Turnbull’s NBN media war blows back
This morning, long-time telco commentator David Braue skewers Turnbull for this ongoing war on the media, in the erudite fashion which Braue readers have become accustomed to.
Vocus buys Newcastle-based Ipera
The ongoing consolidation of Australia's telecommunications sector is showing no signs of slowing down. Sometimes it seems like every time I think there can't possibly be more buyouts and mergers in the industry, another one happens. This morning it's Newcastle-based fibre and datacentre operator Ipera, which has been bought out by Vocus Communications.
NBN Co conceals updated rollout stats
The National Broadband Network Company has declined to provide updated statistics relating to how many premises its predominantly fibre network has covered over the past two and half months, stating that it will only release updated details on its rollout every calendar quarter.
Stephen Conroy wishes you Merry Christmas
Yes, the above is a Christmas card sent by Communications Minister Stephen Conroy to Delimiter. It was addressed to "Ms Renai LeMay" (oops), but we choose to believe that it expressed sentiments by the Minister not to me personally, but to the Delimiter community as a whole, as the site's strength is not in one person's voice, but in the many.
Merry Christmas from Malcolm Turnbull
Following on from yesterday’s Christmas card from the good Senator Stephen Conroy, we’ve now received a similar message of Yuletide cheer from his opposite, Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
Reality check: China’s not getting an “NBN”
You wouldn’t believe the number of outraged readers who’ve contacted me today encouraging me to take The Australian newspaper to town for its controversially headlined story in this morning’s edition, entitled “A billion Chinese to get an NBN for a third of the cost of ours”.
NBN Co to release updated rollout stats
NBN Co has confirmed it will shortly release updated statistics relating to how many premises its predominantly fibre network was deployed to over the last quarter of 2012, in what is expected to be an extremely closely watched announcement which will do much to qualify the network’s progress ahead of the upcoming Federal Election.
Spectacularly shortsighted: Debating 2012 NBN take-up rates
Reality check: The National Broadband Network is a project which will continue to serve Australia's telecommunications needs for at least the next fifty years. Debating take-up rates in the first year of its existence is nothing short of incredibly short-sighted and trivial.
Bill Clinton wants $50bn US NBN
Seems like it's not only Australian politicians who can get the NBN bug. We're a bit late to this party, but we thought it would be worth getting on the record that in late December, former US President and all-round good guy Bill Clinton jumped on the NBN train wholesale courtesy of a keynote speech at Dell's annual confab in Austin, Texas.
Fletcher takes a big fat swing at 4G auction
This morning, it appears, it's Liberal MP and former Optus executive Paul Fletcher's turn to whale on the Government's wireless spectrum auction, which Vodafone has already deserted and which Optus thinks is way too expensive.
Crazy spectrum prices? No. Historically consistent.
The flagrantly worded argument by Liberal MP Paul Fletcher and others that the Federal Government has badly mismanaged the process of auctioning off 4G wireless spectrum is overly simplistic and does not well-represent the complex dynamic involved in this commercial bidding process.
Court reversal: TPG ads not misleading
The full Federal Court has largely reversed an earlier decision by a single judge which had found that TPG's advertisements of its $29.99 'unlimited' ADSL and telephone bundles had been misleading, forcing the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission onto the back foot in the case.
Global roaming stupidity
Like most people, when I travel overseas I make sure to avoid huge global roaming charges through the use of Wi-Fi networks, cheap local SIM cards, IP telephony and other measures. But apparently some of our nation's most venerable technologists and politicians are not capable of doing the same.
Qld expansion: Optus beefs up 4G coverage
Optus has revealed that it has rapidly expanded its 4G coverage in Brisbane and the Gold Coast, as the SingTel subsidiary races to catch up with the more widespread coverage offered by Australia’s largest 4G network operated by Telstra.
Turnbull continues to attract IT industry bile
Not since Communications Minister Stephen Conroy was strongly pushing the Internet filter project several years ago have I seen this level of frustration with a politician regarding a technology policy.
NBN hard rollout data ‘not yet finalised’
The National Broadband Network Company has again declined to release hard data measures relating to the rollout and uptake of its fibre infrastructure in the last quarter of 2012, stating that the figures were still being "finalised", despite stating the release of more nebulous rollout data last week meant it was meeting its targets.
iiNet’s piracy stance attracts global praise
A decision by Australia's third-largest ISP to pull out of controversial secret talks with the content industry over Internet piracy issues has attracted international attention, with global commentators and readers highlighting the ISP's approach as a sensible one to dealing with litigious film and TV studios.
NBN originally just a “media stunt”, says IPA
Just how well-developed was the NBN policy, five or so years ago when it was first put together by Communications Minister Stephen Conroy and then-PM Kevin Rudd? According to free market thinktank the Institute for Public Affairs, not very well-developed at all.
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.
NBN makes construction chief redundant
The National Broadband Network Company today confirmed it had made its head of construction Dan Flemming redundant, just 18 months after he was appointed, in a move that marks the second time the leadership of the company's construction team has changed in less than two years.
Fact check: The NBN wasn’t a “media stunt”
Free market thinktank the Institute of Public Affairs recently claimed Labor’s flagship National Broadband Network project was drawn up purely as a “media stunt” to drum up publicity for the Government. Unfortunately, this is a factually inaccurate statement, and here’s the evidence to prove it.
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.
‘Bold & visionary’: UK MP loves Australia’s NBN
One of the UK Government’s up and coming technology-focused politicians, Chi Onwurah, has declared Australia’s National Broadband Network to be bold and visionary following a visit Down Under and asked her own country’s administration why it doesn’t have similar ambitions in its own, much more limited broadband policy.
#Vodafix: Vodafone back to kilobyte charging
Vodafone customers concerned by the company’s move decision last month to start charging for mobile data usage on a per megabyte basis can rest easy, with the company announcing it would back down from the decision, in a move it dubbed a “Vodafix”.
Tick tock, NBN Co. Where are the rollout stats?
By continually declining to release hard statistics about how the rollout and uptake of its network are proceeding, the National Broadband Network Company risks portraying itself as exactly the kind of negligent and overly bureaucratic monopoly which the Federal Opposition has long accused it of being.
Coalition must support FTTH, says Oakeshott
Ever the supporter of the Federal Government's National Broadband Network project, independent Rob Oakeshott has come out swinging this week to demand that the Coalition must support the fibre to the premises basis of the NBN, not the FTTN model the Coalition currently supports.
Exceed your quota … somehow it’s the NBN’s fault?
Herald Sun columnist burns through her Telstra broadband quota on the NBN and has her connected slowed as a result, then blames the National Broadband Network infrastructure. Wonderful.
Telstra sets up nebulous software dev unit
The nation’s biggest telco Telstra has set up a new software development business unit, stating that it plans to use the division to take advantage of software-driven business opportunities integrated with its network assets, but without stating precisely what projects the new unit will be working on.
NBN tower “life-threatening”, claim residents
A small community group in the Victorian town of Dereel is attempting to block the installation of a National Broadband Network wireless tower in the region despite most of the community approving, inaccurately claiming that the installation of the tower could cause life-threatening radiation to residents in the area.
FoI request targets NBN rollout stats
A Freedom of Information request has been filed with the National Broadband Network Company seeking hard data regarding the progress in rolling out and uptake of the company’s network as at the end of 2012, as well as documents relating to the process of compiling the statistics.
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.
Turnbull loose with facts on NBN finances
Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has inaccurately claimed that the Federal Government is wasting tens of billions of dollars building its National Broadband Network project, despite the fact that the organisation’s business plan shows it will actually make a modest return on investment for the Government.
NBN Co offers $108 bounty on new customers
The National Broadband Network Company has kicked off what it described as a “promotional” initiative which will see it pay retail Internet service providers $108 per end user customer who signs up to the network by the end of June, a period shortly before the next Federal Election is to be held.
Slow progress: NBN Co releases Dec 2012 stats
The National Broadband Network Company overnight released hard statistics showing the progress of the rollout and uptake of its network infrastructure during the three months to the end of 2012, showing that the company is still making only slow progress in its construction effort and uptake of its services.
Does Telstra have a million 4G devices or not?
Does Telstra have a million 4G devices on its Next G network or not? It depends who you ask, apparently.
Did NBN Co fudge its rollout numbers?
Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull this week claimed the National Broadband Network Company had in January fudged its network rollout statistics by retroactively updating its December fibre rollout database to show additional premises; a claim NBN Co has denied.
The irony, it burns: Telstra’s NBN price complaints
Wait, back up a bit. Did Telstra just argue that NBN Co’s wholesale prices would be so high that they would not allow retail ISPs to charge reasonable prices to end user customers? And that this would stop those ISPs from investing in their own products and services? And that this wouldn’t be in the long-term interest of end users?
Hockey admits: We can’t shut down the NBN
Shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey yesterday admitted that the Opposition would find it hard to “shut down” the National Broadband Network project completely if it wins the upcoming Federal Election in September, and would release further details “in the next few weeks” about the Coalition’s plans for the project.
“Stupid, quasi-religious”: Turnbull slams fibre fans
Those who believe the fibre to the node mode for Australia's National Broadband Network is a second-rate option compared to fibre to the home are just "stupid", and pursuing a "quasi-religious" approach to the technology, according to Malcolm Turnbull.
Abbott confirms Coalition FTTN policy; Hints Turnbull will be Comms Minister
Opposition Leader Tony Abbott this afternoon confirmed the Coalition would take Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull's fibre to the node-based broadband plan to the Federal Election as its broadband policy and appeared to hint that Turnbull would become Communications Minister in an Abbott administration.
Telstra remediation work delaying NBN?
The Federal Government has advised Sydney residents that at least one suburb due to have been connected to the National Broadband Network's fibre rollout has had its connection delayed due to the need to wait for Telstra to conduct remediation work in its pits and conduits in the area; however, Telstra has stated that the delays could be more properly attributed to NBN Co.
“Below target”: Andrew Bolt slams NBN progress
Conservative commentator Andrew Bolt has continued his ongoing series of attacks on Labor's flagship National Broadband Network project, claiming that the project is behind target and describing the way it accounts for having finished network construction in a given area as being "rubbery".
Qld LNP MPs doorknock for FTTN petition
Two Federal Coalition Members of Parliament have flagged their intention to conduct a door-knocking campaign in their Queensland electorates to garner support for a petition which would support faster high-speed broadband being rolled out to their regions; effectively, a petition in support of the Coalition's fibre to the node rival NBN plan.
Not absolutely everything is the NBN’s fault
Despite what you may read in the media, not everything that goes wrong in early stage NBN rollout zones has anything to do with NBN Co. Take the problems outlined in this article published today by Computerworld, for example.
NBN should be in caretaker mode, claims Turnbull
Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has called for the National Broadband Network Company to stop entering into major contracts that would affect a Coalition Government, due to what Turnbull described as being a form of the traditional government 'caretaker mode' that keeps governments running during elections.
NBN confirms doubled satellite, wireless speeds?
NBN Co today revealed that its satellite and wireless services designed to serve a small proportion of the population will feature higher speeds than previously confirmed, with the services now to provide download speeds up to 25Mbps and upload speeds up to 5Mbps. However, questions remain over the timing and technical details of the company's announcement.
Telstra customers threaten desertion over P2P trial
Telstra's plans to kick off a trial that will see it throttle some peer to peer services on its ADSL broadband network have been met with an outraged reaction from its customers, with many instantly threatening to cancel their services and take their business elsewhere if the trial goes ahead.
Caretaker mode? No. NBN Co should go hog wild.
Not only should NBN Co ignore Malcolm Turnbull's spurious claim that it's in some form of 'virtual caretaker mode' ahead of the upcoming Federal Election, it should intentionally sign as many long-term construction and equipment contracts as possible before September, in case the Coalition wins government and tries to shut it down.
You heard it here first
Delimiter editor Renai LeMay has "jumped the shark", according to Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull
