Microsoft launches update for Dynamics CRM, hints at IoT future
Microsoft has announced the release of the Dynamics CRM Spring 2016 update, along with a preview date for its new product, Connected Field Service, which will offer the option to monitor Internet of Things devices.
4G: Judge finds Apple flouted Australian law
A Federal Court judge has found that iconic technology giant Apple's US headquarters deliberately chose to ignore the fact that its new iPad was not capable of 4G mobile broadband speeds in Australia, during a marketing campaign for the device.
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.
Full Stephen Conroy Q+A video
This afternoon at an event in Sydney to launch a new Macquarie Telecom call centre, Communications Minister Stephen Conroy took questions from the press on the timing of the internet filter legislation, Brisbane's proposal to run broadband through sewers, and whether he or Kim Carr is Australia's Minister for Information Technology.
HTC One XL on sale: Compatible with Telstra 4G
Independent mobile retailer Mobicity has started selling a version of HTC's flagship HTC One XL smartphone which will fully function on Telstra's 4G mobile network, ahead of an expected launch by the telco of the device in the next month or so.
Core banking IT battle not over, says NAB
The chief information officer of National Australia Bank has delivered a major speech arguing that it's too early for any of Australia's major banks to "claim victory" in the race to upgrade their aging technology platforms, in comments that run directly counter to the Commonwealth Bank's ongoing claims that it is far ahead of its rivals in the area.
NBN Co shifts 40k premises to fixed wireless to free up satellite capacity
The NBN company today revealed it planned to deploy its fixed wireless network to an additional 40,000 premises previously slated to receive satellite broadband, as part of an effort to free up capacity on the satellite network to meet its aim of a 150GB monthly download quota.
Tasmania’s Scottsdale rejects NBN towers
One of the first communities in Tasmania to receive the National Broadband Network's fibre infrastructure has knocked back two planning applications for NBN wireless towers in the area, continuing a trend seen nationally of concern over the infrastructure.
Oxygen-fuelled SAP cloud achieves lift-off
German software giant SAP doesn’t appear to have placed a big emphasis on selling its applications in Australia over the past few years under the new style of software-as-a-service or cloud computing model. But all that might be about to change, courtesy of an offering launched last week by one of its largest local partners.
Parliament knocks back surveillance terms
The Parliamentary Committee tasked with examining the Labor Federal Government's wide-ranging plans to broadly increase and deepen its surveillance powers has reportedly knocked back the terms of reference which the Government has given it.
HP opens giant NSW datacentre (photos)
Global technology giant HP yesterday opened its colossal $119 million new datacentre in Western Sydney, revealing that it had dubbed the new facility "Aurora".
Will IBM offshore 800 jobs?
Technology giant IBM has dodged allegations by the Australian Services Union that it will shunt as many as 800 local jobs to offshore locations.
Telstra launches IPv6 to big customers
The nation's largest telco Telstra today took its biggest step so far towards fully adopting version 6 of the Internet Protocol, noting it had started providing its enterprise, government and wholesale customers with IPv6 addresses.
NBN critic and historic Liberal supporter Henry Ergas wins Australia Day honours
One of the most strident critics of Labor's original National Broadband Network policy and open Liberal Party supporter Henry Ergas has received one of the highest honours in this year's Australia Day awards, and will now become an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO).
Conroy reveals mysterious Telstra “subsidies”
Communications Minister Stephen Conroy yesterday reportedly revealed a mysterious set of "subsidies" being provided to Telstra to maintain services to certain broadband customers would be maintained under Labor's National Broadband Network project -- but without disclosing much in the way of details under the scheme.
Suncorp CIO resigns for Commonwealth Bank role
Banking and insurance giant Suncorp this afternoon announced that its chief information officer Matt Pancino had resigned, with the executive to reportedly take up a senior role at the Commonwealth Bank.
Conroy slams Turnbull’s NBN policy “pretence”
Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has rejected comments by his opposition shadow Malcolm Turnbull that a Coalition Government would proceed with Labor's National Broadband Network project, describing them as a con, as misleading and "merely pretence" that didn't reflect the reality of the Coalition's actual NBN policy.
Senate votes against asking Govt to abandon Census fines
The Senate has voted against a motion asking the Federal Government to abandon fines for Australians who failed to complete their Census forms following a failure of the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) website on 9 August and concerns over the security of retained personal data.
Russian hacker manipulated Australian stockmarket
Police and the national markets regulator yesterday revealed that a Russian hacker had last year broken into IT systems in major Australian financial institutions and manipulated penny stocks for a profit.
Optus demos Nokia Siemens Networks LTE
Optus and Nokia Siemens Networks successfully demonstrated Long Term Evolution (LTE) mobile technology at a Thai restaurant in Gordon today, but did not make clear exactly when the upgrade to its 3G network would take place.
Planned NBN cyber security centre will bring new jobs to Melbourne
The Victorian Government has announced that a new cyber security centre to be built as part of the National Broadband Network (NBN) infrastructure will help create 700 new high-skilled jobs in Melbourne over the next four years.
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".
Cisco’s Williamson takes APAC role
The long-time leader of Cisco's Australian division has been promoted to take on responsibilities for the US networking giant's newly created Asia-Pacific operation, with the company planning to appoint a successor for the local lead role "in the near future".
Toll dumps IT outsourcing plan
Logistics giant Toll has revealed plans to dump its plans to outsource key parts of its IT infrastructure, as well as application support and development, in a rapid and unexpected turnaround.
Virgin Blue sacks 20 for reported porn collection
Virgin Blue late yesterday confirmed it had sacked 20 staff for what the airline said was inappropriate use of computer systems and what the Sydney Morning Herald reported was participation in a pornography swap ring.
Microsoft Australia picks new government chief
Microsoft Australia this morning revealed its health chief Michael Gration had been promoted to lead its local public sector business, following the promotion of incumbent Pip Marlow to lead the local company as a whole.
How to fix NBN Fixed Wireless: Install a roof antenna extension
Having trouble with your NBN Fixed Wireless connection? The solution may be simple: Install a 'mast' on the roof of your premises that will boost your antenna higher than nearby trees. It sounds stupid, but it's done the trick for some -- and it may fix your connection too.
NBN Co not keeping secrets unnecessarily, finds review
A review of NBN Co's compliance with Freedom of Information laws has found that the company is meeting its legal responsibilities with regard to the release of information, despite the fact that out of 35 FoI requests over the past year, only two resulted in the information sought being fully released.
Conroy likes golf, the football and racing
Communications Minister Stephen Conroy likes horse racing, the footy and attending the occasional Telstra corporate golf day, according to parliamentary disclosure documents recently released.
Many PoI NBN model “insane”, says Hackett
National broadband provider Internode has published a strongly worded argument in favour of NBN Co's existing model for connecting internet service providers to its future fibre network, backing the incumbent minimalist structure which would see just 14 so-called Points of Interconnect located around the nation, and calling rival proposals "insane".
Aussie piracy report a “farce”, says Pirate Party
The Australian Pirate Party has attacked a study commissioned by the Australian Content Industry Group (ACIG) and put together by research group Sphere Analysis, calling it “a farce”.
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.
Shocker: NBN Co govt chief talks to politicians
I'm appalled. And I can only get down on one knee and thank God that we had The Australian to uncover this issue. Who know what would have happened if this disaster hadn't been exposed.
VHA snares HTC Desire HD
Mobile telco VHA has secured an exclusive deal with HTC to launch the Asian manufacturer's new HTC Desire HD handset in Australia, one-upping Telstra's existing control of the original Desire.
NBN wireless latency ‘the same as 3G’
The National Broadband Network Company today provided further details of how its Ericsson-backed national wireless network was expected to perform technically, with chief technology officer Gary McLaren stating the network was expected to perform at least on par with existing 3G mobile networks when it came to network latency.
RailCorp still trying to replace CIO
A year after she stepped down from the role, NSW transport agency RailCorp is still trying to replace its departed chief information officer Vicki Coleman with a permanent appointee.
