“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.
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.
Conroy sees “positive outcome” ahead on filter
Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has indicated the Government is having discussions with the telecommunications industry about the future of its controversial mandatory Internet filtering project, the future of which is currently hanging in the balance, following the delivery of a review of Australia's classification system.
NBN switched on in Kiama, Minnamurra
Australia’s second mainland National Broadband Network (NBN) site has been turned on this morning, with residents in the Kiama Downs and Minnamurra area set to gain access to the high-speed network.
$90 million payday: Aussie startup sells RetailMeNot
Melbourne based internet startup Stateless Systems has sold its RetailMeNot site to emerging US online media player WhaleShark Media for an amount close to $90 million.
Labor files formal complaint alleging NBN breach of Caretaker Conventions
The Opposition has reported filed a formal complaint with the Secretary of Malcolm Turnbull's Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet over what it said was a "clear breach" by the NBN company of the Caretaker Conventions which require it to remain impartial during the election period.
Turnbull tried to kick Conroy off NBN Committee, says Palmer
Clive Palmer claimed over the weekend that in 2014, Malcolm Turnbull tried to use the Palmer United Party's votes in the Senate to get former Communications Minister Stephen Conroy removed from the Senate Select Committee into the NBN, replacing it with a joint committee.
Analysts expect ‘unchained’ Turnbull to return NBN to FTTP model
Several of Australia’s telecommunications analysts have published statements noting they expect Malcolm Turnbull to reveal his ‘real’ views about the National Broadband Network project after taking the Prime Ministership and perhaps even return the project to a footing more based on its previous Fibre to the Premises technology.
ACCC knocks back banks’ anti-Apple ‘cartel’ request … for now
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has said it has decided not to grant four of Australia's biggest banks interim authorisation to "collectively bargain" with Apple over the terms of any partnership involving the tech giant's Apple Pay product.
IPA publishes anti-Labor NBN attack riddled with grievous errors
Free market think tank the Institute of Public Affairs has published an article strongly attacking Labor's NBN project as "the worst conceived infrastructure project in Federal history", but has included a number of popular misconceptions and outright errors regarding the project in its article.
WA FTTN launch marred as NBN leaves ‘node’ open to the elements
The official launch of the Coalition’s preferred Fibre to the Node technology in Western Australia last week appears to have suffered a minor setback, with one of the NBN company’s neighbourhood ‘nodes’ appearing to have been left with its door open, endangering the provision of broadband in its area.
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.
Telstra wins $474m DHS telco contract
Telstra has emerged as the victor from a prolonged tendering process for a comprehensive suite of telecommunications services at the Federal Department of Human Services, announcing today that it had won a deal with the department worth $474 million.
Husic asks Conroy for IT pricing inquiry
Federal Labor backbencher Ed Husic has revealed that he is planning to write to Communications Minister Stephen Conroy requesting that an inquiry be held into the practice of technology vendors unfairly hiking prices for the Australian market.
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.
Internet banking bites Suncorp
Tier two banking and insurance giant Suncorp today acknowledged it had suffered some internet banking problems over the past week flowing from an upgrade conducted over the weekend, with some customers concerned about a loss of functionality from the service.
Turnbull establishes advisory panel to boost Australian FinTech
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has established an expert advisory group aimed at making Australia the leading FinTech market in the Asia-Pacific region.
ANZ and Visa trial mobile payments
Australia and New Zealand Banking Group and partner Visa have unveiled a four week internal trial of mobile phones used as substitutes for credit cards.
Wireless NBN clause could harm competition: ACCC
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission today warned a clause in Telstra's $13 billion contract with NBN Co prohibiting Telstra from marketing wireless technologies as an alternative to fibre broadband could be "detrimental to competition" and should be investigated further.
Biteable attracts $1.1m seed round to grow online video tool
Tasmania-based video startup, Biteable, has announced a $1.1-million seed funding round from a group of Australian investors including Tank Stream Ventures and BridgeLane Capital.
iiNet’s NBN HFC trials will soon kick off in Queensland
iiNet has announced that it will soon be starting trials of HFC cable as part of the NBN rollout, adding that they will "bring faster, more reliable Internet to Australians faster".
‘National security’: NBN Co blocks Huawei FoI
The National Broadband Network Company, in consultation with associated Federal Government Departments have used a complex series of legal arguments, including national security grounds, to block the public Freedom of Information release of a series of documents relating to the decision to block Chinese vendor Huawei from tendering for NBN contracts.
Australia slips in global broadband rankings again
Australia has taken another step in the wrong direction down the global rankings of countries with the best broadband, with the latest report by technology giant Akamai showing average broadband speeds in Australia actually decreasing and the nation slipping behind neighbours such as New Zealand and even Thailand.
Crowdsourced NBN think tank launches Senate submission
A loose-knit collective of Australian technologists has formed what it has dubbed an online crowdsourced think tank focused around the National Broadband Network project and has started putting together a submission to the NBN Senate Select Committee which will argue for a network built on the best available 'fit for purpose' technology - not on political ideology.
Delimiter is hiring for a news journalist
I just wanted to make you aware that Delimiter currently has a position open for a graduate journalist to join the company and work from our offices in Sydney.
SMS goes after Brits as revenues soar
SMS Management and Technology Limited (SMS) today announced it was planning to import more brains from the UK and Ireland as well as hiring locally, as its revenues and earnings headed substantially upward over the past six months.
Minister: Sony hack firms breach notification case
Regulations which will force Australian organisations to disclose whenever customers’ data has been stolen may be one step closer following the disastrous hacking of Sony’s PlayStation Network over the past few weeks.
NBN Co now a wireless telco: Slattery
Labor's deal with the independents to roll out the National Broadband Network to regional areas first means it will now necessarily have to place a big emphasis on the wireless component of the network's construction, according to Pipe Networks managing director and long-time NBN critic Bevan Slattery.
Telstra acquires app developer Readify
Telstra has announced the acquisition of Readify, an Australian app development firm that has previously provided services for Microsoft.
Move to FTTP viable but threatened by NBN monopoly, says Budde
It could be economically viable for Australia to eventually shift from fibre to the node (FTTN) to fibre to the home (FTTH), but the lack of commercial competition could be an impediment, telecoms expert Paul Budde has said.
Spectrum re-farming in NSW, ACT boosts Vodafone 4G coverage
Vodafone has completed re-farming the low-frequency 850MHz mobile spectrum in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory to bring about stronger 4G coverage and extra capacity.
ISP launches 2TB, 100Mbps NBN plan for $105
One of the smaller players in Australia's broadband marketplace has launched a range of innovative National Broadband Network pricing plans, including a top-end 100Mbps plan with 2TB of monthly quota and for $104.95, and a low-end plan which would cost customers as little as $29.95 per month.
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.
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.
ASIC repeatedly delays S.313 FoI responses
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission has on multiple occasions over the past month, involving multiple parties, delayed responding to Freedom of Information requests seeking documents relating to its controversial decision to start unilaterally blocking websites it suspects of fraudulent activity.
iiNet CEO defends Interpol filter
The chief executive of one of Australia's largest Internet service providers has broken his company's relative silence on the voluntary limited filtering initiative being implemented by Telstra and Optus, defending the project and insisting it not be linked with the Federal Government's much broader mandatory filtering policy.
High Court agrees to hear iiTrial
The High Court of Australia has this morning granted film and television studios the right to appeal against the decision made earlier in the year in the case against Australian ISP iiNet.
CenITex has no disaster recovery capacity
An audit of departments and agencies within the Victorian Government has found many don't have sufficient business continuity/disaster recovery facilities to keep them operating in the event of a major disaster, with the situation exacerbated by the lack of capability found at IT shared services agency CenITex.
4G race: Telstra turns on 1500th tower
Just 24 hours after arch-rival Optus announced a significant expansion of its 4G network, Telstra has fired back, noting that it had recently turned on its 1500th 4 base station, as its billion-dollar expansion of its 4G network continues to be felt around Australia.
