internode exit
South Australian internet service provider Adam Internet has reiterated the company’s commitment to the South Australian market, subsequent to the surprise $105 million acquisition of fellow SA-based ISP Internode by long-time rival iiNet; expressing confidence about the company’s future in the National Broadband Network (NBN) environment.
Internet Australia says broadband should be human right
Internet Australia, the peak body representing Internet users, has said the telecommunications Universal Service Obligation (USO) should be expanded to include the right for citizens to have Internet access via "fast and affordable" broadband.
CA buys Sydney company Torokina
Global software giant CA Technologies yesterday revealed it had acquired a Sydney startup, Torokina Networks, which specialises in providing fault, several level and performance management technologies and services to support the implementation of next-generation mobile networks.
Photos: NBN Co network termination units
Regular Delimiter reader and all-round telco commentator Michael Wyres was at a NBN Co briefing this week and took these shots of the company’s internal and external network termination units, which will be installed in homes and businesses. Michael has kindly supplied us with the shots, but we recommend you visit his excellent blog for a fuller explanation of how everything works.
Hackett’s premise flawed, says NBN Co
NBN Co has defended its pricing approach in the face of strident criticism from an ISP which will be one of its largest customers, claiming comments by Internode managing director Simon Hackett this week didn't reflect the "reality" of how it would sell services to the telecommunications market after its network was rolled out.
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.
Macquarie Uni gets deep into virtual desktops
Following on from the news last week that recruitment firm Hudson (and a number of others over the past year or so) is rolling out an extensive desktop virtualisation project internally, comes further detail about a similar (and quite innovative) program at Macquarie University.
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.
AAPT chief backs Queensland facilities
AAPT chief executive Paul Broad has defended the ability of his company’s infrastructure to weather natural disasters, after it appeared to be one of the few telcos to have its actual datacentres under threat this week by Queensland’s rising floodwaters, although many lost key portions of their fixed or wireless telecommunications infrastructure.
CBA and Barclays announce UK-Australia mobile payments solution
Commonwealth Bank of Australia and Barclays have announced a new technology partnership that is aimed to ease the movement of money between Australia and the UK.
Turnbull knows the MTM NBN won’t cut it, says Budde
Malcolm Turnbull deliberately kept the Coalition's Multi-Technology Mix from being mentioned in this week's National Innovation and Science Agenda because the Prime Minister knows the model won't meet Australia's innovation needs, veteran telecommunications analyst Paul Budde said this week.
Turnbull factually inaccurate on NBN costs
Malcolm Turnbull has over the past 24 hours appeared to make a number of misleading statements regarding the cost of and financial details involved in constructing the National Broadband Network, in what appeared to be an attempt by the Shadow Communications Minister to demonstrate the Coalition's own rival plan would save tens of billions of dollars.
Symantec lets Australian engineers go
Global security giant Symantec this morning confirmed plans to make some of its Sydney-based engineers redundant, with the roles to go offshore.
Telstra still upgrading the HFC network it is selling to NBN Co
The nation's largest telco Telstra has revealed it will invest a significant amount of capital upgrading the HFC cable network it has contracted to sell to the NBN company, in a move which raises questions about the long-term future of the network.
Is IBM’s Flight Deck union debacle over?
IBM today said it had concluded long-running talks with the Australian Services Union that saw the pair front up earlier this year before workplace...
ATO clarifies: Lockheed deal worth $283m
The Australian Taxation Office has clarified that its five-year desktop services contract with defence giant and IT contractor Lockheed Martin actually has a total pricetag of $283.4 million -- not the $380 million it mistakenly published through the Government's tendering system.
Qld Coalition MP issues loaded NBN survey
A North Queensland LNP Member of Federal Parliament has issued his constituents with a wide-ranging survey canvassing their views on a number of areas, including several questions which appear to take a misleading approach regarding the Government's National Broadband Network project.
ANU buys hemisphere’s biggest supercomputer
The Australian National University has bought a supercomputer capable of 1.2 Petaflops of processing power from Japanese giant Fujitsu, in a deal which is expected to create the largest supercomputer of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere.
Fujitsu wins grants management deal with Industry Dept
Fujitsu has won a deal to build and implement an end-to-end grants management system for the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science.
Qld Premier’s Dept seeks Woolley replacement
Queensland's Department of Premier and Cabinet has kicked off the search for a senior IT executive to replace its former chief information officer Phil Woolley, who recently joined Queensland Health.
Telstra says it has 50 percent NBN market share, wants more
Telstra this week said it had already taken a 50 percent market share of National Broadband Network customers and wanted to push to achieve even more, in news set to call into question controversial NBN decisions made by the Government and the ACCC meant to advance broadband competition.
NEC reveals rural broadband rollout
Telco and hardware manufacturer NEC has revealed a nation-wide expansion of its wholesale broadband network is nearing completion, with the last stage of the works to be finished by the end of 2011.