Qld Education CIO seeks deputies
The chief information officer of the Queensland Department of Education and Training has advertised for a clutch of deputy executives as the department looks to bulk up its strategic IT management talent.
Poor OzLog consultation led to FUD, finds Senate
The Senate's communications committee yesterday took an axe to the proposal by the Attorney-General's Departmentment to force ISPs to retain data about all telephone calls and emails made by Australians, highlighting a lack of consultation with the wider community which had given the so-called 'OzLog' proposal a bad reputation.
Attorney-General reveals copyright reviews
Federal Attorney-General Robert McLelland late last week declared the concept of copyright was "very much alive" in Australia, as he announced three major inquiries into its future.
Xenophon slams NBN volume discounting
Independent Senator Nick Xenophon has mounted a strident criticism of certain provisions of the National Broadband Network legislation currently before the Senate, arguing that the bills would allow NBN Co to unfairly offer large telcos like Telstra and Optus preferential pricing deals due to their size.
14 Dec: Galaxy Nexus to launch in Australia
Korean manufacturer Samsung has confirmed it will officially launch its highly anticipated Galaxy Nexus handset in Australia on 14 December, although details of carrier availability remain absent for now.
Jellema’s ZeroMail wins Citrix funding
One of Australia's most high-profile technology entrepreneurs has just hit the accelerate button on his latest startup ZeroMail, winning entry to a global startup accelerator program operated by virtualisation giant Citrix.
amaysim buys fellow mobile telco Vaya
Mobile telco amaysim this morning announced it had bought privately owned Vaya for $70 million, in a move that will add some 140,000 subscribers to amaysim's customer database and further consolidate the already tight mobile market.
Queensland scientists testing ‘space beer’
A critical element of humanity's voyage to the stars.
Australian tech startup BigCommerce closes US$30m funding round
Australian e-commerce platform BigCommerce has announced the closure of a US$30 million (A$41 million) funding round.
Fibre speeds “amazing”, but Bernardi slams “hopeless” NBN installers
Conservative Liberal Senator Cory Bernardi has labelled the performance of his his new National Broadband Network fibre connection as “quite amazing”, but has slammed the NBN company for a bungled installation which required repeated visits to get the connection running.
CommBank backs blockchain technology with Sydney conference
An international line-up of experts will speak at Sydney Blockchain Workshops in December – an event organised by Commonwealth Bank and COALA, a blockchain advocacy group.
Pure massacre: Optus sacks 750
The nation's number two telco Optus this morning revealed plans to sack some 750 staff, in a company-wide restructure which it claimed was aimed at giving customers "a stronger voice".
ACCC green-lights ihail taxi booking app
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has given its approval for a new taxi app called ihail, a joint venture between taxi networks and other participants that the industry hopes will allow it to fight back against ride-sharing services like Uber.
12 months late, Chromecast finally hits Australia
Almost twelve months after the USB dongle went on sale in the US, Google has finally made its Chromecast TV connector available in Australia.
NBN Co releases final telco contract
The National Broadband Network Company (NBN Co) has published the final executable version of its contract with retail telcos. The 12-month contract was drawn up after five iterations and extensive consultations with the industry.
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.
DHS issues due to ‘chronic’ IT underfunding, says union
Computer malfunctions and other issues at the Department of Human Services are due to "chronic and prolonged underfunding" according to the Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU).
Victoria Police appoints CIO without IT background
Victoria Police, which has one of the most troubled IT departments in Australia's public sector, has appointed as its new chief information officer a senior police officer with a distinguished career but who appears to have no specific experience with IT operations, in an effort to pull itself out of the deep mire which has swallowed its technology capability in recent years.
We’ll filter when the law makes us: Internode
National broadband provider Internode has clarified its position with respect to the limited filtering scheme being implemented by other ISPs, saying it will implement the scheme when it's forced to by law - but not otherwise.
The NBN’s new kingpin plan: Exetel offers unlimited 100Mbps for $89.99
National broadband provider Exetel has unveiled a raft of new ADSL and Fibre-based broadband packages that appear to be extremely competitive compared with rival options on the market, including a headline option which offers early customers on the National Broadband Network unlimited downloads and 100Mbps speeds for $89.99 a month.
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.
ASG to provide Windows 10 desktop as a service for Finance Dept
IT services player ASG Group has inked a four-year agreement with government to provide a 'desktop as a service' solution for the Department of Finance.
Oh dear: Telstra exec banter and Yes, Minister
At Delimiter we're big fans of iTnews weekly video the Crunch. This week's episode refers to the bantering we reported on between Telstra chief information officer John McInerney and chief technology officer Hugh Bradlow, as well as some rather unusual footage of NSW Education Minister Verity Firth at an Adobe event.
Australian standard published for IT governance
Australia's peak standards-setting body in late December claimed to have published what it described as "a significant new standard" that would support in successfully governing major information technology projects.
NAB appoints acting tech chief
National Australia Bank has appointed a new acting Chief Technology and Operations Officer (CTOO), following Bob Melrose's move to the role of Executive General Manager, Retail Banking.
NAB, Telstra form digital marketplace startup for small biz
A joint venture between NAB and Telstra will see the launch of a new digital marketplace startup called Proquo, aimed to help small businesses around Australia develop and grow.
Middle manager bloodbath as Telstra cuts 950
The nation's largest telco Telstra has flagged plans to cut a further 950 staff as part of the latest stage in a dramatic company-wide simplification strategy being driven by chief executive David Thodey, stating most of those affected will be executives and middle managers in capital cities.
Launceston city now has total NBN coverage
Launceston has become the first city in Tasmania to be declared ready for service on the NBN network, with all suburbs now "ready for service", NBN Co has announced.
News Corp Australia dumps Exchange for Gmail
The new chief technology officer of publishing giant News Corp Australia has wasted no time making big changes to the organisation's IT infrastructure model, announcing a huge formal move to Google's mail and calendaring suite just months after taking on the position.
ASG picks up $13m DBCDE win
Australian listed IT services group ASG has won a $13 million deal to provide the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy with IT services for at least three years.
Foxtel launches unlimited broadband plans
Pay TV giant Foxtel today launched a set of broadband plans offering unlimited download quota, although customers will need to be signed up to its subscription television offering to get the full benefits.
Victoria starts airing its IT dirty laundry
The Victorian State Government has over the past month started holding hearings which touch in depth on the wide-ranging IT project delivery issues which have resulted in the state’s departments and agencies broadly failing to deliver ten major IT projects over the past half-decade.
NSW finalises colossal datacentre consolidation
The New South Wales State Government this week announced the Leighton subsidiary Metronode as the winner of its long-running and wide-ranging datacentre overhaul project, with the company to construct two new substantial facilities which will allow the state to consolidate its IT operations drastically.
ACCC opens inquiry into ADSL regulation
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has launched a public inquiry into whether it should continue to regulate the wholesale ADSL service provided by Telstra.
DBCDE’s NBN chief to retire
Stephen Conroy's Department of Communications, Broadband and the Digital Economy is about to lose another one of its most senior staffers, with its long-serving...
UK retail chain poaches Woolworths CIO
UK retail chain Morrisons has poached long-term Woolworths chief information officer Dan Beecham, in a move aimed at applying the executive's substantial skills in retail IT transformation to IT systems Morrisons itself has admitted are severely aged.
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.
Government finally opens G-NAF address dataset
The government has inked a deal with PSMA Ltd to release the firm's geo-coded National Address File (G-NAF) and its Administrative Boundaries datasets.
Vodafone may support Interpol filter
National mobile carrier Vodafone has signalled its support for the new voluntary Internet filtering scheme being implemented by rivals Telstra and Optus, but has refused to clarify whether it will definitely implement the scheme or not.
Rackspace confirms dedicated Sydney datacentre
US hosting giant Rackspace has confirmed plans to launch a large datacentre in Sydney later this year, to support growing local demand for its services after entering the Australian and Zealand markets in 2009 using its infrastructure located overseas.
IT security vendor Crowdstrike expands into Australia
Cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike has announced it is expanding its operations into the Asia Pacific (APAC) region with the establishment of a new regional base in Australia.
Talent forgotten: Lundy, Husic left off front bench
The Federal Labor Party has left two of its most qualified and experienced candidates for the post of Shadow Communications Minister off the front bench representing its Shadow Cabinet team, as speculation firms that former Communications Minister Stephen Conroy may return to the portfolio in Opposition.
BigPond Movies baked into LG TVs
LG will this year introduce a range of televisions that will come with access to Telstra's BigPond Movies on-demand service, the two companies announced in a statement this morning.
Troubled iSOFT claims HealthSMART win
iSOFT today said it had completed the rollout of new patient management systems in mid-June to Victorian hospitals under Victoria's delayed HealthSMART project begun back in 2003, as financial problems continue to plague the Australian e-health giant.
Audinate raises another $4m
Australian audiovisual technology startup Audinate has raised another $4 million in funding from existing local investors Starfish Ventures and Innovation Capital.
Australia still hearts Windows Server 2003
Research published by local analyst firm Telsyte and Dell yesterday suggests that one in five Australian businesses are still running Microsoft’s decade-old operating system Windows Server 2003, despite the fact that Redmond is about to stop supporting the dated software for good.
Russell’s return: Optus COO post beckons
One of Optus chief executive Paul O'Sullivan's bitterest telecommunications industry rivals has returned from a stint working overseas to become his chief lieutenant at SingTel Optus.
iiNet hints at new BoB in 2012
Dropping hints about new products due to be launched in 2012, iiNet Labs team member Simon Watt has revealed in a blog post this week that one of these is a major new broadband hardware product.
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.
Technology One making inroads into Federal Govt
Home-grown Australian software firm Technology One appears to be making significant inroads into the Federal Government, with a $5.8 million deal with the Federal Department of the Treasury reportedly building on existing success the company is having selling its software into major institutions.
Labor releases new NBN corporate plan
The Federal Government today released the National Broadband Network Company's latest corporate plan covering the years from 2012 through 2015, stating that it showed the project was on track financially and in its rollout of broadband infrastructure around the nation.
“Spectacularly incompetent”: Govt slams Labor NBN funding model
Senior Government Minister Paul Fletcher has taken a pickaxe to Labor's previous funding model for the National Broadband Network, describing it as "spectacularly incompetent", despite the fact that the Coalition itself admitted during the recent Budget that it had its own NBN funding black hole.
Attorney-General ignoring consumers: Pirate Party
The Pirate Party of Australia has strongly criticised the former Attorney-General Robert McClelland for ignoring consumers and supporting the content industry instead, in secretive talks held by his department.
Pirate Party slams extreme govt secrecy
Pirate Party Australia has condemned the actions of Attorney-General Nicola Roxon, whose department has refused to release documents regarding closed door discussions on the issue of Internet copyright infringement under Freedom of Information laws.
ABC ignores damaging NBN leaks in lengthy Fifield interview
The ABC's political flagship Insiders failed to ask Communications Minister Mitch Fifield a single question about the National Broadband Network in an extensive interview yesterday, despite several damaging leaks regarding the project which dominated parliamentary debate over the past week.
Basslink pinpoints cable fault but moves fix date to June
Basslink has announced that it has pinpointed and removed a fault in the telecoms cable linking to Tasmania and Victoria, but warned that the deadline for a resumption of normal services has been pushed back to June.
Telstra finishes South Brisbane fibre migration
The nation’s largest telco late yesterday revealed it had completed the project of migrating all 18,000-odd copper telecommunications services in the South Brisbane Exchange area to the telco’s new fibre network, with the finalisation of the controversial project just around the corner.
“It’s not censorship”: IIA defends Interpol blacklist
Australia's peak internet industry body today sought to distance its fledgling child pornography filtering scheme from the Federal Government's mandatory filtering policy, stating its own more limited approach was more akin to ISPs cooperating with law enforcement authorities and would not constitute a form of censorship.
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.
4G Samsung Galaxy S III hits Telstra next week
The nation's largest telco Telstra late last week revealed that it would launch the 4G version of Samsung's popular Galaxy S III handset on October 9, in a move which will see Apple's iPhone 5 face perhaps its most significant rival yet on the nation's largest 4G mobile network.
Telstra cancels covert filter testing
The nation's largest telco Telstra today announced it had stopped archiving the web browsing activity of its users for the purpose of implementing a new voluntary Internet filter product, following widespread concern expressed this week after the test was revealed by a savvy group of network administrators.
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.
NBN G.Fast “more hype than reality”, says Budde
Veteran telecommunications analyst has described the G.Fast technology which the NBN company plans to deploy into its network from 2017 as "more hype than reality", questioning whether it will actually be able to deliver on its close to a gigabit speed promises.
The Australian government must take cyber security more seriously
Most of us can relate to the government’s plan to build 12 new submarines for A$50 billion, at least in principle. But you might be alarmed to hear the government is investing only a fraction of that amount on protecting us from cyberattacks.
Rackspace hires high-profile cloud CIO Perkins
Hosting and cloud computing giant Rackspace this morning revealed it had hired one of Australia's most cloud-savvy chief information officers, former Altium IT executive Alan Perkins, in a key role to spearhead the adoption and development of the company's solutions in Australia.
BlackBerry rises to knees with several local wins
Ailing smartphone and mobile device management company BlackBerry has announced several minor smartphone and software wins in the Australian market, as it continues its push to maintain relevance in the face of the continued onslaught of rival platforms such as iOS, Android and Windows Phone.
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.
Australia welcomes the iPad … with caveats
Australians have broadly welcomed the launch of Apple's iPad tablet this morning, with some minor reservations about restrictions or lack of features on the device.
Western Sydney Uni deploys 5,000 Microsoft Surface tablets
Western Sydney University is to deploy 5,000 Microsoft Surface 3 devices in order to boost flexible learning within its courses.
Turnbull ignores FTTN cost issue
Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has avoided responding directly to a claim by NBN Co chairman Harrison Young yesterday that the Coalition's fibre to the node-based broadband policy could end up costing more than the current fibre to the home-based NBN.
Victoria partners with Zendesk to boost Melbourne employment
Customer service platform provider Zendesk, Inc, has announced a new partnership with the Victorian Government that will create up to 175 new jobs in the state's developing tech industry.
Vodafone dumps Crazy John’s brand
Mobile telco Vodafone has confirmed it will shortly dump the Crazy John's brand from its retail stores and re-brand them under the Vodafone master brand, in a move which will also see the closure of some Crazy John's stores entirely.
Cybercrime bill passes despite Greens protest
A controversial piece of legislation aiming to bolster the powers of law enforcement agencies has passed the Federal Senate, despite vehement protests from the Greens, who argued strongly that the bill was "yet another" unnecessary expansion of the Government's surveillance powers in Australia.
Hope for Ludlam as WA recount confirmed
The electoral fate of Greens Senator and Communications Spokesperson Scott Ludlam is likely to hang in the balance for some time yet, following confirmation yesterday by the Australian Electoral Commission that it would conduct a partial recount of the Western Australian Senate vote in the Federal Election.
$4.88bn baby: Apple Australia’s licence to print money
Apple has revealed that its Australian division has experienced incredible levels of revenue growth over the past five years, in new financial documents released this week which paint a graphic picture of the effect that the global resurgence of the iconic technology giant's fortunes have had on its local operation.
Screw you, Turnbull: TPG starts FTTB deployment
National broadband company TPG today revealed it had started deploying its planned Fibre to the Basement rollout in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, in a move which directly challenges a statement by Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull that the legality of such deployments would be examined by a panel within the next six months.
Apple to open Penrith store on 23 July
Apple has this morning confirmed its newest retail store in Australia will open to the general public on the 23rd of July.
BigPond price cuts anger Internode, iiNet
National broadband providers Internode and iiNet have cried foul with regards to a massive price cut unveiled yesterday by Telstra's BigPond internet service provider...
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.
Budget 2016: Shorten promises Australia a “first-rate Fibre NBN”
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten this evening promised Labor would deliver Australians a "first-rate Fibre National Broadband Network" if his party wins the upcoming Federal Election, but stopped short of confirming that that network would consist of a full Fibre to the Premises rollout.
WA Govt exposes dodgy IT deals
An investigation by Western Australia's Corruption and Crime Commission investigation has found that more than $1.2 million of IT software was purchased by a former council CEO without going to tender or getting quotes -- over a period in which they received gifts and benefits from the supplier.
NBN support weakens in the electorate
A new poll has shown that 29 percent of Australians believe that new Prime Minister Kevin Rudd should either "dump" or "change" Labor's National Broadband Network policy, in news which could show that the Coalition's message that the project is too expensive and slow to deliver may be having an effect on the NBN's popular support.
Datacom core to Lockheed’s ATO deal
Trans-Tasman IT services company Datacom today revealed it would play a key role in helping Lockheed Martin service a mammoth $283 million desktop services deal with the Australian Taxation Office inked this year.
iPad ship date slips to June 7?
The Australian shipping date for Apple's iPad appears to have been shifted back from May 28, with Apple's online store now listing the "estimated" date as "by June 7th".
Telstra cutting dead management wood
Telstra this afternoon confirmed it was conducting a review of its management structure that could reportedly see up to 330 senior staff lose their jobs -- many of whom are believed to be on six figure salaries.
IAG creates next-gen IT leadership structure as the IT dept starts to break down
Insurer IAG has created a sophisticated new IT leadership structure reflecting the fact that digital disruption is sweeping through its business and it needs to have multiple divisions focused on different aspects of technology -- from operations to testing out new and innovative ideas.
Unlimited 100Mbps for $89.99: TPG equals top NBN plan
TPG has launched a new plan on the National Broadband Network fibre infrastructure which appears to match the existing best option on the market from rival Exetel, with the national broadband provider also now offering an unlimited option at speeds of 100Mbps for just $89.99 per month.
Turnbull to hold anti-filter forum
Liberal MP Malcolm Turnbull has revealed plans to host a forum against Labor's mandatory internet filter policy this Saturday in his electorate, dragging in an old colleague -- former OzEmail and Telstra chief Justin Milne -- to help with proceedings.
Customers continue to desert Vodafone
Embattled mobile telco Vodafone has continued to lose customers over the past three month, according to new financial results documents released overnight, with some estimates placing the number lost in the quarter as high as 378,000.
Specsavers outsources key IT services to Accenture
Global optical chain Specsavers has partnered with professional services company Accenture to help manage its IT services as it focuses on increasing the digital side of its business.
“Buzzwords”: Ludlam slams Turnbull’s new homelessness app
Scott Ludlam, Deputy Leader for the Australian Greens, has criticised Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's introduction of an app for the homelessness over poor financing of supporting services.
AGIMO finalises open source guide
The Federal Government's peak IT strategy branch has published the final version of its second guide to open source software for departments and agencies, in its latest move to help the public sector better understand how to buy and use open source software.
The election is over, and Fibre to the Node is here to stay
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has declared victory in the hard-fought Federal Election, in a move that ensures that the controversial Fibre to the Node technology which Turnbull personally favours is here to stay as a core part of the National Broadband Network.
Fujitsu wins $140m IT services deal with Gold Coast
Global IT services provider Fujitsu has won the contract to manage Gold Coast’s ICT infrastructure and applications services.
iiNet on the AAPT buyout: Audio Q&A
This afternoon iiNet chief financial officer David Buckingham took questions from the media on the telco's $60 million acquisition of the retail customers of Telecom New Zealand subsidiary AAPT. You can listen to the conversation in this audio file of the teleconference.
Atlassian doubles staff, revenues in 18 months
Australian enterprise software group Atlassian overnight revealed it had approximately doubled its headcount and revenues over the past 18 months, as it rapidly expands its operations internationally on the back of the $60 million in venture capital investment it took in mid-2010.
We’ll fix the network, promises Vodafone
Mobile telco VHA has pledged to implement a series of rolling upgrades this year to the network of its troubled Vodafone brand, following a series of outages and problems in 2010 that bought the company a tsunami of customer complaints.
NBN Co to deceive users on FTTN/FTTB speeds
The National Broadband Network Company has issued a product specification document in which it openly considers the possibility of allowing customers on its planned Fibre to the Node or Basement (FTTN/B) infrastructure to order speeds between 50Mbps and 100Mbps which their connections could not actually deliver.
SAP offers HANA, apps from Sydney facility
Germany software giant SAP today revealed it would offer its HANA real-time business intelligence package on a cloud basis from a Sydney datacentre, in a move which calls into question a local hosting HANA relationship launched with HP in Australia just nine months ago.
Telstra announces free Netflix, Stan, Presto on mobile plans
Recognising that Australians' sport and TV consumption habits are moving rapidly towards a more mobile, small-screen experience, Telstra has announced a number of free streaming options for its customers, as well as a new app.
Samsung e-readers to hit Australia in 2010
The Australian market for ebook readers continues to heat up, with giant Korean manufacturer Samsung confirming late yesterday that it was planning to bring its own range of the devices to Australia "in the second half of 2010".
Telstra NBN prices aren’t final: Conroy
The comparatively expensive National Broadband Network pricing plans released by Telstra this week aren't the telco's final prices, Communications Minister Stephen Conroy said yesterday, with Telstra to release more packages in the near future.
Delimiter has been approved to join the Press Gallery in Canberra
I just wanted to drop readers a brief note to let you know that yesterday I was approved to join the Federal Parliamentary Press Gallery in Canberra.
Wanted: Delimiter forum moderator
Just a quick note that I'm currently looking for someone to help out with moderating the Delimiter forum on an ongoing basis.
Telstra, Seven splurge on HealthEngine startup
Telecommunications and media giants Telstra and Seven West Media have revealed they will splurge a total of $10.4 million on HealthEngine, in a move which represents the second major investment in the seven-year-old Perth-based health appointment search startup in less than a year.
City of Melbourne out to mark new CIO
The City of Melbourne (CoM) has advertised on employment website Seek.com.au for a chief information officer position with a 3 year contract at $216,300 annual package.
Sydney iPhone 4 launch: Photos by Mark Matthews
Sydney's central business district exploded with Australians trying to buy an iPhone last night. Some of the most spectacular photos we've seen came from professional photographer Mark Matthews.
Back to the drawing board: Tasmania re-heats eight-year-old tasCOLT plans
The Tasmanian State Government has dusted off plans up to eight year old to string optical fibre cables over power poles in a bid to speed up the deployment of National Broadband Network infrastructure in the state.
Telstra tests high-speed encryption on its carrier network
Telstra has trialled high-speed optical encryption in its production network between Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney claiming it as a "world first" in data safety.
Aurecon appoints new tech chief
International engineering and advisory company Aurecon has appointed ex-Toll Group tech specialist Carl Duckinson as its new Chief Information Officer.
NBN exceeds one million active users
NBN Co has announced that has exceeded its "core" targets for financial year 2016 and said the rollout of the National Broadband Network is "very much on track".
We’re not shutting down T-Box, says Telstra
The nation's biggest telco Telstra has rejected a report by The Register that it is expected to shut down its T-Box IPTV streaming video platform and shift its 300,000-odd customers using the platform to the Foxtel pay TV company it part owns.
Perth to Geraldton NBN backbone lights up
Telecommunications and construction firm Nextgen Networks has finished building one of the most anticipated long-haul fibre links in the Federal Government's flagship National Broadband Network project, with fibre between the Western Australian cities of Perth and Geraldton having been laid and the first telco customers -- iiNet and NEC Nextep -- signed up to use the connection.