Tablet + pen computing takes off: Aussie schools in mass Windows 8 rollouts
Microsoft has revealed that a number of major Australian schools have deployed its new Windows 8 operating system in both tablet + pen and traditional laptop form factors, as evidence continues to grow that adoption of Windows 8 in the local education sector is starting to challenge Apple's dominant iPad platform.
Inside the NBN Co promotion track
NBN Co might have only been properly operating for less than a year -- with chief executive Mike Quigley stepping on board as its first employee in late July 2009 -- but a handful of promotions have already rippled through its ranks.
Telstra tests 700MHz 4g on “advanced HTC smartphone”
The nation's biggest telco Telstra late last week revealed it had started testing the use of the 700MHz spectrum in its 4G mobile network, using equipment from Ericsson and "an advanced smartphone from HTC that will launch later this year".
Internet Australia repeats call for NBN inquiry
Internet Australia, a not-for-profit advocacy group representing Internet users, has made another call for an inquiry into the National Broadband Network.
NBN: Optus migrates HFC users for $800m
Not content to be left out of the limelight by big brother Telstra, the nation's number two telco Optus has also this morning announced a significant deal with NBN Co, with the arrangement to see parts of its HFC network shuttered and its customers progressively migrated onto the fibre NBN infrastructure at a total cost to NBN Co of $800 million.
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".
Optus adds 182k mobile customers
Australia's number two telco Optus reported a net profit of A$177 million for the third quarter, representing growth of 4 percent, according to a Singtel Group news release yesterday. The company’s operating revenue was up 2 percent to A$2.42 billion, while EBITDA increased 2 percent to A$562 million.
Internode prices prove NBN failure, says Turnbull
Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has claimed that early pricing released by Internode yesterday for services on the National Broadband Network demonstrates consumer prices under the NBN will be higher than those currently levied for access to current broadband services.
PlayStation Vita goes on sale in Australia
Gaming giant Sony's latest handheld console, the PlayStation Vita, has gone on sale in Australia and is now available in stores across the country, marking Sony's fifth major console hardware launch locally.
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.
“Diabolical mess”, “Scandal of epic proportions”: NT ICT Minister damns Fujitsu to hell in...
Those of you who’ve been with us for a while will recall that the Northern Territory Government is more than a little annoyed at technology giant Fujitsu for what it sees as the company’s botched implementation of a new asset management system using software from German giant SAP. But what you may not have realised is just how annoyed the Territorians are. Well, to get the full feeling, you need to read this extraordinary statement made by NT Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Corporate and Information Services David Tollner in Parliament last week.
The farce gets deeper: Now Telstra sues NBN Co
Telstra has commenced legal action against NBN Co due to a disagreement between the two telcos over when consumer price index adjustments should kick in that will affect NBN Co’s payments to Telstra under the pair’s $11 billion deal to cooperate on transferring customers to the NBN infrastructure and giving NBN Co access to Telstra’s ducts.
iiNet founder Malone joins NBN board as Hackett leaves
The Federal Government has appointed iiNet founder to the board of the NBN company as a non-executive director, replacing Internode founder Simon Hackett, with the change to commence immediately.
SAP user group launches CIO Council
The SAP Australian User Group has created a chief information officer council with an initial steering committee from the retail and energy sectors to provide a collective voice for IT chiefs in communicating with the German software giant.
Labor’s NBN was a “fantasy model”, says Fifield, despite FTTP progress
Communications Minister Mitch Fifield has described the previous Labor Government’s near-universal Fibre to the Premises approach to the National Broadband Network as a “fantasy model” and “unachievable”, despite the fact that almost all of the progress on the NBN thus far has been based on that model.
Customers, ISPs praise NBN Tasmania launch
Some of the first customers and ISPs to use the fledging National Broadband Network fibre rollout in Tasmania have praised the network in promotional videos distributed last week by NBN Co as part of the infrastructure's official launch.
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.”
Board-level dialogue key to NAB Oracle overhaul
One of Oracle’s most senior executives has labeled board-level engagement between the giant US vendor and local customer National Australia Bank as having been key to the bank’s unusual Oracle-based core banking IT upgrade project, which has seen the vendor develop its software with the direct input of NAB.
“Hopeless, useless and a joke”: Labor MP sets Turnbull NBN policy on fire
Federal Parliament erupted into a fiery debate yesterday over Malcolm Turnbull's reshaping of the NBN project, with Labor MP Lisa Chesters stealing much of the show with a furious diatribe in which she labelled the PM's NBN plan as "incompetent, hopeless, useless and a joke".
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.
Snowden, Manning ‘not whistleblowers’, claims Australia’s Attorney-General
Australia's Federal Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus has made an extraordinary public statement that former CIA and NSA operative Edward Snowden and accused WikiLeaks collaborator Bradley Manning are not technically "whistleblowers", claiming that the information they had released publicly related to no wrongdoing by government agencies.
Qld Govt Depts have no disaster recovery plan
Two sizable Queensland Government departments have no central disaster recovery plan, the state’s Auditor-General has found, despite the region’s ongoing struggles with extreme weather conditions that have previously knocked out telecommunications and data centre infrastructure.
Government reveals new IT services panel policy
The Australian Government’s Special Minister of State Gary Gray has announced a policy that will halve the number of IT panels servicing Government agencies.
Optus launches FetchTV from $10 a month
The nation's number two telco Optus has launched the FetchTV Internet video platform already being sold by iiNet, Internode and Adam Internet for the starting price of $9.95 a month -- a charge which will be waived when customers are using its $109 Fusion home broadband and telephone bundle.
Harris Farm deploys IBM all-in-one servers
Retailer Harris Farm Markets revealed in late December that it had deployed IBM's all-in-one compute, storage and networking Flex System in its operations to meet a variety of aims ranging from reducing IT costs and complexity to boosting the performance of business systems such as its ERP platform.
Telstra “fightback” grows broadband share
Telstra today revealed it was no longer losing consumer fixed broadband customers -- reversing a trend of market share loss that had been stinging the customer over the past few years.
ACCC moves to regulate ‘superfast’ broadband networks
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has released a draft decision proposing regulation via a Superfast Broadband Access Service (SBAS) in order to prevent local monopolies by service providers.
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.
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.
Anna Bligh promises 5,000 iPads for schools
Queensland Premier Anna Bligh has promised that her Labor State Government will commit $5.7 million to deliver some 5,000 iPads to year 7 students across the state in a high-profile educational trial of the Apple tablets, should Labor retain power in the upcoming state election.
‘Bring your own app’ revolution hits Australia
Australian organisations are increasingly allowing their staff to use their own software at work, in a trend being dubbed "Bring Your Own Apps" or BYOA, according to a new survey of Australian chief information officers and other senior IT staff.
iiNet confirms NBN plans, signs up customers
National broadband provider iiNet this morning confirmed its final pricing plans for its National Broadband fibre offerings in the early stage rollout sites in Tasmania, noting also that it had signed up its first customers of the service.
You’re flat out wrong, NBN Co tells AFR
NBN Co and two of its key contractors have categorically denied a front page report by the Financial Review this morning that the contractors weren't bidding for the next round of NBN construction deals due to rollout delays, describing the newspaper's report as "patently untrue".
Angry consumers flood IT price hike inquiry
Dozens of frustrated Australians describing themselves as concerned private citizens have flooded the Government's IT price hike inquiry with hundreds of examples where they allege technology retailers and vendors have been ripping them off with unfair markups, while the major vendors concerned have yet to formally respond.
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.
ThoughtWorks slams ABS for census data retention “risk”
Global software consultancy ThoughtWorks has strongly criticised the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) for "risk" it took in the running of the Australian Census 2016, which saw the body retain the details of millions of people.
Updated Amaysim deals include 9GB of data for under $50 a month
Australian telecoms provider Amaysim has announced improved data and international inclusions on all its Unlimited mobile plans, including a 9GB package for less than $50.
Telstra’s Interpol filter goes live
The nation's largest telco Telstra tonight confirmed it had started filtering its customers' Internet traffic for a blacklist of sites containing child pornography as compiled by international policing agency Interpol.
