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.
CBA outage took down CommSee
The Commonwealth Bank's wide-ranging outage also took down its customer relationship management platform CommSee, one of its main unions has revealed, in a move which further illustrates how extensive the technology-related problems suffered by the bank over the past week truly have been.
CSIRO starts converting fleet to electric cars
The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) has announced it is taking steps to reduce its carbon footprint with the rollout of 100% electric cars to its national fleet.
Broadway Apple store: Opening video
Want to see hundreds of iFanbois lining up to buy things they could already buy elsewhere? Want to see dozens of Apple retail staff in blue t-shirts revving themselves up to sell them those iThings? Then you'll want to watch the video above of Apple's new Broadway, Sydney store opening last Saturday. iExciting.
Stallman slams filter as ‘human rights attack’
Labor's controversial mandatory internet filter project is an attack on human rights, and Australians should beware of the project and other tyrannical government policies, free software luminary Richard Stallman has said in an interview ahead of a visit to Australia in October.
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.
Fairfax wants to dump Office, Exchange for Google
Media giant Fairfax has announced plans to will ditch Microsoft's Office and Exchange platforms for most of its 11,000-odd staff, with the company to become one of the largest known Australian organisations to shift onto Google's Apps platform for both email and office productivity software.
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.
PCRange CEO moved suburbs to get NBN fibre
The chief executive of consumer electronics distributor PCRange, Raaj Menon, moved Adelaide suburbs earlier this year with the specific aim of being one of the first customers to be connected to the National Broadband Network, he revealed yesterday -- although his wife was happy as long as she could still get Facebook over Wi-Fi.
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’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".
Vic dental agency seeks CIO
Government agency Dental Health Services Victoria (DHSV) has advertised for a chief information officer-level IT executive to lead delivery of ICT services to over 60 community health agencies throughout the state.
ICAC finds Sydney University IT manager corrupt
The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) has found that University of Sydney information technology (IT) manager Atilla "Todd" Demiralay engaged in corrupt conduct by using Succuro Recruitment, a business that employed his wife and later operated through a company in which he and his wife had a financial interest, to recruit contractors and staff for the university, without disclosing his financial interest in the business.
NBN media criticism highly politicised, says Budde
Telecommunications analyst Paul Budde has sharply criticised Australia's media for not levelling the same "malice" and "vicious media attacks" at the Coalition's National Broadband Network policy as it has with Labor's NBN vision, despite the fact that the two policies share a great deal of similarity.
Nintendo Wii U to hit Australia before Christmas
Japanese video game giant Nintendo has reportedly confirmed plans to launch its next-generation Wii U console in Australia before the end of 2012, listing a local launch in line with simultaneous releases in Japan, the US and Europe.
Pyne tries to rewrite history on Coalition innovation funding
New Industry, Innovation and Science Minister Christopher Pyne appears to have mildly misled the public on the Government’s approach to funding innovation, pushing the Coalition’s credentials in the space without mentioning the significant amount of programs and funding Tony Abbott’s administration has cut over the past several years.
NSW Govt refreshes ICT Advisory Panel
NSW Minister for Finance and Services Andrew Constance this week announced the State Government was taking nominations for the refreshed version of its ICT Advisory Panel, as well as the Industry Advisory Group of its Procurement Board.
Turnbull’s MTM NBN plan “in crisis” says Jason Clare
The Opposition today said the Multi-Technology Mix plan which Malcolm Turnbull imposed on the National Broadband Network project was "in crisis", following revelations published over the weekend that its Fibre to the Node centrepiece was substantially behind projections and suffering a litany of issues.
Macquarie Bank planning OpenStack cloud solution with “large vendor”
Macquarie Bank has indicated that it is planning the development of a cloud infrastructure based on OpenStack – an open-source cloud operating system.
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.
Vodafone launches 4G dongle, Wi-Fi unit
National mobile operator Vodafone has launched two new mobile broadband devices -- a USB dongle and a Wi-Fi unit -- that will allow customers to access its new 4G mobile network at theoretical speeds up to 150Mbps, due to their support of the so-called 'Category 4' standard for mobile broadband.
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.
Asciano upgrades “entire” IT infrastructure
Port and rail operator Asciano has revealed a wide-ranging plan to upgrade its “entire” IT infrastructure and applications stack, in a move which will see a broad tranche of technology platforms modernised with the assistance of Japanese diversified IT services giant Fujitsu.
Telcos seek data retention extension to avoid legal action
Australia’s telco industry will formally write to the Government to request a formal delay in enforcing the controversial new data retention legislation, while Internet service providers around Australia struggle to meet the October 13 deadline for enacting its requirements within their operations.
Ludlam’s future in doubt as WA Senate re-election likely
The parliamentary future of Greens Senator and Communications Spokesperson Scott Ludlam is once again in doubt, following a decision by the High Court today that will likely mean a fresh election should be held for the Western Australian Senate, following mistakes made during last year's Federal Election.
New Sony Android tablets hit Australia
Sony has launched the new Walkman Z series and the Sony Tablet P and Sony Tablet S 3G in Australia. Both the tablets and the Walkman are powered by the Android OS. The existing Sony Tablet S will also have a new pricing for its Wi-Fi model.
Superloop to boost offerings with BigAir acquisition
Fibre network provider Superloop has announced its intent to acquire BigAir Group, a telco that manages one of the largest metropolitan fixed wireless networks in Australia.
Telstra apologises to Exetel’s Linton, pays costs
The nation's largest telco Telstra has been forced into a public apology towards much smaller ISP Exetel after the smaller ISP filed a lawsuit against Telstra in early March.
‘Presto’: Foxtel launches movies on demand
National pay TV giant Foxtel has launched a new online service dubbed 'Presto', which will see consumers charged $24.99 per month to access "a regularly updating collection of great films", all streamed through the Internet, as opposed to its existing pay TV platform.
Internode joins terabyte brigade
Internode has become the latest internet service provider to launch an ADSL broadband plan featuring a terabyte of broadband quota.
AGL to launch $300 million digital transformation
AGL has announced the launch of a three-year, $300-million digital transformation programme aimed to improve customers' experience with the company.
Turnbull’s Blue Book FoI funded: Thank you and next steps
The attempt to crowdfund a Freedom of Information campaign for the massive, 545 page 'Blue Book' departmental briefing received by new Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull last month is now fully funded and going ahead. This article is to thank readers for their support and to outline the next steps for the project.
Virgin customers extremely satisfied
Roy Morgan Research has revealed that customers of Virgin Mobile and VHA brand '3' are more satisfied with the service that they were receiving from their mobile provider than customers of other telcos -- although the nation's biggest telco Telstra is catching up fast.
Norfolk Group picks Hyper-V over VMware
A major Australian engineering services company has revealed it recently picked Microsoft's Hyper-V virtualisation solution over VMWare's dominant solution as part of a consolidation of its server and datacentre infrastructure.
SMS in due diligence on two acquisitions
Australian IT services company SMS Managament & Technology today said it was in due diligence with two potential acquisition targets as it looked to continue to bolt on other companies to its already growing base.
CBA’s happy Harte: ‘We’re years ahead’
Commonwealth Bank chief information officer Michael Harte this afternoon shrugged off rival NAB’s core banking overhaul as the “Jetstar” of overhaul projects, in a briefing in which the executive and other CBA leaders repeatedly emphasised that CBA’s own $1.1 billion revamp put it technologically between two and five years ahead of its rivals.
“On time and on budget”: NSW claims early victory in cloud ERP rollout
The NSW State Government has claimed initial success in its high-profile deployment of a cloud-based ERP consolidation project at the NSW agency of Trade and Investment, claiming that so far the project has been delivered "on time and on budget", but with a large chunk of the work still to go.
IIA plays down zombie disconnection plan
The Internet Industry Association has played down the idea that a new internet service provider code being developed could see users disconnected from the internet if their computers are part of a zombie botnet.
Quigley releases detailed evidence showing MTM NBN cost blowout
The former chief executive of the NBN company has released an extraordinarily detailed and highly referenced document analysing the company's costs, to back his claim that the up-to-$15 billion blowout in the cost of the NBN was due to the Multi-Technology Mix imposed by Malcolm Turnbull.
Amcom transaction spurs trading halt
Tier two Australian telco Amcom Telecommunications has put its shares into a trading halt until next week, citing the need to announce a proposed transaction.
New Kindles hit Australia a week early
Amazon has announced that its new Kindle Touch e-reader devices would start shipping to customers in over 175 countries and territories worldwide (including Australia) seven days earlier than the previously announced shipping date of April 27.
Telstra, Nokia jack up Aussie Lumia 2520 pricing
Nokia this week revealed that its flagship Lumia 2520 tablet would be sold in Australia principally through the nation's largest telco Telstra, but with a significant markup on the unit's price which will see Australians slugged with around 56 percent more for the exact same product than United States buyers will pay.
Key commentators agree the NBN should be broken up, sold off
Several influential commentators on the National Broadband Network have publicly agreed over the past several days with Infrastructure Australia's recommendation that the NBN company should be broken up into chunks along technological lines and privatised.
Apple rejects banks’ proposed mobile payments “cartel”
In a strongly worded letter to the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC), Apple has rejected the formation of a mobile payments "cartel" proposed by four major Australian banks.
Vodafone not selling iPhone 5 to new customers
National mobile carrier Vodafone has confirmed it is declining to sell the iPhone 5 handset which launched last week to new customers, with the carrier turning away those not already on Vodafone plans, in favour of prioritising getting the hyped Apple device to its existing customer base first.
ASG makes Progress in SAP push
Australian IT services group ASP has further delivered on its promise to bulk up its in-house expertise in the technology of Germany’s biggest software giant, adding local SAP specialist Progress Pacific to its gleaming chest of acquisitions.
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.
Finally, Scobleizer comes Down Under
Giant US tech blogger Robert Scoble comes to Australia for the first time.
Fetch TV will easily survive iiNet loss
Fetch TV has revealed it is financially profitable and rapidly expanding its operations and customer numbers, in news that signals it will not be substantially adversely affected by the decision by iiNet’s new owner TPG to terminate its long-standing relationship with the Internet television company.
Adam buy harms ‘fragile’ competition: Macquarie
Business-focused telco Macquarie Telecom has filed a submission with the competition regulator calling for it to block Telstra's proposed acquisition of Adelaide ISP Adam Internet on the grounds that it would "further weaken" the already "fragile" state of competition in the nation's telecommunications market.
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.
Govt doesn’t trust “internet companies”, says Conroy
The Federal Government doesn't trust internet companies -- which he said were solely interested in profit -- to regulate their own sector, Communications Minister Stephen Conroy said yesterday in response to questions about the Government's mandatory internet filter policy.
Critics “mistaken”, says NBN Co: We’re not going to “scrap” Optus HFC
The NBN company today said those who believed it was going to "scrap" Optus' HFC cable network were "mistaken", and that leaked documents published last week showing the network was not fit for use as part of the National Broadband Network were only a "hypothetical exercise".
Parliament’s treaties committee chair admits he is strongly pro-TPP
The Liberal chair of the Federal Parliamentary committee overseeing treaties has given a speech strongly praising the controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership, pre-empting the formal inquiry processes through which the Parliament examines treaties.
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.”
Backdown: Turnbull accepts NBN budget accounting
Malcolm Turnbull has acknowledged that the National Broadband Network's funding is correctly accounted for the in Federal Government budget as a capital investment and not an expense, in a move which opens up a divide between the Shadow Communications Minister and other senior Liberal leaders such as Tony Abbott and Joe Hockey.
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".
Red Rock to put spit & polish on PMKeyS
The Department of Defence has given existing partner Red Rock the go ahead to conduct a $16 million upgrade of its ailing human resources platform PMKeyS, in the shadow of a much wider overhaul planned for the department's core enterprise systems.
iiNet massively undercuts Internode’s NBN plans
National broadband provider iiNet this morning released its highly anticipated National Broadband Network pricing, undercutting plans released by arch-rival Internode by as much as half in some areas.
Carosa’s baby funds CheapHotels’ future
Domenic Carosa's Future Capital Development Fund last week revealed it had made a Round A investment in online hotel booking website CheapHotels.com.au.
Future is Australia's...
Telstra revamp features 500GB broadband plan
The nation's biggest telco Telstra has overhauled its fixed and mobile broadband plan structure, giving customers substantial extra monthly download quota and launching a new 500GB plan that more than doubles the previous limit customers could use per month.
CommBank’s Kaching hits iOS App Store
The Commonwealth Bank of Australia's 'Kaching' mobile payments app has been approved by Apple and is now available through the company's iOS App Store, the bank said this afternoon.
River City Labs boosts Brisbane’s startup infrastructure
River City Labs, a Brisbane based start-up company, was officially opened on 22 March 2012 by Brisbane Deputy Mayor Adrian Schrinner. According to a press release, Labs is a not-for-profit co-working space founded and funded by Stephen Baxter, PIPE Networks co-founder (pictured, above left) and a well-known figure within the telecommunications and Internet industry.
Govt blows $14.4m on Windows XP, Server 2003 support
The Federal Government has paid Microsoft more than $14.4 million for custom support of the outdated Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 operating systems, in a costly move which further demonstrates the extreme cost of running operating systems which are no longer formally supported by their vendors.
NBN Co conducts XG.FAST trials with Nokia
NBN Co is to launch lab trials of a new broadband technology called XG.FAST, which it says has already delivered trial speeds in other countries of over 5Gbps on a pair of copper lines.
Sky TV deploys Citrix to manage network demands during Olympic broadcasts
New Zealand pay television provider Sky TV has deployed a Citrix networking solution to manage "unpredictable" network connectivity and high bandwidth demands during Rio 2016 Olympics broadcasts.
Naked DSL subject to water damage: Telstra
The nation’s biggest telco Telstra has opened up another front in its ongoing struggle against being forced to sell naked DSL services to customers and other ISPs, arguing that selling naked DSL would cause a significantly higher number of costly network faults from water damage than other types of broadband services.
ABS to permanently store personal data from Australian census
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has announced that it will retain personal data collected in the 2016 census – a move that goes against the recommendation of a privacy impact assessment report that it commissioned 10 years ago.
“Simply wrong”: Hackett attacks NBN HFC critics
Internode founder and NBN Co board director Simon Hackett has strongly defended the company's proposal to cancel the rollout of fibre broadband to around a third of Australian premises and re-use existing HFC cable networks owned by Telstra and Optus instead, stating that some of those criticising the plan have gotten it "simply wrong".
Video game violence link inconclusive, finds Govt
The Federal Government today released a report finding current research into the effects of violent video games on aggression levels of those who play them is "contested and inconclusive".
Foster takes over as Fujitsu’s Vawdrey promoted
Fujitsu Australia and New Zealand chief executive Rod Vawdrey (pictured, second from right) has been promoted to be the vice president of Fujitsu's Global Business Group, a move which will see him leave his long-held role leading the company's local operations.
Quigley’s right: Morrow says $15bn NBN blowout “mostly” relates to MTM
NBN chief executive Bill Morrow this morning broadly confirmed analysis by his predecessor Mike Quigley showing that the up to $15 billion blowout in the NBN company's costs was due to the Multi-Technology Mix imposed by Malcolm Turnbull, in a move that appears set to increase the pressure on the Government over the issue.
Telstra shifts jobs to India
Multiple outlets are reporting Telstra’s confirmation that it may shift up to 300 jobs to India. The story, of course, was broken by iTNews several days ago, which reported the figure at 200 jobs. Today we got a fresh new round of detail, with the AustralianIT placing the figure at 300 and the outsourcers being Tata Consulting Services and India. ZDNet.com.au has followed up with further confirmation.
NEHTA, DoHA deaf to consumers, claim critics
A new e-health lobbying organisation has voiced its frustration at the National e-Health Transition Authority and Department of Health and Ageing for not communicating with consumers well enough.
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.
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.
CenITex blogger gives up the ghost
A controversial blogger who has been anonymously posting unsubstantiated information from within Victorian IT shared services agency CenITex has called it quits.
Surveillance state near, warns Pirate Party Australia
Australia’s division of the Pirate Party has declared war on the Federal Government over a controversial proposal which could potentially see telcos required to keep records of web browsing history, telephone calls and emails of their users.
NBN opt-out: Tassie slams Coalition states’ ‘politicking’
Tasmania's Labor Premier has praised NBN Co for adopting a universal 'opt-out' model for the deployment of its fibre to premises around Australia, and sharply criticised what she said was the "politically motivated" opposition of Coalition-dominated State Governments to the plan.
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".
ABS staff “angry” at Turnbull following Census outage, union says
The Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) has said staff at the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) are "angry" at comments by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull following the failure of the Census web service.
Simon Hackett quits Internode for iiNet board
Long-time Internode managing director Simon Hackett has broken his pledge to customers that he would continue to lead the company he founded after its acquisition, signalling today his intention to leave his formal executive role at Internode and instead take up a role on the board of Internode's new parent iiNet.
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.
BT hikes FTTP on demand prices
UK wholesale telco BT Openreach has substantially increased the prices it is charging customers for extending fibre broadband from local neighbourhood 'nodes' all the way to premises, in a move which calls into question the Coalition Federal Government's plan to use the service in its Coalition Broadband Network plan.
NEC ‘near completion’ of WA water management platform
Technology giant NEC Australia has announced it is nearing the completion of a new IT system that is aimed at improving the sustainable management of Western Australia’s water resources.
Home truths: Baxter points out how ridiculous NBN speed tiers truly are
One of Australia's most successful and experienced technology entrepreneurs has published an extraordinary analysis of the NBN company's technical model, highlighting the sheer stupidity of speed tiers on a fiber network which offers essentially unlimited speeds, as well as a wide range of other obvious problems.
Back in your box, EFA tells AFACT
Electronic Frontiers Australia has delivered a virtual slap in the face to the Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft, picking a string of holes in research released yesterday by the group which suggested internet piracy was costing Australia's economy $1.37 billion annually.
ACCC kills NBN/Telstra wireless clause
The Australian newspaper reported yesterday that the national competition regulator has killed a clause in Telstra's $11 billion deal with NBN Co which would have prohibited Telstra from marketing wireless broadband as an alternative to the NBN's fibre.
Warner Bros to appeal Mortal Kombat ban
The game publisher behind the highly regarded Mortal Kombat video game series has announced it will appeal a decision by Australia's classification board to ban the game's sale in Australia, rejecting the argument that the title was more extreme than other games already on sale locally.
Commission of Audit wants to abolish Commercialisation Australia, IIF fund
The new Coalition Government’s Commission of Audit (CoA) has recommended the Federal Government "abolish" key early stage technology industry support vehicles Commercialisation Australia and the Innovation Investment fund, in a move slammed by venture capitalists as simply getting it "wrong".
We’ve got 170,000 VoIP customers, iiNet tells Telstra
National broadband provider iiNet has responded to comments by Telstra that consumer-grade Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephony isn’t yet reliable enough for use by pointing out that it has 170,000 customers using the technology – and they’re very happy, thank you very much.
Rotten Apple: Prod Commission targets tech tax
Australia’s Productivity Commission has sharply criticised international manufacturers for marking up their prices for the Australian market in the draft of its landmark report into the retail sector, particularly singling out iconic technology giant Apple in its examination of how so-called “regional price discrimination” affects local consumers.
Office 2010 to hit Australia in June
Microsoft has confirmed it will launch its latest office suite in Australia to the general public in June, with businesses to get the software from May 12 and local pricing to be announced for the products later this week.
GadgetGear lawyers claim no Nintendo piracy precedent
The law firm which recently unsuccessfully defended a local distributor of the R4 cartridge which allows piracy on Nintendo’s handheld DS console has warned the case does not set a legal precedent in Australia.
Melbourne IT weakened by strong dollar
The Australian dollar's strong performance against the greenback has not helped local hosting giant Melbourne IT, which yesterday revealed a drop of five per cent in revenue over the past six months.
ING Direct shifts entire bank platform onto private cloud
Financial services group ING Direct this week revealed it had switched its entire production IT infrastructure onto a private cloud platform, in a move the company claimed was a first for any bank in Australia.
Wrong: NBN Co rejects News Ltd wireless science
NBN Co's chief technology officer has published an article strongly rejecting a claim by News Ltd publications last week that recent scientific breakthroughs in the area of wireless science could make the predominantly fibre-based National Broadband Project irrelevant.
Quickflix offers unlimited IPTV for $9.99 a month
Australian movie and TV streaming company Quickflix yesterday announced the beginning of what it believes to be "a new-era in affordable home entertainment" with the launch of its new subscription options to its IPTV service, including streaming of TV shows and movies for only $9.99 per month.
Australian Govt has “cloud last” policy, says Ovum
The Federal Government has taken a "cloud-last" position on the adoption of the new generation of cloud computing technologies, analyst firm Ovum said today, as it lacked a clear vision of the benefits of the cloud computing model, but was very clear about its risks.
Internode simplifies broadband plans
National broadband provider Internode has revamped its monthly plan structure, with the aim of unifying its disparate product offerings under one simplified structure, and giving customers small bonuses in terms of extra quota and bundled services.
Melbourne goes 3D-ish in Google Maps
Google appears to have switched on a feature in its geographical search product Google Maps which generates a partial 3D view of sections of Melbourne's central business district.
NBN to cost $42.8bn in worst case: Study
Consulting firms McKinsey and KPMG have found that it would cost $42.8 billion in the worst case to build the National Broadband Network --...
TPG is rapidly expanding … NBN or not
TPG’s results briefing package yesterday was, as per its custom, relatively sparse – just a page and a half of management commentary and a brief PowerPoint pack focused on the numbers. But if you delve beneath the surface at the telco, you’ll find a hive of activity.
Aussie startup wants us to outsource chores
Airtasker, a new online community marketplace based in Australia that lets people outsource everyday tasks and chores to ‘runners’ -- local community members looking to earn some extra money -- was launched on February 21, according to a media release issued by the company this week.
National Broadband Network … or Super Mario Bros?
The Government has stolen the plot to Nintendo's hit circa 1986 video game, and are now using it as strategy!
Melbourne grabs key tech startup event from Sydney
Phillip Dalidakis, Victorian Minister for Small Business, Trade and Innovation, was in Sydney on 30th October to make an announcement along with Matt Barrie, CEO of Freelancer. Addressing an audience of over 2,000, the two announced the shifting of Australia’s largest startup tech conference, SydStart, from Sydney to Melbourne.
TPG releases unlimited NBN business plans
National broadband provider TPG has released a new range of National Broadband Network plans aimed at businesses, with the headline plan offering 100Mbps speeds and unlimited data and telephone usage for $120 per month.
Filter gets a new date: Mid-2013
Legislation supporting Labor's mandatory internet filtering project may not hit parliament until mid-2013, according to advice provided to Stephen Conroy by his department -- a timeframe which may make it an issue in the next election.
Optus in yet another major redundancy round
The nation's number two telco Optus has confirmed it has kicked off its third major redundancy round in just two years, with around 200 jobs reportedly at risk.
Vodafone includes voice in Galaxy Tab pricing
National mobile carrier Vodafone this afternoon released pricing details for Samsung's hyped Galaxy Tab Android tablet, noting the device would go on sale online and in stores from tomorrow, Friday 12 November, and including a voice calling option.
Conroy slams Libs’ Tassie NBN “scaremongering”
A war of words has erupted between Communications Minister Stephen Conroy and Liberal Senator Guy Barnett, with the latter claiming the National Broadband Network rollout in his home state of Tasmania was taking longer than expected.
Consumer group invited to secret piracy talks
The Federal Government has invited the nation's leading telecommunications consumer groups to participate in the latest round of the closed door talks it is holding on the issue of Internet piracy, reversing a previous ban on consumer representatives attending such talks.
Victorian high school deploys Android tablets
Students and staff of years 9–12 at Brighton Grammar School, Victoria will each be provided with an Acer Iconia Tab A500, from this week onwards, Acer revealed in a statement yesterday. The move is part of what is being publicised as the first large Android program for an Australian school.
Telstra denies Tassie NBN opportunism
The nation’s biggest telco Telstra has denied that several ADSL broadband upgrades in Tasmanian towns not scheduled to be immediately serviced by the National Broadband Network had anything to do with the lack of immediate plans for NBN fibre to be rolled out in the areas concerned.
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.
Offshore cloud not an issue, claims NetSuite CEO
The flambuoyant chief executive of software as a service player NetSuite yesterday claimed his company's Australian customer base wasn't phased by the fact that its datacentres are hosted in the United States, in a visit to Sydney in which he also commented on the impact of the National Broadband Network.
Coalition “conned” Tasmania on the CBN, says Premier
Labor Tasmanian Premier Lara Giddings has accused the Coalition Federal Government of having "conned the Tasmanian public" with respect to its plans for the Coalition's Broadband Network project in the state, having failed to commit to a full Fibre to the Premises rollout despite the State Government's willingness to work with Canberra on the issue.
NBN Review designed for “pre-ordained political outcome”
Senior figures in the Federal Labor Party have teamed up to deliver a broad swathe of evidence that they believe shows NBN Co's Strategic Review is based on "flawed and unreliable" premises and was in fact designed by Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull to constitute a "pre-ordained political outcome".
Vic Govt kicks off telco purchasing initiative
The Victorian Government this week revealed it had started discussing the future of its whole of government telecommunications purchasing strategy with the market as part of a new approach dubbed 'VicConnect' that it hopes will deliver service delivery improvements to the state's departments and agencies.
Greens back public input in NBN review
The Australian Greens have backed calls for the Government to allow public input into the upcoming strategic review of the future of the National Broadband Network, as pressure intensifies upon Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull to support the previous Labor administration’s all-fibre NBN policy.
NBN Co releases three-year rollout plan
The National Broadband Network company today released a detailed plan of the locations and schedule where it plans to deploy fibre and wireless broadband infrastructure over the next three years, noting that the rollout was slated to hit some 3.5 million premises in 1500 communities in every state and territory in Australia.
Turnbull ignores NBN in campaign launch while Shorten goes hard
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull appears to have deliberately avoided mentioning the National Broadband Network in the official Liberal election campaign launch, in stark contrast to Opposition Leader Bill Shorten, who has mentioned Labor's pledge for a "first-rate" NBN frequently over the past several days.
Bendigo and Adelaide Bank adopts IBM cloud
Bendigo and Adelaide Bank has adopted IBM Cloud to boost development of new banking products and services for its 1.6 million customers.
Budget 2016: Australian Computer Society welcomes digital Budget
The Australian Computer Society (ACS) has welcomed Tuesday's Federal Budget announcement, saying it delivers "good news for jobs and skills in the digital sector".
$5bn NBN blowout? “Wrong”, says Quigley
NBN Co chief executive has flatly rejected as "wrong" a report by the Financial Review newspaper last week which claimed that the company was facing a $5 billion blowout in its construction costs, stating that he expected the NBN project to deliver within its existing cost structure.
TPG’s David Teoh is worth $488m
Reclusive ISP executive David Teoh is the richest technology executive in Australia, according to Business Review Weekly, which has placed the TPG founder's stockpile at $488 million.
It’s Toshiba’s turn for an Android tablet
Toshiba has joined the long queue of international manufacturers launching an Android tablet in Australia, revealing late yesterday that its AT100 tablet would reach Australian shores at the end of this month.
Internode sale shows NBN killing competition: Turnbull
news iiNet's buyout of fellow ISP Internode demonstrated the dramatic reduction in competition Labor's flagship National Broadband Network policy was wreaking on Australia's telecommunications...
ASG picks IBM for cloud infrastructure
Perth-headquartered IT services group ASG has standardised on infrastructure from existing partner IBM as it builds out its cloud computing base.
CSC announces revised UXC acquisition agreement
Global IT services provider CSC has now entered a binding Scheme of Implementation agreement to acquire UXC, an Australian IT services company with headquarters in Melbourne.
Gillard’s ‘rip it out’ claims ludicrous, says Turnbull
Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has described claims by Prime Minister Julia Gillard this morning that a Coalition Government would "dig up" NBN optic fibre out of the ground instead of using it as "ludicrous" and "false".
The IPv4 sky isn’t falling, says Internode
That hotspot of broadband goodness Internode has criticised what is says are “Chicken Little” views of an Internet “IPocalypse” due to the number of available IPv4 addresses running out — and the global online community taking too damn long to shift to IPv6.
WA Govt trials iPads in schools
Some of the youngest of Western Australia’s nearly 262,000 students enrolled in 770 public schools will now use the latest in Apple tablet technology to learn about alphabets and numbers.
Conroy to hold midday NBN report press lockup
The office of Communications Minister Stephen Conroy will today exclusively reveal the contents of the controversial National Broadband Implementation study to the Canberra press gallery in a budget-style lock-up lasting from 12 midday to 1:30pm.
Former whole of Qld Govt CIO Grant resigns
High-flying IT executive Peter Grant has left his senior position in the Queensland State Government, a year after the state demoted him from the whole of government chief information officer role he had held for the second time.
Westpac is juggling many IT pies
Banking giant Westpac today laid out a substantial roadmap for technology change within its operations, covering areas as varied as core banking systems, enterprise middleware services and integrated customer information management.
Vocus to buy Nextgen Networks for $861m
Vocus Communications has announced the acquisition of Nextgen Networks, along with two undersea cable projects, the North West Cable System and Australia Singapore Cable.
Five reasons Australians should buy an iPad 2
The battle is on — cynical journalist versus Apple enthusiast at ten paces. Royal rumble!
NBN should be in caretaker mode, claims Turnbull
Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has called for the National Broadband Network Company to stop entering into major contracts that would affect a Coalition Government, due to what Turnbull described as being a form of the traditional government 'caretaker mode' that keeps governments running during elections.
Has Ray White gone Google?
Speculation is this morning running rampant that Google will announce real estate giant Ray White has implemented the search giant's flagship Google Apps suite, after Ray White staff posted their jubilation at "going Google" online this morning.
DHS reveals year of IT outages
New Federal Government super-department the Department of Human Services has revealed it suffered 137 IT outages thoughout the year to the end of September 2012, with dozens of instances where customers of services such as Centrelink were unable to access online services through Centrelink's web site.
Dumped Qantas CIO finds Leighton home
High-profile technology executive Jamila Gordon has landed on her feet after losing her position as Qantas chief information officer earlier this year, picking up the equivalent role at project management and contracting giant Leighton Holdings.
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.
“They’ve completely stuffed it”: MyRepublic slams Turnbull’s “shit” NBN
Pioneering Singaporean broadband provider MyRepublic has reportedly damned Malcolm Turnbull’s Multi-Technology Mix vision as “shit” on the eve of launching predominantly fibre-based broadband services with unlimited quotas in Australia.
NextDC confirms second Melbourne data centre will follow equity raising
Australian firm NextDC has announced it plans to raise equity to fund the building of two new data centres, including a second facility in Melbourne.
Visionstream the problem in Tasmania, says Turnbull
Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has published a statement implying that much of the problems with the National Broadband Network rollout in Tasmania could be pegged to NBN contractor Visionstream, stating that the company has done little work in the state since July and is asking for its rates to be substantially enlarged to complete the work.
Sun’s Aussie chief leaves Oracle ship
Sun Microsystems Australia and New Zealand managing director Andrew Goodlace appears to have left the company following its acquisition by software giant Oracle.
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.
Telstra abandons Adam Internet buyout
The nation's largest telco Telstra has abandoned its plans to buy South Australian Internet service provider Adam Internet, with delays caused by the competition regulator's concerns about the deal having caused its timeframe to have blown out.
“No influence”: AFP denies NBN raids politically motivated
The Australian Federal Police today said there had been zero political influence on the seven month investigation into damaging leaks from the NBN company which yesterday culminated in raids on Labor Party offices, with the Government itself only being told about the investigation yesterday.
Telstra launches new mobile broadband plans
Telstra has introduced new mobile broadband plans with what it calls its "most generous" data allowances to date.
Disruptive tech companies killing off workers’ rights, says union
The 'disruptive economy' being brought about by companies such as Uber is "driving down" workers’ rights, the Transport Workers Union has warned.
Quigley fronts speaking circuit; Thodey abstains
NBN Company CEO Mike Quigley has already booked himself in to give five speeches to Australia's business community this year, while his opposite at Telstra, David Thodey, appears so far to be abstaining from the conference circuit.
NBN Co gets permanent North Sydney digs
NBN Co has taken out an eight-year lease on three levels (10,11 and 12) in the Innovation Place building on 100 Arthur St in North Sydney as its permanent Sydney office.
$1.5bn splurge: ANZ banks on customer tech
Australia and New Zealand Banking Group has revealed plans to spend up to $1.5 billion on a wide range of customer-facing technology systems and branch refurbishments, in the latest salvo of an intensifying battle between Australia’s major banks to position themselves as technology leaders.
Cloud computing player Ninefold shuts down
Ninefold, the Macquarie Telecom-owned cloud computing company which provides infrastructure as a service offerings, has decided to shut down, with its last day of operation being January 30, 2016.
Oh dear: Longhaus outs 2010 bloopers reel
We’re big fans of Queensland-based analyst firm Longhaus here at Delimiter — and especially their stellar Longhaus TV offering which brings an entertaining and informative video spin to Australia’s technology sector. However, as everyone who has spent any time filming video knows, there are always plenty of screwed up takes before the perfect one hits
BT announces huge FTTP rollout to 2 million premises
BT today announced an investment in the UK's broadband infrastructure that will see a major rollout of fibre to the premises (FTTP) alongside other initiatives the firm said will help the country remain "the leading digital nation in the G20".
Sunrise hangs out on Google+
Channel 7′s breakfast show ‘Sunrise’ has made what it has described a “TV first”, using a Google+ feature to power behind the scenes footage for an hour this morning.
WHAT THEY SAID: The NBN reaction
The major players in Australia's telecommunications and IT industries were out in force yesterday to comment on the news that Labor would win Government and its flagship National Broadband Network project would go ahead. Most welcomed the news, although several had already started to look forward to the next step of the debate and rollout.
Spark Ventures deploys BMC Remedyforce
Digital services firm Spark Ventures has moved to BMC’s cloud-based Remedyforce solution to better manage the back-end infrastructure that supports its consumer and business digital services.
CenITex report: CEO’s email to the troops
Delimiter is reliably informed that CenITex chief executive Michael Vanderheide sent the following email to the IT shared services agency's staff this week, following the publication of a damning report by the Victorian Ombudsman into procurement practices and the engagement of contractors at CenITex.
Video: SEO expert analyses Delimiter syndication
When an article is published on Delimiter, it often spreads out quickly across the web as other publications -- which licence our content -- pick up the article as well. In this video a SEO expert analyses the phenomenon.
Turnbull concerned by Google, Amazon tax offshoring
International technology companies such as Google, Facebook and Amazon may not be paying their fair share of Australian tax, Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull said this week, with local tax laws not having caught up yet with the challenges of the digital environment.
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.
NSW Education Dept CIO quits
Long-standing NSW Department of Education and Training chief information officer Stephen Wilson will leave the role this week, the department confirmed this afternoon.
Tech can help Australians achieve life goals, says NBN report
NBN Co has released a new report that takes a look at Australia’s top life goals and how technology can help us achieve them.
Coalition NBN policy a “farce”, say Greens
The Australian Greens have accused the Coalition of perpetrating a "farce" in the delivery of its rival National Broadband Network policy this morning, describing the alternative vision for Australia's future telecommunications needs as "planned obsolescence" on a vast scale and as "a rehashed ALP broadband policy from 2009".
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.
Telstra meets CWU over alleged issues with redundancy procedures
Telstra has met with the Communication Workers Union (CWU) over claimed procedural discrepancies as the telco seeks to reduce staff numbers via voluntary redundancies.
Adelaide backup startup seeks expansion funds
Adelaide-based startup Memory Box Backup has revealed it is seeking to raise $1.5 million in capital to take its technology onto the world stage, and believes it has the potential to list on the Australian Stock Exchange.
Kobo announces price cuts for holiday season
Kobo, the eReading service with over 2.5 million eBooks, newspapers and magazines in one of the largest eReading catalogues globally, has dropped prices for its eReaders at top-tier Australian retail partners.
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...
My Health Record trial criticised over opt out, privacy
The new system is already under criticism for failing to explain how or why users would opt out, enabling automatic enrolment, and glossing over the potential for user information to be accessed by non-medical government agencies.
Qld Govt invests $1 million in drone tech
The Queensland Government has invested $1m in drone technology – a move that the State Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said will lead to 100 new aerospace industry jobs.
CIO McKinnon steps back from Westpac top role
A new organisation structure at Westpac means Bob McKinnon, who directed the rebuilding of technology capability as its IT chief, is stepping back from a major role in the bank.
Defying the Senate: NBN Co refuses to disclose brand new copper needs past 1800km
The NBN company has flatly refused to say how much brand new copper it need beyond its existing reserves of 1800km to make its Fibre to the Node broadband rollout model function correctly, in response to a question by one of the most powerful Senators overseeing its operations.
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.
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.
NBN CTO pitches 5Gbps speeds for HFC cable modems
The chief technology officer of the NBN company yesterday said new modems launched by the company's equipment supplier ARRIS will allow theoretical top speeds of 5Gbps down and 2Gbps up, in comments which appear to run contrary to ongoing claims by the company that Australians are not interested in gigabit NBN speeds.
Tasmania can pay for its own FTTP NBN, says Fifield
Communications Minister Mitch Fifield yesterday issued a statement stating the broadband situation on the West Coast of Tasmania was already being handled through the NBN company's Technology Choice policy, which allows for Australians to pay for their own NBN upgrade.
Fed Govt releases motherhood ICT strategy
The Federal Government today published what it described as a new strategy document which would set the overall direction for the Australian Public Service’s use of ICT in the future. However, the document contains few specific details of steps that will be taken, preferring to focus instead on a series of high-level motherhood statements.
AFACT wants ‘automated’ BitTorrent violation system
The Australian organisation representing film and TV studios' anti-piracy efforts has written to at least one local ISP requesting a meeting to discuss implementing an "automated processing system" for copyright infringement notices to be distributed to customers.
Govt again refuses to release Attorney-General’s metadata
The Federal Government has again refused to release the telecommunications metadata of Attorney-General George Brandis, stating that to do so would require "substantial consultation with IT experts" and that it would prevent the Liberal Senator from doing his job.
Massive Hyper-V deployment at NSW Education
Microsoft’s challenge to virtualisation leader VMWare has achieved a high-profile Australian victory with a huge rollout of Redmond’s Hyper-V software to some 473 schools across NSW.
KPMG plans IBM Watson integration to boost audit analysis
Big four auditing firm KPMG has announced plans to integrate IBM Watson's cognitive computing technology to a range of its professional services in the Australian market.
Labor still peddling false FTTP-on-demand costs
Labor politicians around the nation are continuing to claim that the Coalition's rival National Broadband Network policy requires Australians to pay $5,000 or be left with current broadband speeds on the existing copper network, despite the allegation having been comprehensive debunked by fact-checking sites like Politifact.
TPG signs up for South Brisbane fibre
National broadband provider TPG has signed up to provide services over the fibre network which Telstra is building in its South Brisbane exchange area, as debate continues to swirl over Telstra's treatment of the shutdown of its existing copper network in the area.
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.
What’s actually important for the NBN: Upload speeds
Shadow Assistant Communications Minister Michelle Rowland has published an opinionated article arguing strongly that upload speeds represent one of the key aspects of Australia's current and future broadband needs and that this issue has been almost completely overlooked under the Coalition's "dog's breakfast" Multi-Technology Mix model for NBN Co's rollout.
Sydney to Melbourne cable turns 50 years old
Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has highlighted the fact that yesterday, April 9, marked the 50th anniversary of the landmark opening of the coaxial telecommunications cable between Sydney and Melbourne, delivering a new era in telecommunications in Australia. Conroy has additionally likened the project's vision to that of the National Broadband Network.
Turnbull to reveal the ‘shocking’ NBN truth
Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull yesterday said a Coalition Government would, following the election, release a full analysis of what Labor's NBN project would actually take in time and money to complete, an accounting which he said would leave the Australian public "shocked".
Parallels opens Australian office
Virtualisation specialist Parallels -- best known for its software which lets Mac users run Windows applications on their Apple desktop -- has opened an office in Australia, on the back of strong local interest in its products.
IBM clams up on union brawl
Technology behemoth IBM this afternoon issued a 'no comment' statement in response to demands from the Australian Services Union that it comply with a ruling by Fair Work Australia that it negotiate with the union in good faith.
Carr: CSIRO still worse off than before election
An opposition minister has said that the CSIRO is still worse off than it was before the last election – despite funding announced in Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's Innovation Statement on 7 December.
NBN Co suspends Tasmanian satellite rollout amid political brawl
The NBN company has called a halt to its controversial plans to deploy satellite access to a number of towns on the west coast of Tasmania until the various sides of politics resolve what the company sees as a funding black hole for the region.
CeBIT 2011: Photo gallery
We wandered around CeBIT all of today, taking in the sights -- and there were many of them. Dozens of companies, IT celebrities, and just some amazing products. CeBIT 2011 has it all.
Telstra to offshore over 170 more jobs, says union
Telstra is planning to offshore over 170 more jobs, according to the Communication Workers Union (CWU).
Win an iPod Nano and cloud computing credit![Sponsored competition]
To win, all you need to do is answer the question in 25 words or less: How would you define cloud computing to a child or non-technical relative?
IT’S BEGUN: Split up the NBN and sell it off, says Infrastructure Australia
Australia's independent authority on infrastructure has recommended the Federal Government split the NBN company into pieces based on technology or geographical lines and sell it off to the private sector, but without publishing any justification at all for such a move.
Pirate Party registered for 2013 election
The Australian branch of digital freedom political group the Pirate Party today confirmed it had successfully registered as a political party to contest the upcoming 2013 Federal Election, overcoming registration issues which had prevented it from contesting the 2010 election as a party.
Optus to refund $2.4m over mobile insurance breaches
Optus is being forced to refund around $2.4 million to around 175,000 of its mobile customers following the Australian Securities & Investments Commission's (ASIC's) concerns about the telco's compliance with financial services laws.
Will NRMA Insurance offshore IT to India?
Insurance giant IAG has confirmed it is currently examining bids from a number of technology outsourcing partners to support its NRMA Insurance brand, as rumours swirl that the company will offload a significant amount of its technology operation to a provider in India.
First South Brisbane fibre customers go live
The nation's largest telco Telstra last week carried out the first copper to fibre customer migrations in its South Brisbane exchange area -- including those of customers belonging to other ISPs -- as it continues its project to replace its copper network in the region.
Telstra again threatens to cancel NBN deal
Telstra has reportedly threatened to walk away from its $11 billion deal with the Federal Government and the National Broadband Network Company, with its pricing and access arrangements with other smaller telcos again becoming the sticking point with the potential to scuttle the landmark contract.
Nintendo may target other mod chip sellers
Nintendo Australia today said it could take similar action against other sellers of devices that allow games to be illegally copied for use on its consoles, after it won a $620,000 victory against one such firm this week.
Opposition filter stance to await legislation
Shadow Communications Minister Tony Smith (pictured) today said the Opposition would not release a formal stance on the Federal Government’s internet filtering project until after the planned legislation for the project was released.
iPad 2 hits Australia 5pm this Friday
Iconic technology manufacturer Apple late tonight revealed the second version of its flagship iPad tablet would go on sale in Australia from 5pm this Friday 25th of March, with the device to be sold from the company's own retail stores as well as local third-party reseller partners.
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.
Introducing the Delimiter Link Blog
Over the past few months I've been grappling with what I should do about the tricky topic of linking to other people's stories from Delimiter. And I think I've found a solution.
NBN Co to kill TPG rollout while Minister dithers
The National Broadband Network Company has decided to take action into its own hands to deal with TPG's plans to deploy competitive broadband infrastructure in Australia's cities, revealing plans this morning to accelerate its own rollout to compete with TPG ahead of any expected decision on the issue by Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
“Nepotism”: Audit blasts CenITex culture
Victoria’s Ombudsman today published a damning report into procurement practices and the engagement of contractors at the state’s IT shared services agency CenITex, finding examples of “nepotism and favouritism” in the company, as well as more serious improper conduct and poor procedures for handling CenITex’s large contractor workforce.
Coalition NBN policy launch Q+A: Full video
Yesterday we posted the full presentation given by Opposition Leader Tony Abbott and Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull in Sydney as they outlined the core tenets of the Coalition's rival National Broadband Network policy. And this morning we've got more; if you're interested in watching the full question and answer session which the pair conducted with assembled journalists (including yours truly), the videos are below.
M2 to merge with Vocus
Mid-tier telcos M2 and Vocus this morning announced they would merge into a large company with a market capitalisation in excess of $3 billion, in a move that will further cement M2’s place as Australia’s fourth-largest broadband player and further consolidate the already minimalist Australian telecommunications industry.
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.
Vodafone launches new range of business plans
Vodafone has announced a new range of mobile plans for small and medium businesses (SMBs), along with new additions to its suite of 'Ready Business Apps'.
Defence wants special ops tablet, smartphone
The Australian Defence Force has gone to market for a solution which will allow it to provide highly secure smartphones and tablets to certain soldiers with the purpose of accessing command systems in the field.
Telstra, NBN Co planning “thousand node trial”
The National Broadband Network Company is working with Telstra on a trial of the Fibre to the Node rollout style which could see a thousand nodes connected to fibre, in a move which would deliver real-life results of the rollout style's performance across a series of diverse use cases.
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.
Wells quits Avaya for SaaS firm Workday
Australian IT industry stalwart Rob Wells has quit his post as the managing director of Avaya's Australian operations and will instead establish the local division of Software as a Service business software group Workday.
E*Trade flooded with DDoS before Christmas
ANZ Bank's stockbroking service E*Trade was hit by a distributed denial of service attack in the lead-up to the 2011 Christmas season. After initial denials that the site had been attacked, the company sent its customers a letter informing them about the attack yesterday.
Bevan Slattery launches cloud and datacentre directory
Australian tech entrepreneur Bevan Slattery has launched a comprehensive cloud and datacentre directory called Cloudscene.
Qld Rail wants traditional IT infrastructure outsourcing
The past year has seen a raft of cloud computing options launched in the Australian technology landscape, with companies as diverse as Telstra, CSC, Optus and Fujitsu focusing on infrastructure as a service offerings. But not everyone's biting -- with one government agency this month going to market for IT infrastructure services which couldn't look more traditional.
Australia Post trials drone deliveries
Australia Post has announced the it will be the "first major parcels and logistics company" in Australia to trial package delivery by remotely piloted aircraft, also called drones.
Surface 2 lands in Australia October 22
Technology giant Microsoft has revealed the second versions of its Windows 8-based Surface tablet will land in Australia from October 22, with prices to be similar to the cost of the devices when sold in the US.
HP Touchpad to hit Australia ‘later this year’
Global technology giant HP has given the first indication of timing about when its flagship tablet device would be launched in Australia, revealing in a statement overnight that Australians would be able to buy the device "later this year" after it launched in a range of other countries first.
Australia to get IBM public cloud in Q4
Global IT giant IBM today confirmed plans to deploy its enterprise-class public cloud computing infrastructure in Australia, in a move which will give large organisations and government departments with data sovereignty concerns another option for utilising public cloud facilities based in Australia, as opposed to offshore.
Virgin yawns at VHA plan changes
Carrier Virgin Mobile today crowed over a series of changes to capped plans made by rival Vodafone Hutchison Australia (VHA), saying the company was simply copying its existing offering.
iiNet stops selling NBN satellite plans
National broadband provider iiNet has withdrawn its National Broadband Network satellite plans from sale, as the rapid up-take of customers on the service has resulted in a lack of available network capacity for new sign-ups.
“No public interest” in PCEHR review release
The Department of Health has stated it does not believe there is a public interest case for the Federal Government's review of the troubled Personally Controlled Electronic Health Records project to be released publicly, despite the fact that Health Minister Peter Dutton has stated the document contains "a comprehensive plan for the future of electronic health records in Australia".
Victoria launches ICT strategy blog
The Victorian State Government has launched a new blog as it ramps up its community consultation efforts around the way it supports the local technology industry and uses technology itself.
Defence hasn’t tested IBM contract since 1999
The Federal Department of Defence has revealed that it renewed a major IT hardware and software contract with IBM in late 2008 to the tune of $342 million, despite not having put the work out to public tender since 1999.
Australians love the Pirate Bay, warns AFACT
The Australian organisation tasked with protecting the copyright of film and television studios locally has warned the nation has a love affair with BitTorrent haven the Pirate Bay and other sites which allow files to be traded online through peer to peer file sharing technologies.
Internode forces some customers onto new plans
Internode have this afternoon confirmed a number of existing out-of-contract customers would have to be moved onto the company’s newer plans because of a wholesaler “price squeeze”.
Geo-IP removal skips Aussie game censorship
A noted online distributor of popular video games such as The Witcher series has removed functionality from its platform which limits some features to customers based on what country their internet address is from, potentially allowing Australians to clandestinely escape local video game censorship rules.
Qld dumps whole of government email project
Queensland's new LNP State Government late last week revealed plans to dump the troubled colossal whole of government email project begun under the previous Bligh Labor administration, with IT Minister Ros Bates highlighting the possibility to shift to a "cloud-based solution" instead.
Carosa’s baby funds another three startups
Local web 2.0 investment house Future Capital Development Fund (FCDF) today revealed it had invested in three more online Australian web properties, adding to the company's already extensive list of targets over the past year.
Govt censors secret anti-piracy meeting notes
Citing the "public interest", the Federal Attorney-General's Department has censored from documents released under Freedom of Information laws eight pages of notes taken by one of its staff members at a secret meeting held in September last year to address the issue of Internet piracy, after initially stating that no minutes were taken of the meeting.
Questions raised about Post IT transformation
Australia Post has issued a statement staunchly defending the progress of its IT transformation program, Building Future Ready IT, as questions are being raised about some aspects of the project's ability to meet its goals on time and while avoiding significant risks associated with any such corporate technology renewal effort.
Turnbull agrees with Alan Jones: Wireless is NBN future
Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has publicly backed as "the facts" a number of highly contentious statements by radio shockjock Alan Jones about Labor's National Broadband Network project, including Jones' contested claim that wireless represents the future of broadband in Australia.
Surprise? Qld Police stuck in IT dark ages
A review of Queensland's police and law enforcement resources has found the Queensland Police Service's (QPS) technology capability is "significantly behind" that of comparable police forces in other jurisdictions, with archaic stand-alone IT systems lacking interconnection and modern technology not available to support officers in the field.
Hockey repeats inaccurate NBN claim
Shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey has continued to publicly repeat a factually inaccurate statement regarding the accounting treatment of the National Broadband Network funding as a capital investment, maintaining that the funding should be treated as an expense, despite direct evidence to the contrary, including the acknowledgement of fellow Liberal MP Malcolm Turnbull.
A brief word from NBN Co’s staff
A brief word from various staff members of NBN Co about why they like working for the company (I believe this is part of NBN Co's recruitment drive). Not a bad little video -- it makes it clear that NBN Co's team very much believes in what they're doing.
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.
Optus partners with Macquarie Uni on $10 million cybersecurity hub
Optus Business entered a new partnership with Macquarie University to establish a new "cybersecurity hub" aimed help business and government organisations protect themselves from increasing cyber threats.
Labor slams data retention funding “uncertainties”
The Labor Opposition has hit out at the way the Government handled grant assistance for companies falling under the remit of new data retention regulation.
NAB fills CIO role as rejigged exec team stares down 2016 migration target
onths after it kicked off a major reshuffle of its IT executives, the National Australia Bank has finally firmed up the technology management team that will lead the institution through a massive Oracle systems upgrade that’s expected to be completed by 2016.
IT’S DONE: Telstra inks $11bn NBN deal
As expected, Telstra this morning revealed it had signed what it described as 'Definitive Agreements' with NBN Co and the Federal Government which will make its infrastructure available to the fledgling broadband company and its customers progressively migrated onto the growing NBN fibre network over the next decade, at a cost to NBN Co of $11 billion.
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.
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.
4.6 million jobs “at risk” without future-ready workforce
According to StartupAUS, an advocacy group for startups, up to 4.6 million Australian jobs may be at risk within a decade if Australia fails to create a future-ready workforce.
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.
XG.FAST won’t obviate need for copper replacement, says Internet Australia
Following NBN Co's announcement that it is to commence trials of XG.FAST – a new technology said to deliver fibre-equivalent broadband speeds over copper – Internet Australia has said, even if the claims hold true, the network may still need updating to fibre in the future.
NEHTA issues core e-health tender
The Federal Government today delivered the health sector a much clearer picture of how its giant $466.7 million electronic health records project will be delivered, with the initiation of a major purchasing initiative for the project through the nation's peak e-health body.
Secret forum typical of Conroy: Ludlam
Greens Senator Scott Ludlam has described a protected online forum used by the federal broadband department to discuss the internet filter project with industry as typical of Communications Minister Stephen Conroy's approach and again called for the whole project to be scrapped.
Qld Health payroll ‘stabilised’, claims Govt
Queensland's Health Minister Geoff Wilson yesterday declared a tentative victory in the department's battle to tame its troubled payroll system, labelling the platform "stabilised" and noting that further improvements to it were being made.
AGIMO blog attracts praise but also doubt
The Australian Government Information Management Office has attracted a mixed response to its new blog launched this week, with some visitors to the site praising it, but some expressing doubt about the Government's real commitment to open government or using it to vent their frustrations with the Gershon report and other controversial matters.
Optus gives retail ISP customers access to 121 NBN POIs
Optus Wholesale has announced that it will provide wholesale NBN access to smaller ISPs, and has already signed an exclusive deal with SpinTel to allow wholesale NBN access for its residential broadband customers.
iiNet gives huge quota boost to ADSL2+ plans
Internet provider iiNet has updated its on-net ADSL2+ plans, giving all options hefty quota increases without additional conditions.
Optus Business nicks new MD from Telstra
Telecommunications giant Optus announced yesterday that John Paitaridis would be the new Managing Director of Optus Business, a its division providing telecommunications and information and communications technology (ICT) solutions to businesses.
Kaching! CommBank’s mobile payment app pays off
Less than two months since its launch, downloads of the Kaching mobile payment app from Commonwealth Bank of Australia are going through the roof. With over 110,000 downloads and an app store rating of four stars, Kaching is the second most popular free finance app in the Australian App Store, after the company’s NetBank app, CommBank revealed this week.
AFR claims on NBN sale just plain “wrong”, says Fifield
Communications Minister Mitch Fifield today flatly rejected claims by the Financial Review newspaper that the Government was in talks to sell the bulk of the National Broadband Network to Telstra for as little as $20 billion, stating: "There are no plans to sell NBN".
DoHA latest to ditch Lotus Notes for Exchange
The Federal Department of Health and Ageing has revealed it will be the latest Australian government agency to dump IBM's Lotus Notes/Domino environment in favour of a switch to a collaboration platform built on the Outlook/Exchange ecosystem, as part of a continuing trend of migrations to the Microsoft platform.
OECD report: Conroy fires back
Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull this morning claimed a report released over the weekend by the global Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) backed his arguments regarding Labor's National Broadband Network project. Now it's Stephen Conroy's turn to do the same.
Principal Turnbull: Teaching Conroy “Economics 101”
Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has used the release of new broadband statistics to argue that the real inequity in Australia's broadband market is the fact that lower income households cannot afford currently broadband prices, arguing that Communications Minister Stephen Conroy needs to learn "Economics 101".
Pirate Party demands Australia reject ACTA treaty
The Pirate Party of Australia has made a submission to the Federal Government recommending it reject the controversial Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) signed this week by the European Union, despite the fact that Australia actually signed the deal in September last year.
“Great news”: Fifield launches FTTN near Ballarat
Communications Minister Mitch Fifield has announced the launch of Fibre to the Node services this week in regional Victoria, describing the move as "great news" for local residents.
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.
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.
Telstra loses enterprise chief Caesar
Telstra today revealed the head of its Enterprise & Government division, Nerida Caesar, would leave the company, with her role to be temporarily filled by the telco's wholesale chief Paul Geason.
Servcorp deploys Dropbox Business for cloud storage
Following a consultation with staff members, Servcorp has moved to Dropbox Business to better fulfil its cloud storage requirements.
Money not a problem as Jellema tries to fix email
Tjoos co-founder and Australian startup luminary Bart Jellema this week revealed he's in the throes of forming his next technology startup. But don't ask the entrepreneur for its revenue model -- he says it's not an issue.
Aussie developer Graham Dawson on iPhone 4
Version 4 of Apple's iPhone will launch Down Under in July, delivering local iPhone app developers a bevy of new features. But what do the developers themselves think of Apple's new baby? To find out, we spoke with Australian developer Graham Dawson.
Dodo will win the NBN land-grab, claims Budde
Maverick analyst Paul Budde this week claimed cut-rate broadband provider Dodo was the only ISP positioned to take advantage of the deployment of the predominantly fibre-based National Broadband Network as it is rolled out across the nation over the next decade.
All Australian telcos to offer Samsung Galaxy S5
Samsung's flagship Galaxy S5 handset revealed overnight at the Mobile World Congress conference in Barcelona is set to be offered by all three of Australia's major mobile telcos, although the Korean manufacturer has not yet confirmed any pricing or availability details for the device's Australian launch.
Insider Robin Payne appointed NBN Co CFO
The National Broadband Network Company, the company constructing Australia’s national broadband network, has appointed Robin Payne, Chief Financial Officer. Payne has been acting as CFO, succeeding Jean-Pascal Beaufret, who retired in January 2012.
Disastrous patch cripples CommBank
The Commonwealth Bank of Australia is currently reeling with internal chaos and some service delivery problems, following what appears to be a disastrous mis-application of an operating system patch to thousands of desktop PCs and hundreds of servers last week.
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.
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.
Delimiter highly commended in awards
Hi everyone,
happy Monday morning! *groan* ;)
Just a quick note to let you know that while Delimiter didn't pick up any awards at the IT...
Ericsson wins VHA backhaul deal
Ericsson has won a contract worth an undisclosed amount to build a nationwide transmission network for mobile telco VHA, involving the construction of thousands of upgraded microwave radio and optic fibre links around the country.
We don’t set Australian pricing, says Microsoft
Microsoft has responded to parliamentary pressure about Australian markups on its products by stating that it doesn't set final prices to local customers -- and stating that it was difficult to make direct pricing comparisons between countries, given differing local conditions in each jurisdiction.
NSW Office of Environment and Heritage boosts mobility with shift to Office 365
The New South Wales Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH) says it has rolled out Office 365 in order to boost mobility for its many employees.
How will Australia’s e-health record work?
Federal Health Minister Nicola Roxon yesterday provided further details on how the Federal Government's electronic health record project will work in practice, although details of exactly how budget funds will be spent on the project remain scarce.
Albanese reportedly appointed new Communications Minister
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has reportedly appointed Anthony Albanese, one of his key lieutenants during his leadership coup and an experienced senior Minister, to replace Stephen Conroy as Communications Minister in his new cabinet.
Copper network not “rooted”, says Telstra
The nation's largest telco Telstra has rejected unsubstantiated claims that its copper network was suffering a fault rate of up to 30 percent, pointing out that in October this year, only about 1.3 percent of its telephone lines nationally suffered any kind of fault, and that it invests hundreds of millions of dollars each year keeping it that way.
Exetel’s John Linton has passed away
John Linton, the maverick chief executive of Internet service provider Exetel, has tragically passed away, according to several public notices published by Exetel staff this morning.
Nintendo slashes Australian Wii price
Nintendo Australia announced today that it will slash $100 off the price of its flagship Wii console from $399.95 to $299.95, effective tomorrow, 29th April.
Pirate Party slams full body scanner plan
Pirate Party Australia has condemned the Labor Government’s plan to install compulsory full body scanners at Australia’s international airports in an attempt to strengthen anti-terrorism measures. The Party claims that these systems have repeatedly proven ineffective and that the privacy and economic costs far outweigh any supposed security benefits.
Simon Hackett needs one of these babies
Eagle-eyed Twitterer Eric spotted this little hot rod being towed around Adelaide this afternoon. Our only question is, does Internode MD Simon Hackett drive it himself? Obviously he’s already got his Tesla Roadster … but this baby looks like it’d be fun as well.
Tassie leaders both promise ICT minister
Both of Tasmania's major parties today laid out election policies that included the creation of a minister with responsibilities for technology, with the state...
Primus may dump voluntary ISP filter
National broadband provider Primus has given its first indication that it may have changed its mind about implementing a voluntary ISP-based filter to block child pornography from reaching its customers, despite making a commitment on the issue 12 months ago to the Federal Government.
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".
iiNet wants it all in AFACT case
iiNet has filed a Notice of Contention in the Federal Court in an attempt to win those aspects of its court battle with the...
Parliament must subpoena IT giants: Choice
Consumer group Choice has called for the Federal Parliament to use its powers of subpoena to force recalcitrant IT vendors such as Apple, Adobe and Microsoft to give evidence about their price setting practices in Australia, due to the vendors' reluctance to voluntarily appear before a committee into Australian IT price hikes.
SAP opens HANA enterprise cloud in Canberra
SAP Australia has announced the opening of an SAP HANA Enterprise Cloud service in Canberra, and revealed that the Australian Government's Shared Services Centre is the service's first customer.
Apple to open Cheltenham store
Apple Australia announced this morning that it will open its latest Retail Store in Cheltenham, Victoria later this week as well as overnight unveiling a new, cheaper iMac for educational institutes.
AFP’s Avaya loyalty is up for grabs
Four years ago, as the IP telephony revolution hit full steam in Australia's organisations and the battle between giants like Cisco, Avaya and Nortel gathered pace, the Australian Federal Police was one of the strongest champions for the Avaya cause.
Internode streams music festival Australia-wide
Internet service provider Internode has introduced a public high definition video stream of the first Gorgeous Festival, which features rock icon band Icehouse backed by supporting acts Josh Pyke and Emma Louise, showcasing the newest enhancements of its Content Delivery Network (CDN).
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.