Will Telstra wholesale its Next G network?
Huge news arrives today courtesy of iTNews (click here for the full article), which reports that Telstra has started discussions with other carriers to allow wholesale access to its flagship Next G mobile network.
Sponsored post: Who is Integ?
Integ is an integrator of voice, communications and data network solutions for corporate and government in Australia. We've been in operation now for nine years, and have grown to a base of 165 people, spread across seven locations around the country -- servicing some 600 customers.
Govt creates new digital agency to fix e-health issues
The government is seeking a CEO to head the Australian Digital Health Agency (ADHA) – a newly created body set up to revamp the underachieving My Health Record initiative.
Unita dumps MYOB, Excel spreadsheets for NetSuite
Interior-construction company Unita has replaced a number of instances of MYOB, Accentus and Excel spreadsheets with a single instance of NetSuite OneWorld to manage its core business processes.
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.
Froyo-based Milestone 2 lands in December
Motorola is set to ratchet up the competition in Australia for high-end smartphones based on version 2.2 (Froyo) of the Android operating system, announcing today that its latest Milestone 2 device would be available through Vodafone and Optus in December.
WikiLeaks Party demands investigation into Telstra’s secret FBI deal
The WikiLeaks Party has written to Australia’s Privacy Commissioner Timothy Pilgrim formally complaining about the recently revealed news that the telco signed a secret agreement a decade ago with US Government agencies such as the FBI and the Department of Justice that provided American law enforcement with access to all of the telco’s traffic passing in and out of the US.
“Get fucked”: Turnbull staffer turns on blogger
One of Malcolm Turnbull's senior staffers has sent a popular Australian technology blogger a caustic email telling him to "get fucked" and informing him that "nobody takes your psychotic rantings seriously", as the relationship between Turnbull and sections of Australia's technology community continues to sour.
Two thirds of Australians support the NBN
A new study has found that two thirds of Australians support the Federal Government’s National Broadband Network project, with most planning to connect to the network when it’s connected to their premises, as the project continues to experience high levels of popularity on a sustained basis over several years.
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.
Adobe’s biennial tradition: 50% Aussie price hikes
Global software giant Adobe has continued a long-running tradition of extensively marking up its prices for the Australian market, revealing yesterday that locals would pay up to $1,400 more for the exact same software when they buy the new version 6 of its Creative Suite platform compared to residents of the United States.
Microsoft to kill off SQL Server 2005 support in April
Software giant Microsoft has revealed it will formally end extended support for its ageing SQL Server 2005 database product in April next year, in news that will most likely not be welcomed by the substantial numbers of Australian organisations struggling to stay up to date with Microsoft’s refresh cycle.
Turnbull will abandon FTTN copper for FTTdp, says Clare
Malcolm Turnbull's Coalition Government will "ditch" its plans to deploy Fibre to the Node infrastructure over Telstra's copper network prior to the 2016 Election and instead focus on deploying fibre to the 'distribution point' or driveway of premises on the National Broadband Network, the Opposition said yesterday.
NBN Co’s business case slips due date
NBN Co has not yet delivered its business case to the Federal Government, despite having previously said it would be handed over by May 31, the group's chief executive Mike Quigley confirmed this week.
Optus launches Motorola Droid/Milestone
On the same day that Vodafone started selling Google's Nexus One, Optus has given its customers yet another high-end Android handset option, quietly adding Motorola's Milestone phone to its handset range.
Tassie NBN “will take 80 years”, claims Abbott
Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has inaccurately claimed that the rollout of Labor's National Broadband Network in Tasmania will take "80 years" to complete, in what Labor's Regional Communications Minister Sharon Bird immediately labelled a deliberate attempt to deceive residents and businesses in the state.
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.
Utilities AGL, Verve, pick outsourcers
Two of Australia's prominent energy utilities have expanded existing relationships with IT outsourcing partners as they look to wring more value from their IT support arrangements.
Wireless clause? Not an issue, says Thodey
Telstra chief executive David Thodey has maintained a clause in his company’s $11 billion contract with Telstra and the Federal Government unveiled yesterday that will block wireless technologies being marketed as fibre alternatives would have negligible impact on Telstra’s business, despite other company leaders having slammed the clause as being anti-competitive.
Telstra to launch MOG music streaming service
Australian telecommunications company Telstra and subscription music service company MOG yesterday announced a partnership to provide Australians with unlimited, on-demand access to an estimated 15 million music tracks that can be streamed to their mobile, tablet, computer or net-connected TV.
DFAT lifts lid on huge IT infrastructure upgrade
The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has kicked off a huge outsourcing initiative which is slated to see several hundred million dollars ploughed into a substantial upgrade of the department's far-flung global fundamental IT infrastructure, including both telecommunications and desktop platforms.
IT’S MANDATORY: Govt forces open source option
The Federal Government has dramatically changed its position on the use of open source software by departments and agencies in Canberra, publishing a policy today that mandates the consideration of such options in any technology purchase.
“Get a warrant”: Ludlam net privacy bill lands in Senate
Greens Communications Spokesperson Scott Ludlam has introduced legislation that would see Australian law enforcement agencies blocked from obtaining access to telecommunications records without a warrant; but it is not immediately clear if either of the major parties are prepared to support the bill.
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.
Two more for cashed-up Carosa
Local web 2.0 investment house Future Capital Development Fund (FCDF) today revealed it had ploughed money into two more niche Australian websites, with chief executive Domenic Carosa billing the internet as being ready for a revolution based on real profits.
‘Evil’ hacker also DistributeIT culprit, claims firm
Web hosting company DistributeIT has accused a suspect arrested this week by the Australian Federal Police of being the same hacker, known online as 'Evil', who effectively destroyed its business last month by remotely destroying the functionality of a number of its servers.
Never gonna give you up: ACCC takes TPG to High Court
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission this morning flagged plans to appeal a bruising legal loss against TPG, with the regulator continuing to push its case that TPG's 'unlimited' ADSL and telephone bundle advertisements were misleading.
Back in the black, baby: Three more tech firms to list on ASX
Three more small technology firms have confirmed plans to follow the high-profile initial public offering of online talent marketplace Freelancer to list on the Australian Stock Exchange, as the nation's early stage technology sector as a whole shifts into hyperdrive and seeks capital from Australian investors to expand.
Reinecke to audit Gershon outcomes
The office of Finance Minister Lindsay Tanner has confirmed the Federal Government has engaged former e-health executive and chief information officer Ian Reinecke to conduct a review of progress on implementing recommendations from Sir Peter Gershon's wide-ranging report on government technology use.
1,375 votes lost in Western Australia: Ludlam recount stalled in bureaucracy
The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) has revealed it lost 1,375 votes during the recent Federal Election and will need to investigate the situation further before it can advise whether Greens Communications Spokesperson Scott Ludlam will keep his Senate seat or be replaced by the Palmer United Party.
Telstra cutting top execs’ pay levels
Telstra chief executive David Thodey appears to be taking a dramatically different approach to remunerating its top executives compared to his predecessor Sol Trujillo, with new executives coming on board over the past several years attracting pay packets millions of dollars less than those they are replacing.
Optus financial customer hit by Chinese DDoS
Optus has revealed that one of its customers was hit yesterday by a distributed denial of service attack originating in China -- but the target was understood to be a financial services company and not a publisher like AAP as was speculated this morning.
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.
Openstack gaining traction in Australia
A survey of attendees at the country's first OpenStack conference held in Sydney last month has indicated that OpenStack is likely to experience growth in the Australian market over the next 18 months.
SAP Institute for Digital Government opens in Australia
The SAP Institute for Digital Government officially opened in Canberra last week, marking the occasion with the delivery its first research results.
APF concerned about DTO’s identity framework project
The Australian Privacy Foundation (APF) has raised concerns about the way the Digital Transformation Office (DTO) has proceeded about setting up its new Trusted Digital Identity Framework (TDIF) project.
Optus rolls out guest Wi-Fi at Mirvac shopping centres
Optus Business is now providing Wi-Fi services for Australian property group Mirvac at two of the firm's flagship shopping centres.
Brandis cautiously backs ISPs’ piracy warning scheme
Attorney-General George Brandis today appeared to back a scheme proposed by a coalition of most of Australia's major ISPs which would see the issue of online copyright infringement handled through Australians being issued with warning notices after content holders provided evidence that they had breached their copyright online — and the door opened for ISPs to hand over user details to the content industry if the behaviour continued.
Delusion? South Australia pledges “No more big ICT projects”
The South Australian State Government has issued a new whitepaper designed to provoke discussion of its future ICT strategy, promising as part of the document that from now on, it won't pursue "big ICT projects" any more, with all technology-related initiatives to last 90 days at most.
ANZ Bank inks $450m deal with IBM
ANZ Bank this morning revealed it had signed a $450 million deal with global technology firm IBM that would allow the bank to access all of IBM’s technology and feature an ‘Innovation Lab’ to more rapidly bring new products and services to market.
Labor has 60 complaints from congested FTTN users who want their ADSL back
The Opposition said this week that it has received about 60 complaints from early adopters of the Government's preferred Fibre to the Node NBN rollout model, many of whom were receiving such poor service that they would prefer to have their original ADSL broadband back.
Apple Australia’s revenues flat in 2013
The revenues of Apple's Australian division have finally stopped their massive annual growth initiated in 2009, as the company's lack of new product lines over the past year have stalled its onwards financial march.
ACCC spurs Dell to action on warranties
It may be Christmas, but that doesn't mean the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is in a giving mood.
‘Appalling treatment’: Vic IT minister to take Ross’s cause to ABC MD
Victoria's Innovation Minister has described the ABC's treatment of its former technology editor Nick Ross as "appalling" and has expressed a desire to meet with the journalist and take his case directly to the managing director of the broadcaster.
Govt commissions cyber-security whitepaper
Three of the Gillard Government's heaviest-hitting ministers have teamed up to announce this morning that their respective portfolio departments will work together to develop a major new white paper to map out the nation's response to cybersecurity issues which they say continue to build in importance.
Coalition dumps satellite for FTTN NBN for Tasmania’s west coast
In a change from its previous commitment, the Coalition Government has announced that it will abandon the satellite broadband rollout on the west coast of Tasmania and instead deploy fibre to the node (FTTN) via the NBN.
CommBank upgrades to IE7
The Commonwealth Bank of Australia has told staff it will shortly be upgrading their desktop browser from version 6 of Microsoft's Internet Explorer software to version 7.
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".
Sydney MDU VDSL rollout delivers 100Mbps
Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull this afternoon said a rollout of VDSL technology in a housing estate in Sydney and already delivering 100Mbps download and 40Mbps upload speeds demonstrated the strengths of the Coalition's rival NBN policy, which will use a similar rollout style.
AGC undergoes wide-ranging IT overhaul
Perth-based fabrication, construction and services company AGC has gone through an extensive overhaul of its technology infrastructure over the past year that has seen — among other things — a number of Windows 95 PCs finally phased out and the latest network, storage, datacentre, desktop and telephony technology installed.
iiNet launches faster ADSL transfer process
National broadband provider iiNet has introduced changes in its broadband transfer process, making it possible to switch to an iiNet service easily, in a few hours -- allowing them to avoid the lengthy downtime associated with churning to a new ISP, which can sometimes extend to several weeks.
Indefinite data retention “appalling”, say critics
Critics of Federal Government's proposed data retention and surveillance scheme have labelled suggestions by police that Australians' telecommunications data could be retained indefinitely as "appalling", and pointed out that there is very little likelihood of political support for such a scheme.
Hacks focus CIOs on IT security
After the spate of high-profile hacking incidents in 2011, Australian CIOs and IT and security managers are taking no chances this year. According to new research by local analyst firm Telsyte, Australian enterprises will increase their security spending and change their information security strategies in 2012.
No iPads for you, SA Health CEO tells staff
The chief executive of South Australia's health department issued a sternly worded letter to all staff in late May warning them off corporate purchases of Apple's flagship iPad device until the department's IT team could properly assess the device.
Unknown replaces SA Attorney-General Atkinson
A back-bencher politician whose views on the video game industry are unknown has been appointed to replaced outgoing South Australian Attorney-General Michael Atkinson.
VHA wants in on NBN trials
Troubled telco VHA has given the strongest signal so far that it intends to be a fixed-line player in the new fibre National Broadband Network reality, noting this afternoon that it was seeking to kick off trials on NBN fibre infrastructure in the second half of 2011.
SA Premier gets US fast broadband tour
South Australia Premier Jay Weatherill has toured the high-tech city of Chattanooga, Tennessee in the United States, to survey the city’s revitalisation brought about with the use of high-speed broadband.
Internode revamps plans, plans FetchTV launch
Second tier internet service provider Internode has revealed plans to revamp its broadband offerings this month, as well as offer the newly launched FetchTV...
Weather bureau gets $80m Cray supercomputer
The Bureau of Meteorology this week revealed it had signed a US$59 million (AU$80 million) contract with US supercomputer specialist Cray for a beefy machine that will deliver the agency about 16 times its current computing capacity and allow it to predict the weather that much better.
Now Optus launches resistive Android tablet
Fresh on the heels of Telstra's launch of its own self-branded Android tablet device, Optus has confirmed it will launch a similar tablet at a price point $20 cheaper than Telstra.
Telstra cloud console goes offline for two days
Telstra has confirmed that the management console for its corporate cloud platform went offline for some of its customers for two days last week, in the second demonstration in less than a year that the company's cloud computing environment may not yet be as stable as the company would like customers to believe.
Visionstream to cut workforce, says union
Telecoms and ICT services provider Visionstream is to slash its workforce, the Communications Workers Union (CWU) has said.
Juniper veteran Page heads to the US
Network infrastructure provider Juniper today revealed Mark Iles would be its new vice president for both Australia and New Zealand, following the departure of its long-serving local chief Shaun Page for a role with the company in the US.
You’re wrong, critics tell Turnbull: Australia voted for NBN
An analysis of Senate voting patterns put together by supporters of Labor's all-fibre NBN policy has shown parties supporting the fibre to the premises model received more support in the Federal Election than the Coalition's alternative, calling into question Malcolm Turnbull's claim to have a mandate to change the NBN rollout to fibre to the node.
Defence appoints Mohan as new CTO
The Department of Defence has appointed a new chief technology officer, nicking senior Toll IT executive Aiyaswami Mohan to replace its previous CTO Matt Yannopoulous, who left in October last year to take up the role of chief information officer at the Department of Immigration and Border Protection.
New cloud development aims to support charities
Appichar, a technology company that has been working with not-for-profit organisations for over ten years in the UK and three years in Australia, has launched a locally developed system called ‘Supporter360’ that aims to use the latest cloud technologies to help charitable organisations computerise their operations with minimal capital investment.
Telstra churns its financial wheels
Telstra today unveiled a muted set of half-yearly financial results for the six months to December 31,, with revenue and earnings both slightly down,...
Impolite Turnbull tweet sparks NBN backlash
A flippant response by Malcolm Turnbull to broadband problems being suffered by a high-flying small business owner and executive has backfired on the Communications Minister, with a plethora of responses being published on the social networking site slamming the new Coalition Government's controversial revision of Labor's popular National Broadband Network policy.
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!
Pacific swaps out VMware for Hyper-V
Clothing and homewares manufacturer Pacific Brands has revealed it switched out VMware's market-dominating virtualisation platform over the past several years, installing Microsoft's rival Hyper-V system instead as it sought to take more advantage of virtualisation in its operations.
Is the CSIRO a patent troll? US debate turns feral
An extremely harsh war of words between Australian and international technologists has erupted over a controversial new article published in the United States documenting evidence that Australia's peak research body's $430 million patent claim over 802.11 Wi-Fi technology might have been constructed on shaky ground.
NSW TAFE to axe troubled LMBR student enrolment system
NSW Technical and Further Education (TAFE) is to replace the Learning Management and Business Reform (LMBR) student enrolment system, which is run by Tribal Group and has been plagued with technical issue since it's launch late in 2014.
Westpac sends another 125 tech jobs offshore
Top tier bank Westpac yesterday confirmed it was planning to outsource a further 125 jobs in its technology support division, as part of an ongoing campaign of workforce rationalisation which the bank's main union has claimed has been characterised by "media-type spin" to disguise its actions.
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).
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.
Telstra continues financial stagnation
The nation’s biggest telco Telstra today unveiled another lackluster financial result, with its overall sales revenue declining by 2.2 percent over the past year and net profit after tax also slumping 4.7 percent.
Govt going down “wrong” piracy path, says iiNet
National broadband provider iiNet has published a sharp blog post accusing the Federal Government of going down the "wrong path" with respect to its efforts to tackle Internet piracy, with the ISP exhorting its customers to become politically active in speaking to politicians from all parties about the issue.
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.
IT sector abusing 457 visa program, says Gillard
Julia Gillard this morning stated that the nation's IT sector was taking jobs away from Australians by importing foreign workers en-masse under the 457 visa program, a situation which the Prime Minister said was "just not acceptable".
Wikileaks cable outs secret iiTrial background
A document published by Wikileaks appearing to be a US diplomatic cable appears to have revealed much of the previously hidden background behind the iiNet/AFACT court case, including the Motion Picture Association of America's prime mover role and US Embassy fears the trial could become portrayed as "giant American bullies versus little Aussie battlers".
Exetel’s Linton thanks Conroy for “free plug”
The controversial chief executive of ISP Exetel has thanked Stephen Conroy for the "free plug" the Communications Minister has given the ISP's National Broadband Network fibre plans in Tasmania -- even while appearing to quietly change the final shape those plans will take.
Treasury costings scant on NBN details
You might have expected that the Treasury's costings of the two major party's election policies -- released to the Independents and the media late yesterday -- would contain a fair amount of detail about how much each party's wildly differing broadband policy would cost.
CenITex appoints new CEO
The Victorian Government's IT shared services agency CenITex appears to have nabbed the Victoria police force's head of technology to be its new chief executive.
Telstra says NBN negotiations continue
The nation’s largest telco Telstra today denied what it said were rumours that its National Broadband Network negotiations with the Federal Government and NBN Co were about to reach a conclusion.
NBN raids an “attack on press freedom”, says media union
Australia's peak media union has described last night's Australian Federal Police raids as an "attack on press freedom", stating that the action by the NBN company and law enforcement represented a "disturbing new twist in pursuit of whistleblowers and legitimate public interest journalism".
A brief note about comments
On Delimiter's commenting system.
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.
CBA and Barclays announce UK-Australia mobile payments solution
Commonwealth Bank of Australia and Barclays have announced a new technology partnership that is aimed to ease the movement of money between Australia and the UK.
How many staff have already left NBN Co?
As the sun rises, so must it also set. Just as promotions inside the ranks of the National Broadband Network Company have taken place speedily over the past year since it was formed, so have departures.
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.
Pirate Party slams ‘unjust’ surveillance upgrade
The Australian division of digital rights political movement the Pirate Party has slammed Federal Government plans to "unjustly" boost online surveillance powers by law enforcement agencies, describing the initiatives as "steps towards a police state".
Labor dances around telco national security support
Labor’s Shadow Assistant Minister for Communications Michelle Rowland has made a series of nebulous statements expressing vague concern about the Government’s latest package of telco-related national security reform, but without actually taking a position on the controversial legislation.
Music industry moves to block KickassTorrents over piracy concerns
Members of Australia's music industry have teamed up to block peer-to-peer file-sharing site KickassTorrents over piracy concerns.
EB Games was wrong: No Aussie Battle.net server
Blizzard have dug their heels in yet again - an Australian spokesperson has declined to comment on the speculation of Australian servers for the Battle.net online gaming platform and instead re-released a statement from April this year of the intention of region locking Australians to South-East Asian servers.
“Desperate” Labor misrepresenting FTTP cost, says Fifield
Communications Minister Mitch Fifield this morning said an increasingly "desperate" Opposition was "misrepresenting" the cost of the NBN company deploying Labor's preferred Fibre to the Premises model, in response to new documents leaked from the NBN company this morning.
Turnbull rails against parliamentary NBN blockage
Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has accused several of the independents and Greens MP Adam Bandt of irresponsibility for their decision not to support his private member's bill designed to increase transparency of the National Broadband Network and force the Government to conduct a cost/benefit analysis.
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.
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).
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.
Diablo III latency: Blizzard faces angry Aussie horde
Video game giant Blizzard is currently facing a tsunami of complaints from Australian gamers frustrated that the company's lack of Australian servers is making its new Diablo III unplayable for locals.
Bankwest staffer gets CIO promotion
Commonwealth Bank of Australia subsidiary Bankwest has promoted one of its own to replace its chief information officer Tony Clasquin, who resigned at the end of 2009.
Govt bans Huawei from NBN tenders
Federal Attorney-General Nicola Roxon appears to have confirmed that her department has banned Chinese networking giant Huawei from participating in the multi-billion dollar National Broadband Network tendering process, despite the company not being accused of having broken any pertinent laws in Australia.
When mainstream media covers cloud startups
Hilarious video above of a segment broadcast recently on Channel 10 news about Australian cloud computing startup OrionVM.
Vodafone promises: Our 4G will be fastest
Mobile carrier Vodafone today revealed it would launch its 4G network in June this year in Australia's capital cities, promising the long-delayed network would deliver Australia's fastest 4G speeds so far due to initial spectrum advantages over rivals Telstra and Optus, which have had 4G infrastructure available for a substantial period already.
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.
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.
Turnbull’s Dept seeks slab of new consultants
Malcolm Turnbull's Department of Communications has gone to market seeking a huge tranche of new consulting advice, on issues ranging from NBN Co's renewed deal with Telstra to the composition and future of Australia's ICT industry at large and for assistance regarding every technology category the department has any involvement in.
Sydney Apple iPad queue is huge
If you're curious to know what the launch overnight and this morning of Apple's new iPad, check out these two videos posted by Gizmodo of the event.
Optus launches unlimited data broadband bundles
Australia's second-largest telco Optus this morning announced it would bring unlimited downloads to all of its broadband bundle packages, in a move which further ramps up the telco's challenge against cut-price unlimited data challenger TPG.
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.
AFP arrests two alleged ‘Anonymous’ members
The Australian Federal Police this morning revealed it had arrested two Australian men who it alleged were members of the loose-knit confederation of Internet activists who self-organise under the banner "Anonymous", claiming that the pair were involved in "a campaign targeting Australian and international websites".
Conroy releases key telco reforms
As expected, Communications Minister Stephen Conroy this afternoon released the final versions of five key regulatory instruments which will pave the way for Telstra to file its long-awaited structural separation undertaking with the competition regulator.
NBN Tasmania drops “ready to roll” pamphlets
The Tasmanian division of the National Broadband Network Company has dropped pamphlets in communities touched by the first stage of the network rollout, promising "unlimited possibilities" and that the network is "ready to roll".
HP to build Victorian supercomputer
Global technology giant HP this morning revealed that a consortium of educational institutions in Victoria had selected its Converged Infrastructure stack to build a high-performance computer (HPC) system to be named 'Trifid' that would aid with the processing of massive research problems.
Harvey Norman fined $1.25m for false advertising
The Federal Court in Brisbane has penalised retail giant Harvey Norman $1.25 million for misleading advertising, resulting from action by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).
Turnbull Blue Book access application fails
An attempt by technology media outlet Delimiter to retrieve the 'Blue Book' incoming ministerial briefing of Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull under Freedom of Information laws has failed, with the Federal Government as a whole appearing to standardise around interpreting its rights as blocking such documents wholesale.
Greens propose Digital Rights Commissioner
The Australian Greens have proposed that Australia should have an "independent human rights commissioner for digital rights" – a new post that would see the holder advocate for citizen's online safety, accessibility, privacy and security.
Amazon planning Australian datacentre: Report
Amazon's Web Services cloud computing division is planning to open a new datacentre hosted in Australia next year, according to an article published in the Australian newspaper this morning.
iiNet, Internode, Primus discuss filter with AFP
Australian ISPs iiNet, Internode and Primus are preparing to implement the limited Internet filtering scheme promulgated in Australia by the Australian Federal Police in cooperation with international policing agency Interpol, the AFP stated in documents revealed this week.
Google didn’t quite destroy Aussie Wi-Fi data
Search giant Google this week revealed it has not yet deleted all of the payload data its Streetview cars had collected over the past several years as they brushed past Wi-Fi networks on their journeys around Australia, contrary to a statement in May 2011 that the data had been deleted.
Turnbull a ‘failure’ as Comms Minister, says Jason Clare
The Opposition has accused Malcolm Turnbull of being a “failure” as a Communications Minister, highlighting yesterday’s launch of Fibre to the Node technology in New South Wales as a prime example of how the “self-appointed Digital Prime Minister” is taking Australia back to “pre-war technology”.
Hackett takes 40 percent UltraServe stake
Internode founder Simon Hackett has made another major investment in an Australian technology company, with the beneficiary this time around being cloud computing and managed hosting services group UltraServe, which has been in operation since the year 2000.
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".
Telstra hogs BlackBerry Pearl 3G, revamps plans
The nation's largest telco Telstra today revealed it would exclusively sell Research in Motion's BlackBerry Pearl 3G for three months when the smartphone launches in Australia "later this month".
WA Health told: Hire a goddamn CIO already
A state parliamentary committee has told Western Australia's Department of Health to end four years of acting appointments and hire a permanent CIO, in the wake of news that the lack of such an executive role in the department contributed directly to the fiasco at the state's new Fiona Stanley Hospital, much of which has revolved around poorly delivered IT systems.
iiNet launches unlimited data plans
Unlimited data broadband plans are the new black, it seems. Just a day after Westnet announced its range of unlimited data deals, so too does iiNet, with spookily similar pricing and nomenclature, to boot.
StartupAUS praises Govt’s tax incentives bill
Advocacy group StartupAUS has welcomed the government’s new tax legislation that will provide incentives for investors, saying the measures are arguably the "most generous startup investor scheme in the world".
Aussie mobile startup wins $2m funding
Australian mobile app platform startup biNu this week revealed it has picked up $2 million in investment funding from a number of high-profile investors, including TomorrowVentures, the investment group of Google chairman Eric Schmidt.
New iPad to hit Australia 16 March
Iconic technology giant Apple this morning revealed the new version of its flagship iPad tablet, noting that the device would be available in Australia along with a clutch of other countries from Friday 16 March -- next week.
Second fatality mars NBN rollout
The National Broadband Network project has suffered what is believed to be its second fatality, with a contractor in the Blue Mountains town of Katoomba reported to have lost his life while working on NBN infrastructure on Friday.
50Mbps good enough for ‘ten years’, says NBN’s Morrow
The chief executive of the NBN company, Bill Morrow, has stated in several comments over the past month that the 50Mbps base speeds which the company is aiming for across much of its network will be good enough "for the forseeable future" -- ten years after the NBN is initially built.
Vodafone announces new national HQ in Sydney
Vodafone has revealed plans tp establish a new national corporate headquarters in North Sydney, following the signing of an agreement to lease new premises at 177 Pacific Highway.
Apple of the isle: The NBN expands in Tasmania
The National Broadband Network Company this morning released maps and timing details for the next stage of its fibre rollout in Tasmania, with the network construction to affect some 11,150 homes and business across the state over the next year.
Insurance network deploys Microsoft business intelligence
Insurance Advisernet (IA) has deployed Microsoft's Business Intelligence data visualisation suite in order to bring greater efficiency and customer understanding network of independent advisers.
Revealed: IBM vs Flightdeck sysadmins in court
Fair Work Australia has published a detailed, blow-by-blow account of the court battle between IBM and the technology giant’s Baulkham Hills staff and their union, revealing gripping details about how the two sides have sought to make their case to (respectively) avoid or hold workplace negotiations.
ACMA proposes changes to spectrum rules to open up Internet of Things
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) is proposing changes to spectrum rules in order to allow Internet of Things (IoT) devices to 'talk' to each other.
LG Optimus 2X hits Harvey Norman
LG today revealed its flagship Optimus 2X smartphone would launch in Australia this month – but without a major telco partner to support it, with the Korean electronics giant to initially sell the handset unlocked through retailer Harvey Norman for the up-front cost of $649.
Medibank appoints new tech chief
Private health insurance provider Medibank has announced the hiring of a new head of technology, effective from the end of November.
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.
100,000 Coles staff get SharePoint Online
National retailer Coles yesterday revealed it had deployed SharePoint Online, a component of Microsoft’s software as a service-based suite Office 365 to some 100,000 Australian staff, in the latest indication that the cloud platform is gaining traction amongst large Australian enterprises.
NEXTDC inks leaseback deal for Brisbane DC
The directors of datacentre company NEXTDC have announced that the company has entered into a sale-and-leaseback agreement for its Brisbane datacentre property. During 2011, NEXTDC had announced a capital recycling program intended to unlock the increasing worth of its property assets and to re-invest the income in higher yielding datacentre infrastructure assets through sale-and-leaseback arrangements.
VMware appoints new Asia-Pacific chief
Virtualisation giant VMware has announced the hiring of a new regional chief for the Asia Pacific and Japan.
Telstra acquires app developer Readify
Telstra has announced the acquisition of Readify, an Australian app development firm that has previously provided services for Microsoft.
Consumers paying up to 92% more with Telstra, says Choice
Choice, the not-for-profit consumer advocacy group, has said that consumers are paying "up to a 92% price premium" to access Telstra’s network, which has experienced a number of major outages in the last six months.
Nexus 5 hits Australia from $399
US technology giant Google has finally taken the wraps of its latest high-end smartphone, the Nexus 5, and there's good news for Australians: The hotly anticipated device will launch at a very competitive price -- starting from $399 -- in Australia next week, the same time as it will launch internationally.
Telstra creates 3G Wi-Fi hotspot … in a thong
Yes, you read the headline right. In what appears to be yet another stroke of marketing genius, Telstra has paid some larrikin (or is it one of its own employees?) to cut a square shape in a common thong, and insert a 3G modem to create a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot.
“Stopping surveillance overreach”: Greens unveil digital privacy policy
The Australian Greens has unveiled a broad digital rights and privacy policy aimed at stopping what the party this week week described as "surveillance overreach" by Australian and international law enforcement initiatives, as both Labor and the Coalition continue to ignore the area, refusing to release policies to deal with digital rights.
vividwireless cuts prices for the new year
vividwireless, part of the Seven network and one of Australia’s only independent wireless broadband providers, is reducing the price of its devices and giving them away free to new customers who sign up for eligible plans.
Was the R18+ classification a pyrrhic victory?
Australia's video game industry and gamers themselves hailed last week's in-principle agreement by almost all of the nation's states and territories on the need for an R18+ classification for video games as a historic victory. But was it in fact closer to a veiled defeat?
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 wins deal with I-MED for national network
TPG Telecom has inked a "multimillion dollar" deal with medical imaging company I-MED Network that will see the telco deliver a dedicated high-speed network connecting all I-MED locations across Australia.