A little late, Apple brings iTunes Radio to Australia
Iconic technology giant Apple this morning announced its music streaming service iTunes Radio is available in Australia, some eight months after it announced the service and five months after it launched in the US.
iiNet knew about retention proposal in 2009
iiNet this afternoon said it was briefed in late 2009 about a Federal Government proposal which could potentially see telcos required to keep records of web browsing history, telephone calls and emails of their users.
No, Minister: Telco expert fact-checks Conroy claims
A British telecommunications expert has issued a detailed statement highlighting a number of what he alleged were factual errors contained in a speech given by Communications Minister Stephen Conroy yesterday, including a rebuttal of the Labor Senator's claim that Australia's current copper network can't support high-speed broadband based on fibre to the node.
Mogeneration gets funding injection
Local smartphone and tablet software development house Mogeneration today revealed it had completed what it described as a first round “multi-million dollar” capital raising, as the company ramps up its plans to conquer the burgeoning digital publishing arena on the Apple iPad and other devices.
Speeding tickets: iiNet proposes copyright authority
National broadband provider iiNet today proposed the creation of an independent body to administer allegations of copyright infringement by internet users, including the power to issue fines and demerits to those who had purloined television shows, films and music online.
Ziggy has no rollout experience, says Albo
Shadow Communications Minister Anthony Albanese has criticised the Government's appointment of former Telstra and Optus chief executive Ziggy Switkowski to lead NBN Co, pointing out that the executive has not led major network construction work and that his tenure at both telcos was controversial.
Hyde quit NEC to run HP’s Enterprise division
Seasoned Australian technology executive Alan Hyde left his managing director role at NEC to lead the South Pacific division of HP's Enterprise Group, it has been revealed.
KPMG launches fintech startup accelerator for corporates
KPMG Australia has announced the launch of a corporate-focused accelerator called mLabs that is intended to connect mutual banks and credit unions with Australian fintech startups.
Telstra launches new mobile broadband plans
Telstra has introduced new mobile broadband plans with what it calls its "most generous" data allowances to date.
Data#3 deploys Cisco network for Edith Cowan
Australian technology provider Data#3 has announced the deployment of a "next-generation" Cisco network service for Edith Cowan University (ECU).
Conroy hasn’t received NBN implementation study
Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has not yet received the National Broadband Network implementation study being put together by consulting firms McKinsey and KPMG.
Wireless could beat NBN’s fibre, claims AFR
In its main masthead editorial, The Financial Review newspaper this morning published a number of heavily disputed statements regarding the Federal Government's National Broadband Network project, including backing the controversial claim that a new generation of wireless technologies could make the NBN's fibre rollout obsolete.
Ludlam suspects Govt of bugging his iPhone
Greens Senator Scott Ludlam has publicly stated that he suspects law enforcement agencies of bugging his mobile phone, despite admitting that he doesn't have a shred of evidence that such action might be taking place, and despite the fact that he has not had his mobile phone examined for bugging software.
Consumer group ACCAN outlines telecoms priorities at Parliament House
The Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) held its Meet the People Forum at Parliament House in Canberra yesterday to lay out its telecoms priorities for 2016.
Vodafone snaps up Lebara’s Australian mobile assets
Vodafone Hutchison Australia (VHA) has announced the acquisition of Lebara’s Australian mobile business assets – a move that will give it the right to use the Lebara brand locally.
Conroy’s dept is not working on the filter
The year-long delay which Stephen Conroy has introduced before the planned implementation of the Federal Government's mandatory internet filter project has had a dramatic impact on the activities of the Communications Minister's Department.
‘Innocent’: Morrow defends role in PG&E disasters
Bill Morrow has maintained he acted in good faith during his time leading Pacific Gas & Electricity, in a fraught Senate Estimates session in which the Opposition pursued the NBN Co chief executive and another NBN Co staffer, Brad Whitcomb, over a series of tragic accidents at the US utility.
Jetstar to rent iPads to passengers for $10
Low-cost airline Jetstar has revealed plans to trial the iPad as an in-flight entertainment option, with customers to pay $10 to rent the Apple...
Telstra gets two new 4G Motorola handsets
Google subsidiary Motorola has revealed it will launch two new Android-based handsets in Australia in the last three months of 2012, the RAZR M and the RAZR HD, with both models to be available exclusively through the nation's largest telco Telstra -- and supporting 4G speeds.
Nokia achieves “world first” symmetrical 10Gbps over HFC cable
Nokia has announced that it has achieved 10 Gbps symmetrical data speeds using a traditional hybrid fibre coaxial (HFC) cable system.
Reinecke gives Gershon qualified approval
Ian Reinecke has issued the Federal Government what could best be described as a series of 'B' or 'C' grades in his report card on how well it has implemented the recommendations of British efficiency expert Sir Peter Gershon into its use of technology.
Budget 2016: Major Police IT projects win funding
Commonwealth law enforcement agencies such as the Australian Federal Police and Crimtrac have won big in this year's Federal Budget in terms of their IT infrastructure programs, with the Government greenlighting a series of major initiatives.
ATO wins qualified approval for Change Program
The Australian Taxation Office has received a qualified pat on the back for its lengthy implementation of one of the nation’s most complex technology projects – its $756.7 million Change Program – in one of the most comprehensive examinations of the project yet undertaken.
Oops: Pro-NBN ad campaign raises $40k
A crowdfunding campaign which aimed to raise $15,000 to place pro-FTTP NBN ads Malcolm Turnbull’s local newspaper has massively blown its original target in a matter of days, with almost $40,000 being pledged to the cause so far.
Qld hires E&Y to evaluate CITEC sale
The Queensland Government has engaged consulting firm EY (formerly Ernst & Young) to conduct a strategic review of its CITEC IT shared services business, in a sign that it is considering following the recommendations of the Costello Commission of Audit report and selling the business to the private sector.
Queensland will be first to get NBN HFC cable, says Fifield
Minister for Communications Mitch Fifield has announced that residents in Queensland will be the first to experience the NBN's "superfast" HFC cable broadband service when the network goes live in June.
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.
NSW Govt trials Gmail, MS cloud email
The New South Wales State Government has revealed that it will trial both Google- and Microsoft-based cloud email platforms, as its interest in the new cloud computing paradigm continues to develop.
Centrelink issues $500m+ telco tender
Welfare agency Centrelink has kicked off a gigantic purchasing effort which will see it consolidate a number of telecommunications contracts into a number of overarching deals expected to be worth in excess of $500 million in total.
$380m baby: Tax’s desktop deal revealed
The Australian Taxation Office has revealed that its five-year desktop services contract with defence giant and IT contractor Lockheed Martin has a total pricetag of $380 million -- a number 25 percent higher than it had initially estimated.
CommBank unveils Android app
The Commonwealth Bank yesterday announced it would offer its NetBank mobile banking app to Android users starting from tomorrow.
In a statement, the bank said...
Report: Australia must take steps to capitalise on IoT revolution
Australia must take care not to miss out on the benefits of the ‘next great disruptor’ – the Internet of Things – according to a report published last week by the newly formed Communications Alliance Internet of Things (IoT) Think Tank.
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.
Govt receives 55,000 R18+ game rating submissions
The Federal Government has received more than 55,000 responses to a discussion paper about whether it should implement a R18+ rating category for video...
‘No apologies’: ASIC pledges to block more sites
The chairman of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission last week said the regulator would not "apologise" for using an obscure section of the Telecommunications Act to block websites suspected of fraud, and stated that the organisation would continue to use the controversial power to block more sites.
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.
Virgin confirms iPhone 4 launch
A spokesperson for Virgin Mobile Australia yesterday confirmed the company would launch Apple's iPhone 4 handset in Australia -- as its parent brand Optus will.
Come clean, Conroy: Turnbull slams Brissie NBN “gerrymandering”
Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has accused the Government of targeting its own electoral seats in the National Broadband Network’s (NBN) rollout in Brisbane, where Labor suffered major losses in the recent Queensland election. NBN Co’s latest rollout plan for the next three years was announced several weeks ago.