FTTN could cost more, says NBN chairman
NBN Co chairman Harrison Young gave a landmark speech in Sydney yesterday claiming that the Coalition's policy of delivering NBN cost savings by using fibre to the node technology wouldn't necessarily save money, and wouldn't actually meet the objective of structurally separating Telstra either.
BANNED: Qld Govt outlaws new IBM contracts
The Queensland Government has explicitly banned its departments and agencies from entering into any new contracts with diversified IT products and services company IBM until the company demonstrates that it has improved its governance and contracting practices, in an extraordinary move taking place in the wake of the Queensland Health payroll disaster which IBM held a key role in.
Further changes announced to controversial telecoms security bill
The government has announced a further round of consultation on changes to new legislation that will require telecoms providers to provide greater safeguards for their networks and to permit greater powers of oversight for government agencies.
NBN future “clearly wireless”, claims Alan Jones
Radio shockjock Alan Jones made a statement riddled with factual errors about the Federal Government’s National Broadband Network project on his radio program this morning, describing it as a “white elephant” and a “disaster” and inaccurately claiming that the future of telecommunications is “clearly wireless”, rather than the mainly fibre model the NBN is mainly using.
Watch: Turnbull implies he complained to ABC about “failed” NBN coverage
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull appears to have implied that he made the same complaint to ABC management that he has previously made in public before the 2013 Federal Election, stating that the broadcaster had "failed" to provide balanced coverage of the competing National Broadband Network policies.
Budget 2016: Major Child Care, Veterans’ IT reform projects approved
The Federal Government has approved several hundred million dollars' worth of funding to reform key IT platforms in the Department of Human Services and Veterans' Affairs, in moves that will unlock substantial IT transformation packages of work.
Sydney youth charged with ‘Anonymous’ hacking
The Australian Federal Police said on Friday afternoon that a 17-year-old youth suspected of being a member of the rogue Internet activist collective 'Anonymous' had appeared in Parramatta Children's Court on charges related to "unauthorised access to computer data".
800 pound gorilla: Telstra throws its 4G weight around
The nation's largest telco Telstra this morning revealed it had more than 3.2 million devices operating on its 4G mobile network and that its 4G coverage was slated to reach 85 percent of the population by Christmas, in a move which will further solidify the company's 4G lead over its rivals.
iiNet offers Wi-Fi in Perth CBD
National broadband company iiNet revealed late last week that it had installed a Wi-Fi service throughout the Perth central business district that would let any customer of its growing family of brands access free Internet in the area.
Deloitte surveys state of tech in Aussie business
A national survey conducted by the the Australian Industry Group and Deloitte of Australian chief executives has revealed that business investment in new technologies is resulting in higher productivity, better innovation, improved energy efficiencies and better work safety. The survey involved 540 CEOs across many sectors including manufacturing, services and construction.
AGIMO unveils ICT strategy draft
The federal Department of Finance and Deregulation has published a draft of an ICT Strategic Vision which it hopes will fuel development of a next-generation era of better interactions between the government, its agencies and Australian citizens, as well as enhanced service delivery in general.
Budget 2016: NBN Co is running out of money
The Federal Government has revealed that it has put together a special taskforce to determine how to fund its modified rollout of the National Broadband Network, with the project's costs ballooning and the public purse running dry of funds to support it.
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.
Queensland policeman charged over unauthorised database access
A police constable from Queensland has been removed from official duty and charged with misconduct over unauthorised access of a police database, after an investigation by the Crime and Corruption Commission (CCC).
NBN hits three million premises milestone
Just days after NBN Co's announcement revealing that it has reached over one million active users, the Government has announced another milestone, saying three million premises are now able to connect to the National Broadband Network.
Analysis: Who’s running Google Australia?
Over the past month Google has taken a triple hit to its Australian management team, losing its local managing director Karim Temsamani to its US headquarters, as well as suffering the resignations of its first local employee, YouTube chief Kate Vale, and its most high-profile engineer, Lars Rasmussen.
Adelaide Uni joins virtual desktop throng
The University of Adelaide this morning revealed it had joined the throng of Australian tertiary institutions making applications and platforms available to their students through desktop virtualisation, in a wide-ranging project which will see some 20,000 licences of Citrix's XenDesktop platform.
NBN a “key election issue”, Labor policy coming soon, says Shorten
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has labelled the National Broadband Network a "key issue" for this year's Federal Election, stating that Labor would launch its new NBN policy "in coming weeks" to tackle what he said was mismanagement of the project by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
Well, d’uh: ACCC finds it is possible to monitor Aussie broadband speeds
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has published a 72 page report detailing the fact that it is possible to establish a program to monitor and report to consumers on the quality of local broadband services, but has not yet decided to go ahead with such a program.
Qantas CIO jets off to France
Qantas this afternoon revealed its chief information officer Luc Hennekens would leave the company at the end of September, after three years leading the IT operation of Australia's largest airline.