Infrastructure Australia reveals almost no specific basis for NBN privatisation push
Infrastructure Australia has revealed it did not consult more than a handful of sources or organisations when making its recommendation in mid-February that the National Broadband Network be split up into pieces and sold off to the private sector.
FTTN would be “a litigator’s picnic”, says Optus
The nation's number two telco Optus has described the proposed process of getting Telstra to give up part of its copper network for a fibre to the node upgrade as "a litigator's picnic", due to the complex legal issues around compensation for the telco handing over its property.
ViewSonic brings Android tablets down under
US display giant ViewSonic has unveiled plans to shortly bring its 7" and 10" ViewPad tablet devices to Australia, inviting journalists to a launch event next week in Sydney.
Aussie non-profits adopt Office 365 en-masse
Non-profit Australian organisations such as charities are adopting Microsoft's Office 365 Software as a Service platform in large numbers, according to non-profit technology enablement group Infoxchange, which has recently helped 20 such organisations shift into Microsoft's cloud.
NBN here to stay under Coalition, says analyst
Labor's flagship National Broadband Network project is here to stay in one form or another and won't be discontinued as a whole, telecommunications analyst Paul Budde said this week, even if the Coalition was to take power in the next Federal Election.
Turnbull has “grave misgivings” on data retention
Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has broken his silence regarding the Fedeal Government's controversial data retention and surveillance package, declaring that he has "grave misgivings" about a project which he feels "seems to be heading in precisely the wrong direction".
Woolworths customers go online
Note: This article has been updated after publishing with further information provided by Woolworths on the implementation of improved supply chain technology.
Retailer Woolworths today...
Qld Transport loses CIO at critical juncture
Queensland's Department of Transport and Main Roads this month revealed it had recently lost its most senior IT executive; a move that comes as the department gears up for an extremely wide-ranging refresh of its fundamental IT infrastructure designed to bring it up to date with modern desktop and application environments.
VMware introduces new desktop virtualisation platform
Virtualisation giant VMware has unveiled a new platform for delivering secure digital workspaces for flexible working on any device.
Announcing the winner: Delimiter’s Kindle Fire giveaway
As you might recall, in January we kicked off a competition to give away an Amazon Kindle Fire -- we had one sitting around spare after we reviewed it last year.
Conroy savages Coalition’s rural fibre complaints
Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has issued an angry statement rejecting Coalition criticism of Labor’s plans to deploy fibre to the home infrastructure in rural areas throughout Australia, demanding the Coalition “come clean” with its own plans for rural Australia.
HP adopts Microsoft Dynamics for CRM
Multinational IT giant HP has signed a six-year agreement to deploy Microsoft Dynamics for its thousands of employees.
Global privacy group files formal ASD complaint
Global privacy organisation Privacy International has filed a formal complaint with Australia's Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security over a report that the Australian Signals Directorate had offered to hand over data on Australian citizens to foreign intelligence agencies.
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.
NSW Govt opens datacentres to SaaS vendors
The New South Wales State Government has invited technology vendors to register their interest in providing cloud computing-based services from its two new datacentres being constructed to consolidate the IT infrastructure needs of its departments and agencies state-wide.
Hackett rubbishes NBN Co’s ‘crystal ball gazing’
Internode managing director Simon Hackett has published an impassioned statement responding to the National Broadband Network Company’s attempts to explain its pricing model, accusing the fledgling fibre monopolist of “crystal ball gazing” with regard to its predictions of how much usage its network will see.
Virtualisation and private cloud: What’s the difference?
What’s the difference between advanced virtualisation and the incoming wave of private cloud computing solutions? That’s the question a number of readers were asking themselves last week after top-tier bank Westpac revealed it had in the past year deployed its own private cloud.
NBN “disastrous” for piracy, claims music industry
Australia's peak music industry organisation has claimed that the rollout of the National Broadband Network could have "disastrous results" for the local music industry due to the lack of "graduated response" or "site blocking" processes to stop the "serious problem" of Internet-based piracy of music.
YOU’RE WRONG AGAIN, Hackett tells Conroy
Simon Hackett has accused Communications Minister Stephen Conroy of again making factually incorrect statements about Internode's approach to the National Broadband Network, claiming Conroy hadn't even read some of Hackett's recent statements on the matter.
iiNet wins High Court Internet piracy trial
iiNet today emerged victorious in a landmark High Court victory against a coalition of film and TV studios on the issue of Internet piracy through peer to peer platforms like BitTorrent, in the conclusion of a long-running case which is viewed as the a test for how Australia's telecommunications industry will deal with the issue in future.
Congrats to Jeremy Kime, iPad 2 owner!
After quite a few weeks of tangling with Apple's retail staff, we have managed to purchase one of these little babies, and today I'm happy to announce the winner: Queensland software developer Jeremy Kime!
NBN Co overbuilding Turnbull’s 100Mbps FTTN election case study
The NBN company appears to be deploying its own competitive infrastructure to a housing estate in Sydney which Malcolm Turnbull specifically used during the 2013 Federal Election to highlight the strengths of his chosen Fibre to the Node technology.
Optus launches Voice over LTE on 4G Plus network
Optus has announced that it is rolling out Voice over LTE (VoLTE) across its 4G Plus mobile network in Australia’s major metros.
Another NBN Co head of construction resigns
The National Broadband Network Company has confirmed that it has lost its third head of construction in three years, with the company's executive general manager of construction Richard Thorpe having resigned and set to leave the company shortly.
NBN denies HFC launch in uber-marginal seat breaches Caretaker Conventions
The NBN company has denied that its launch yesterday of its new HFC cable network breaches the election campaign Caretaker Conventions, despite the company promoting the Coalition-backed technology in the uber-marginal seat of Petrie.
Internode snips broadband plan range
National broadband provider Internode today announced it would massively simplify its broadband plans on offer, cutting out 60 of its 78 plans.
Conroy bushwhacks Fifield with NBN transparency reform
Former Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has blindsided the Government in the Senate, successfully passing an amendment to an otherwise innocuous piece of NBN legislation that will enforce a degree of radical transparency on the NBN company.
Qld Health preps huge IT outsourcing deals
The Queensland State Government has revealed plans to engage in a comprehensive IT outsourcing exercise involving its statewide health department, in the newest plank in its strategy to overhaul Queensland Health's extremely troubled IT support systems and processes.
Govt invites feedback on $8m startup incubator initiative
The Federal Government has called for comment on a new $8m initiative aimed to boost Australia’s next generation of startups.
Renai’s Holiday Time News – Monday
Normally Renai has his finger on the pulse of Australian IT news, but seeing as he's on a break, that responsibility is on me....
Wilkie wins poker machine tech restraints
Tasmanian independent MP Andrew Wilkie has won a commitment from Prime Minister Julia Gillard that Labor would enforce an overhaul of poker machine technology if Labor takes Government, involving what is called "pre-commitment technology" being applied to the gambling devices.
Telstra partners with Accenture on cloud
Telstra has inked a three-year partnership deal with Accenture which will see the two technology giants work together to deliver cloud computing services to large Australian organisations, dividing up responsibilities between them according to their respective competencies.
Introducing Delimiter 2.0
This morning Delimiter gets a sister site, Delimiter 2.0. It'll feature longer, in-depth articles, but no advertising, and be monetised through a monthly subscription. Let us know what you think!
NSW to outsource ServiceFirst functions
The New South Wales State Government has followed through on its proposal to outsource key functions of state shared services agency ServiceFirst, inviting the private sector to provide options for the group's future in a move reminiscent of a similar approach taken by the Victorian Government to its IT shared services agency CenITex.
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".
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.
Lessons from HealthSMART: The era of big health IT projects in Victoria is over
The Victorian Government has published a landmark review into the use of technology in the state’s health ecosystem, finding that its landmark HealthSMART program launched in 2004 had had its benefits, but that the state should devolve most decisions about IT back to individual health units such as hospitals.
DiData lands Aussie customer for new cloud
Global IT services outfit Dimension Data has announced a new range of global cloud services, simultaneously revealing it has signed up the Australian Centre for Advanced Computing and Communications to use the platform.
Visionstream bags $300m Tassie NBN deal
Leighton subsidiary Visionstream has won a $300 million contract from the National Broadband Network Company for the rollout of the National Broadband Network (NBN) in Tasmania.
Qld school iPad trial a strong success
Queensland’s education department has published several extensive reports detailing recent trials of iPads within the classroom, with the documents overwhelmingly classing the Apple tablets as a success, including in their ability to help students improve their academic performance.
Optus offers TV from your mobile
Optus has this morning announced a new service which allows customers to record and watch free-to-air television from their mobile phone or computer on the go.
DDoS attack knocks Atlassian offline
A distributed denial of service attack against Atlassian's hosting provider took the company's software as a service platform down for a few hours this morning, with services returning this afternoon.
Richard Stallman to hit Australia
Controverisal free and open source software luminary Richard Stallman will hit Australia for an unknown period of time in October, with a keynote scheduled to be held at the University of New South Wales.
Pollenizer takes a further $1.1m, rejigs model
Australian startup incubator Pollenizer has raised a further $1.1 million to continue to develop its operations, and has substantially reformed its model on building startups to place a higher emphasis on its staff acting as co-founders of the startup companies it helps to foster.
Qld Govt reportedly dumps CIO Grant
The Queensland Government has reportedly "removed" its whole of government chief information officer Peter Grant from his position, just 18 months after the executive was appointed to the role for the second time.
Domino’s Pizza to launch drone deliveries with new tech partner
Domino’s Pizza has announced a new partnership with US-based drone delivery specialist Flirtey to launch what it claims will be the "first commercial drone delivery service in the world".
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".
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.
“Misinformation”: Kogan enters open war with Telstra on disconnections
The troubled mobile division of consumer electronics giant Kogan has accused Telstra of misleading the public about the telco's willingness to continue to support Kogan's mobile customers abandoned by the failure of wholesale ispONE, in a furious statement alleging commercial impropriety by Telstra on a range of fronts.
Vodafone grows customer numbers by 135,000, revenue by 4.5 percent
Vodafone has announced its Australian growth figures for 2015, saying that its customer base increased by 135,000 customer – a 2.5% year-on-year increase to 5,437 million.
iiNet, Internode implement Conroy’s new filter
National broadband provider iiNet and its subsidiary Internode have pledged to implement the limited child abuse Internet filtering scheme adopted as policy last week by the Federal Government, noting they had received independent legal advice advising them to comply with a new "compulsory" request by police to do so.
NSW announces Opal app top ups, credit card “tap in” trial
The NSW Government has announced that customers using its Opal smartcard ticketing system for public transport services can now top up via its "new and improved" Opal Travel app. Also announced were 2017 trials of a scheme that would allow commuters to tap "contactless" credit and debit cards as an alternative to the Opal card.
nbn meets Turnbull’s June 30 rollout targets
Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull today confirmed nbn would meet its rollout targets for the start of the 2015/2016 financial year, although the success appeared to be based almost entirely upon the continual deployment of Labor’s previous Fibre to the Premises model, and not the Coalition’s technically inferior multi-technology alternative.
Whole of Govt CIO role abolished
The Federal Government this morning revealed it had abolished its whole of government chief information officer role in the wake of the departure of the last public servant to hold the position, Glenn Archer, with the position's responsibilities to devolve to a much lower profile role in the Department of Finance.
US Court: Microsoft can’t be forced to hand over overseas emails
A US Court has ruled that Microsoft cannot be forced hand over emails stored overseas even for domestic search warrants issued as part of criminal investigations.
Farr, Boreham, Wood, Skellern win Australia Day honours
Former IBM Australia leader Glen Boreham, Defence chief information officer Greg Farr, Wotif.com founder Graeme Wood and former NICTA chief David Skellern have all picked up Australia Day honours this week for outstanding service to the nation.
VMware’s Harapin takes APJ role
The long-time managing director of VMware Australia and New Zealand has been promoted to an Asia-Pacific and Japan role, with his replacement to be Duncan Bennet, the former leader of Sun Microsystems in Australia.
Pollenizer’s new office + Mick Liubinskas’ crazy life
In this video filmed by the good chaps at StartCastAU, local tech startup luminary Mick Liubinskas walks us through the new offices of his startup incubator Pollenizer. It’s been a wild ride for Liubinskas and his co-founder Phil Morle.
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.
Non-profit Internet of Things Alliance launches in Sydney
A new not-for-profit entity called the Internet of Things Alliance Australia (IoTAA) has been launched in Sydney by Shadow Minister for Communications Jason Clare.
It’s official: R18+ game legislation passes
After a hard-fought campaign lasting several years, Australia's video game industry and community has achieved a major victory with the passing last night of landmark legislation which will introduce a new R18+ classification for video games in Australia.
Government to retain ownership of Canberra’s ICON network
The Federal Government has announced it will not sell off the Intra Government Communications Network (ICON) – a fibre network connecting public service buildings throughout Canberra.
NBN Co seeks IT ops manager
The state-owned company behind the National Broadband Network has advertised for a top-level manager to lead its newly created IT operations team.
NSW formalises ‘cloud-first’ with new policy
The New South Wales State Government has formalised its already extremely proactive and positive approach towards the adoption of the new class of cloud computing services within its operations, issuing a new cloud computing policy this week which forces departments and agencies to consider the cloud when undertaking ICT procurements.
Qld Govt invests in open data, startups, STEM
The Queensland Government made a number of announcements yesterday revealing how the state is investing in a number of areas, including open data, innovative startups and STEM training for teachers.
Optus puts price on VCE cloud
Optus's business division and its subsidiary Alphawest today announced the launch of a new scalable commercial enterprise 'cloud' service -- Optus Cloud Solutions -- which will be available to enterprise customers from October 1st.
Gillard hack a “wake-up call”, say security experts
The rogue attackers who are suspected of hacking into the parliamentary computers of Prime Minister Julia Gillard and others could have already covered their traces, a security expert said this week, as news of the apparent break-in sent shock waves through Australia's security community.
New Qld IT renewal chief lasted just a month
The Queensland Government appears to have suffered a further substantial blow to its attempts to reform its technology infrastructure, with an executive having been hand-picked to oversee its IT renewal program resigning after just one month in the role, and taking her deputy with her.
Ludlam reveals catch-all “fair use” copyright bill
Greens Senator and Communications Spokesperson Scott Ludlam has introduced a wide-ranging amendment bill to Australia's copyright legislation which would see a range of "fair use" and "fair go" stipulations introduced, with the intention of delivering Australian consumers a fairer copyright situation than they currently enjoy.
Shanghai to host latest tech startup ‘landing pad’
The Federal Government had announced that the host city for the latest startup 'landing pad' will be Shanghai, China's largest city
Optus picks Nokia Siemens for core
The nation's number two telco, Optus, today revealed it had selected Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) to be its sole packet core vendor, in a multi-million dollar contract that will allow it to face its growing bandwidth needs.
Android triples Aussie market share in 3 months
Just 12 months ago, Apple's burgeoning mobile phone business could do no wrong in Australia. Fresh from the local launch of the iPhone 3GS and with a market share ranking that was speedily catching up to the likes of Nokia and Research in Motion's BlackBerry in the smartphone market, Apple was on track to conquer the world. What a difference a year can make.
AAPT CEO poached to fix NSW?
Four years after he took the role leading Telecom New Zealand’s troubled Australian division AAPT, and nine months after he sold a large chunk of it to smaller rival iiNet, seasoned telco and industry executive Paul Broad has reportedly been poached to run the new NSW Government’s infrastructure revitalisation arm.
Turnbull slams Twitter’s NBN “craziness”
Malcolm Turnbull has accused users of social networking site Twitter of misrepresenting his position on the Coalition's broadband policy during a stoush with a small business operator unable to get broadband in a rural area, with the Communications Minister claiming the episode could be a case study "of the volatile and sometimes distorting character of social media".
Catch of the Day wins Packer, Seek backing
A group of high-profile investors including James Packer and the co-founder of Seek have ploughed millions in investment capital into controversial Melbourne-based online retailer CatchOfTheDay -- which is also behind the Scoopon group buying site.
ASUS first to import NVIDIA’s Optimus technology
Hardware manufacturer ASUS has revealed plans to bring laptops to Australia utilising NVIDIA's new Optimus graphics technology, which can automatically switch between using a device's integrated or discrete video cards depending on the task being performed.
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.
Internet filter scope creep: Govt may censor offshore gambling sites
The Federal Government is considering extending its covert Internet filtering scheme to block offshore gambling websites, in a 'scope creep' move that has the telecommunications industry up in arms about the dangers of secretive Internet censorship.
Next stage approval for Foxtel/AUSTAR merger
The Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB), led by Treasurer Wayne Swan, has announced the approval of the multi-billion dollar merger between pay TV companies Foxtel and AUSTAR. The merger will bring together two of Australia’s major subscription TV service providers.
Brisbane commits to fibre rollout
Brisbane Lord Mayor Campbell Newman today reportedly confirmed the city would roll out fibre broadband to homes around the city, in a move that sparked a mixed reaction from Communications Minister Stephen Conroy.
Telstra to roll out ‘small cell’ 4G coverage in over 130 areas
The Federal Government and Telstra have announced the telco is to roll out small cell mobile technology to boost data coverage in more than 130 rural and regional communities.
CommBank standardises in-house fleet on iPhone
The Commonwealth Bank of Australia has revealed that it will standardise its mobile phone fleet on Apple’s iPhone platform, as it progresses plans to move away from its
high-profile softphone-based unified communications strategy recently implemented at its flagship Commonwealth Bank Place facility in Sydney.
NBN gridlock resolved: FTTN congestion fixed for some
Some of the early adopters of the Government's preferred Fibre to the Node NBN rollout model have now resolved their problems and are achieving the speeds they were promised on the service, following pressure on the issue from Delimiter and the Opposition.
IBM to revamp HCF’s core IT systems
Australian health insurer HCF today revealed it had inked a major multi-million dollar contract with IBM which will see Big Blue "continue" to transform HCF's IT systems, using IBM's iLog and Lombardi software to do so.
“Lay off the Kool-Aid,” Turnbull tells NBN believers
Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull last night declared National Broadband Network enthusiasts needed to demonstrate what applications would actually need the fibre network’s massively enhanced speeds, telling futurist Mark Pesce he needed to “lay off the kool-aid” with respect to the technology.
“Aussies treated like second-class citizens”: Choice blasts US TV giants
Consumer watchdog Choice has issued a fiery statement accusing US content giants of giving Australians "a raw deal" when it comes to making television shows and films available in Australia, pointing out that Australians pay substantially more to access the same content and encouraging locals to use technical mechanisms to get around so-called "geo-blocking".
Both iPads to hit Australia late April
Both the Wi-Fi and 3G versions of Apple's iPad tablet computer will be available in Australia in "late April", the company said over the...
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.
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.
Salesforce.com fires back at Oracle launch
Software as a service vendor Salesforce.com has delivered a backhander to its big brother Oracle following the decision by Larry Ellison's baby to start providing its on-demand customer relationship management tools from a Sydney datacentre for the first time.
UniSA feels comfortable with PeopleSoft
The University of South Australia expects to save $2.5 million over the next five years, by deploying an upgraded version of Oracle's PeopleSoft to run its online student management system.
NSW Police wants fingerprint scanners for Samsung’s Galaxy Note 4
The New South Wales police force has gone to market for fingerprint scanners to add to its fleet of existing Samsung Galaxy Note 4 smartphones, as part of a national trend that is increasingly allowing law enforcement authorities to examine biometric data to verify identities in the field.
Fibre optic broadband to last 50 years, says Budde
While technology is generally advancing at a furious pace, fibre optic broadband has nothing that is likely to replace it for as much as 50 years, telecoms expert Paul Budde has said.
Telstra left out as Xperia arc lands in April
Mobile phone manufacturer Sony Ericsson today announced its new Xperia arc smartphone would hit Australian shores by early April and would be available through Optus and Vodafone -- but Telstra won't get a look-in.
Farce: Minister has PCEHR report … but Dept can’t find a copy
The Department of Health has rejected a Freedom of Information request for a report reviewing the Federal Government’s troubled Personally Controlled Electronic Health Records project, claiming that it does not have a copy of the document, despite the fact that Health Minister Peter Dutton announced in December that he had received it.
Labor claims DHS telephone and IT systems ‘collapsing’
Labor has released a statement over what it calls a "collapse" in the standards of telecoms and IT services at Centrelink and Medicare.
FTTN or FTTH? It doesn’t matter, says Vodafone
The chief executive of ailing national mobile player Vodafone stated over the weekend that it wasn’t “important” whether Australia’s National Broadband Network policy pursued a fibre to the home or fibre to the node approach, with only “minor nuances” between the two platforms proposed separately by the Government and the Opposition.
Telstra ‘price squeeze’: Hackett slams ACCC inaction
Telstra's been squeezing prices to its wholesale customers for almost a year now -- and the national competition regulator's taken zero action in response, according to Internode managing director Simon Hackett.
NBN Co will be a retail ISP, warns Coalition
The Opposition yesterday vehemently protested key provisions of legislation associated with the National Broadband Network which it claimed would open the door for NBN Co to become a retail provider of broadband services, going against its 'wholesale-only' mandate.
Spence to leave Unwired
Long-time Unwired chief executive David Spence (pictured) will hand over responsibility for the Unwired business to the chief executive of Seven telecommunications stablemate vividwireless,...
CERT report finds IT hacks uncommon, usually petty
A major new study of the IT security habits and experiences of Australian organisations conducted by government group CERT Australia has found the majority did not suffer an IT security incident over the past 12 months, and those that did mainly suffered minor breaches such as the theft of a laptop of smartphone.
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.
Telstra partially backtracks on international roaming charge hike
In the face of an upset customer base, Telstra has backtracked on its recently announced decision to more than triple excess data fees incurred when roaming internationally.
WA audit finds schools “struggling” with ICT management
Western Australia's schools are struggling to keep on top of ICT management and students could be adversely affected if the situation is not remedied, according to the state's Auditor General.
NSW Education’s HR/finance overhaul goes south
New South Wales's state government auditor-general revealed yesterday that a massive SAP-based project to replace finance, HR, payroll and student administration systems across the public education sector had gone off the rails.
Spear-phishers targeted Reserve Bank in 2011
The Reserve Bank of Australia has on several occasions been the target of targeted malicious email traffic that sought to help external attackers breach the organisation's IT security systems, it was revealed this morning, although it is believed the bank was able to fend off the attacks before they got access to any sensitive information.
Turnbull demands NBN audit
Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has called for the Federal Government to "immediately" commit to auditing the National Broadband Network rollout following reports that NBN contractors have stopped work in Ballarat, in news that represents the latest blow to the project's already delayed rollout schedule.
Faster Telstra mobile modem hits the masses
Telstra today started selling its upgraded mobile broadband modem to the wider consumer market, after several months of offering the device -- and its theoretical network speeds of up to 42Mbps -- to big business customers and the government sector.
Telstra doubles bundled data quotas
The nation's biggest telco Telstra has fired a new shot across the bow of its broadband rivals, allocating customers more value from existing bundled plans by doubling or more than doubling the amount of data quota they can use.
SA Coalition slams shared services “disaster”
South Australia's Shadow Finance Minister Rob Lucas has added to a long-running series of attacks on the Labor State Government's handling of technology initiatives, labelling its implementation of a series of shared services centres as an "unmitigated disaster" that had blown out by $68 million.
NBN debate not about technology, says Turnbull
Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has delivered a major speech in Malaysia in which he criticised the publication of "worst of the worst" photos of Telstra's copper telecommunications network and argued that the National Broadband Network debate should be about real end user outcomes and not about technology per se.
Motorola cuts Wi-Fi Xoom to $399
Motorola has announced that the Wi-Fi version of its Xoom tablet is now on on sale in Australia for a recommended retail price of $399, translating to a saving of 39 percent in the build up to the Christmas season.
Abbott is a Luddite, says Conroy
Communications Minister Stephen Conroy this afternoon opened fire on Tony Abbott, labelling him a "luddite" for not having appearing to have anything to do with his party's technology policies, on a day in which the Canberra press gallery also criticised the Opposition Leader on the issue.
Optus connects first 700Mhz LTE call
In an announcement this week, Optus revealed that it had been successful in connecting Australia’s first Long Term Evolution (LTE) call in the 700MHz ‘Digital Dividend’ spectrum band.
Oracle reveals swathe of Aussie rollouts
Enterprise technology giant Oracle has published details of half a dozen sizable deployments of its technology by Australian customers, as it continues its push to convince local technology buyers of the popularity of its Fusion platforms.
HTC won’t confirm Flyer tablet for Australia
Taiwanese electronics giant HTC has refused to confirm any plans to launch its flagship Flyer tablet in Australia, after unveiling the device to international interest at the Mobile World Congress conference in Barcelona yesterday.
Turnbull warns of growing cyber aggression
Australian public and private sector organisations and individuals are facing malicious cyber activity that is unprecedented in scale and reach, Malcolm Turnbull warns in the government’s new cyber security strategy, launched on Thursday.
Ludlam warns Turnbull: Don’t be a “NBN wrecker”
Greens Communications Spokesman Scott Ludlam today welcomed Malcolm Turnbull's appointment as Shadow Communications Minister but warned the Liberal heavyweight against "wrecking" Labor's National Broadband Network project.
Blackout: Govt piracy meeting completely censored
The Federal Government has declined to reveal almost any information about a second secret industry meeting held in February this year to address the issue of Internet piracy, using a variety of complex justifications to avoid releasing virtually any detail of the meeting under Freedom of Information laws.
Australia gets black Nintendo Wii, DSi XL
Video game giant Nintendo has unveiled plans to start selling a black-coloured Wii console in Australia from March 11, with its new, larger handheld DSi XL to launch locally from 15 April.
Turnbull lies on NBN to Triple J listeners
Malcolm Turnbull yesterday made several statements on the ABC's Triple J radio station regarding financial projections for Labor's National Broadband Network project which the Communications Minister is aware are false, with the former investment banker inaccurately conflating investment capital and government expenses for the project as well as exaggerating financial figures.
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.
Govt pays $280k to bring startup accelerator to Australia
The Federal Government has splashed out $280,000 to bring one of the world’s top startup accelerators to Australia in a bid to help local entrepreneurs grow their businesses.
Messaging startup Slack opens Melbourne HQ
Slack Technologies has opened a new regional headquarters in Melbourne that is expected to create 70 new jobs for Victoria’s growing tech sector.
GoPro to site regional HQ in Melbourne, create 50 new jobs
Action camera manufacturer GoPro has said it will set up its Australian and New Zealand headquarters in Melbourne – a move that will create up to 50 jobs over the next five years and was in part due to assistance from the Victorian Government.
Tassie FTTN decision Visionstream’s fault, says Turnbull
Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has explicitly blamed construction contractor Visionstream for the Federal Government's decision not to fully deploy the Fibre to the Premises model for the Coalition's Broadband Network in Tasmania, claiming the company was not able to deliver the infrastructure at the cost it agreed to.
Think big, Hackett tells Australians on eve of Internode departure
Internode founder Simon Hackett has exhorted Australians to think about their legacy and how they can "leave a good result behind", in a heartfelt speech given on the eve of his departure from the Internet service provider he founded and arrival as a board director at the National Broadband Network Company.
CeBIT: Watch the videos
A number of media outlets filmed videos at the CeBIT trade fair and conference series in Sydney this week.
New iPods to hit Australia next week
Apple's new line-up of iPod music devices unveiled overnight in the US will hit Australia next week, the company announced this morning, although the nation will have to wait a little longer for the revamped Apple TV.
Sell off the NBN? Abbott won’t confirm or deny
Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has repeatedly refused to confirm or deny whether the Coalition would sell off finished portions of the National Broadband Network infrastructure if it won the next Federal Election, stating only that the Coalition believed the private sector could deliver broadband to Australia better than the Government.
AICD’s membership data stolen
Australia's peak organisation for company directors has warned its members to be on the lookout for attempts at identity fraud, after today disclosing that a computer had been stolen from its offices which may have contained data on its many thousands of high-profile members and clients located around the nation.
Atlassian seeks engineering VP
Fast-growing Australian software development house Atlassian has started looking for a vice president of engineering to lead a 120-strong team of developers in Australia and San Francisco.
NSW Attorney-General wants GTA banned
NSW Attorney-General Greg Smith has unexpectedly called for the popular Grand Theft Auto video game series and other violent games to be banned -- not just classified R18+ as suitable for adult use.
Govt takes no action on website blocking
The Federal Government has admitted it has as of yet taken no action to improve the transparency and accountability of the unilateral use by individual departments and agencies of an obscure section of the Telecommunications Act to force telcos and ISPs to block websites suspected of conducting illegal activities.
ISPs won’t talk about Interpol filter support
Three of Australia's major ISPs -- TPG, Dodo and Primus -- have not responded to repeated requests to disclose whether they are planning to implement the limited Internet filtering scheme which is being promulgated by the Australian Federal Police in cooperation with international policing agency Interpol.
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.
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.
Conroy retains communications portfolio
New Prime Minister Julia Gillard has confirmed that only minimal changes will be made to her cabinet team, with Communications Minister Stephen Conroy to retain his position.
Telstra offers free data following mobile network outage
Telstra is offering free data for a day for all customers this Sunday following an outage in its national mobile network that affected voice and data services for some customers.
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.
E-Health records become a reality for three sites
The Federal Government's $466.7 million e-health records scheme will shortly start to surface in patients lives in the real world, with Health Minister Nicola Roxon this morning announcing three trial general practitioner networks that will start to implement the technology.
Qantas signs up for Office 365
Qantas has reportedly revealed plans for a mass deployment of Microsoft's Office 365 suite, in a landmark move which will mark one of the first major Australian rollouts of the software as a service platform in a private sector entity.
HBO to invest $10 million in Quickflix
Leading Australian online movie rental company Quickflix announced yesterday that US television giant Home Box Office (HBO) would invest $10 million for a strategic stake in the company.
Now Hockey contradicts Turnbull on NBN costs
Shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey has joined Opposition Leader Tony Abbott in contradicting comments made by Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull on the budget accounting for Labor’s National Broadband Network project, describing the NBN’s off-budget treatment as “accounting tricks”, despite the accounting model having been independently verified.
Seeing Machines replaces Salesforce.com, MYOB, Excel and Outlook with NetSuite OneWorld
Seeing Machines, an Australia-based developer of driver fatigue and distraction detection technology, has deployed NetSuite OneWorld across its global operations.
Conroy slams Turnbull’s “hysterical” budget “lies”
Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has accused his Opposition counterpart of intentionally spreading "hysterical claims" in comments made this week with respect to budget treatment of National Broadband Network funding, in the latest spat between the two over the high-profile infrastructure project.
“The NBN is dead,” says Jason Clare
Shadow Communications Minister Jason Clare yesterday said he believed Labor's National Broadband Network project was "dead" and that all that was left was "a bunch of different technologies rolling out in different parts of the country", despite the fact that most Australians still want the project to go ahead.
“Captain of the Titanic”: Turnbull mocks Quigley’s NBN tenure
Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has mocked the tenure of outgoing NBN Co chief Mike Quigley in leading the National Broadband Network Company, comparing the respected executive to the "Captain of the Titanic" in what Turnbull claimed was an inability to get the job done with respect to the NBN.
NSW Govt may scrap IT shared services units
The New South Wales Government has indicated it may follow in the footsteps of fellow states Queensland and Western Australia and drastically re-work its IT shared services strategy, in the wake of questionable benefits having flowed from the scheme.
Turnbull accuses ABC of NBN “propaganda”
Malcolm Turnbull has accused the national broadcaster of creating “relentless propaganda” to support Labor’s flagship National Broadband Network, in a stance which the Shadow Communications Minister yesterday described as “embarrassing”.
$800m gorilla: Telstra seeds its cloud
The nation’s largest telco Telstra today started throwing its sizable weight around in Australia’s burgeoning cloud computing market, throwing down a $800 million investment in the space and revealing a tranche of new corporate customers.
Internet association slams Conroy’s “personal attacks”
The representative body for Australia's internet industry has criticised Communications Minister Stephen Conroy for his comments earlier this week against search giant Google, saying it was "very disappointed" in the Labor politician.
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".
It’s on: Android to beat Apple down under this year
By the end of this year, there will be more Android-based smartphones being sold in Australia than Apple iPhones, according to IDC research released yesterday -- with Finnish giant Nokia falling further and further behind.
HTC Aria debuts on Optus
Consumer electronics giant HTC today launched its latest Android-based smartphone handset in Australia -- the Aria -- with exclusive distribution through Optus.
Vic Govt opens IT offshoring door
The Victorian Department of Human Services has reportedly investigated handing the re-development of its troubled client and case management system to an offshore provider in the popular IT outsourcing country of India, in one of the first signals that the state recognises the unsustainable nature of its current onshored resources.
IBM wins $200m NBN Co systems deal
NBN Co has appointed the nation’s largest technology services company IBM as the prime systems integrator to build the technology platform which will form...
Foxtel on Xbox 360 starts at $20 a month
Foxtel today unveiled the pricing and content breadth of what is slated to be yet another internet television and video on demand play aimed at Australian consumers, with much of the pay TV operator's content to be available for the price of $20 per month through Microsoft's Xbox 360 console starting from November.
NBN Co “misleading” FTTN/FTTB users, says ACCC
The head of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission this morning said NBN Co would be "misleading" consumers on its planned Fibre to the Node or Basement (FTTN/B) infrastructure if it went through with its decision to allow them to order speeds between 50Mbps and 100Mbps which their connections could not actually deliver.
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).
Telstra pumps network iron for IPTV launch
The nation's largest telco Telstra has unveiled plans to substantially re-work its network infrastructure to deal with a massive influx of data expected to flow through its pipes as part of its IPTV strategy, which will this month see its flagship T-Box device launch.
Canon faces union battle over CSG deal
The Australian Services Union has taken Canon to workplace tribunal Fair Work Australia over the transfer of technicians to the Japanese imaging giant from IT services firm CSG.
Xenophon wants Senate inquiry into cyber attacks following BoM breach
Independent Senator for South Australia, Nick Xenophon, has called for an urgent inquiry into cyber security following recent revelations that the Bureau of Meteorology’s systems have been breached, along with those of other government agencies.
Amazon puts Aussie face on global Kindle store
Online retailer Amazon this morning revealed it had formally launched an Australian version of its popular online bookstore, putting a formal face on a service which millions of Australians have already been accessing for years and further supporting Australian authors to sell their books online locally.
Turnbull NBN advisor leaves key facts out of MTM defence
An influential advisor to Malcolm Turnbull has published a spirited defence of the Coalition's controversial Multi-Technology Mix approach to the NBN, but without including key facts which show a stark difference between the MTM model and similar policies in comparable countries.
Labor will dump FTTP NBN policy, says Fifield
Minister for Communications Mitch Fifield has hit out at Labor's stance on the NBN's underlying technology, saying the opposition party could to be preparing to abandon its position on fibre to the premises (FTTP).
ABC embroiled in copyright debate over iview
The ABC has found itself caught up in a copyright debate after it forced the removal of an application that enabled people to download and watch programs offered on its iview service.
Nuclear attack: Anonymous targets AFACT
The loose-knit confederation of internet activists who organise under the banner "Anonymous" appeared to hit Australia again this morning, with Operation Payback targeting a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack against the Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft (AFACT).
Labor “surprised” by ABC’s NBN coverage
Labor MP Ed Husic this morning told the Federal Parliament that he was "surprised" by the ABC's coverage of the National Broadband Network issue, following news that several of the broadcaster’s flagship current affairs shows have largely ignored the issue recently and that it delayed a pro-NBN article by Lateline host Emma Alberici until after the Federal Election.
Android tablets: Weaker sales than expected
Apple will take an even stronger slice of Australia's fast-growing tablet market than previously expected, one of the nation's major technology analyst firms said today, with Android vendors slow to bring their devices to market and not having different enough features to take much away from the iPad 2.
WA Govt agencies ignore constant warnings on IT security
Western Australia's Auditor General has warned that over a half of government agencies are failing to heed advice on IT security.
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”.
Ray White IT manager in Ingenero shift
Real estate giant Ray White has lost its IT manager Steve Berg to growing solar power company Ingenero.
Fletcher to assist Turnbull with NBN
As expected, Prime Minister-elect Tony Abbott has named Malcolm Turnbull as incoming Communications Minister in his new cabinet, additionally appointing Liberal MP and former Optus executive Paul Fletcher as a parliamentary secretary to assist the Member for Wentworth in dealing with the communications portfolio.
Coalition attacks “discount” NBN ISPs Exetel, Dodo
Coalition MP and former Optus executive Paul Fletcher has attacked early NBN pricing released by cut-rate ISPs Exetel and Dodo, claiming the pair's commercial plans didn't reflect the reality of what he said would be increased pricing on the NBN compared to today's existing broadband options.
AJ Lucas drills down into Oracle ERP
Infrastructure and mining services group AJ Lucas has signed contracts with US technology giant Oracle to build a new enterprise resource planning (ERP) platform and with Oracle partner CSG to provide hosting and managed services around the technology.
Logistics group Mainfreight deploys 1,500 Android devices
Tech vendor Zebra Technologies late last week revealed that global logistics provider Mainfreight would deploy some 1,500 Android-based handheld units across Australia and New Zealand, in one of the largest known corporate deployments of the Google technology down under so far.
Was Datacom’s Melbourne datacentre flooded?
Dissension has emerged in Australia's ICT industry about whether a Melbourne datacentre belonging to New Zealand-headquartered player Datacom was flooded due to hailstorm weather conditions in the Victorian capital over the weekend.
AGL turns to Microsoft for project management tools
AGL Energy has deployed Microsoft’s Project Online in order to more efficiently manage projects across the company.
Govt to continue secret anti-piracy talks
The Federal Government would "closely examine" the High Court's judgement in the long-running copyright infringement case won by ISP iiNet over film and TV studios this morning, Federal Attorney-General Nicola Roxon said this afternoon, as she noted that closed door talks held by her department on the matter would continue.
Australians unsure on Assange Govt support
Most Australians are unsure whether the Federal Government has provided enough support to Australian citizen and Internet activist Julian Assange during his ongoing legal battles in Europe, a new poll has shown, as the Greens continue to call for further assistance for the Wikileaks founder.
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.
Australia misses out on 64Gb Galaxy Note 5, some colours
Korean electronics giant Samsung today revealed it would start selling two new high-end smartphones, the Galaxy Note 5 and the Galaxy S6 edge+, in Australia in early September at comparable prices to those charged in the United States, but leaving the 64GB version of its Note 5 handset out of the local market.
ATO re-negotiates Accenture engagement
The Australian Taxation Office appears to have re-negotiated its arrangement with Accenture to carry out work on its troubled Change Program, ending its current contract with the IT services giant and beginning a new one.
Optus reveals HTC Incredible S pricing
The nation's number two telco Optus has announced pricing and availability details for its exclusive arrangement to sell HTC's new Incredible S handset, revealing today it would sell the Android-based handset for zero dollars up-front on a $49 cap plan starting from 1 May -- or online from 6 May.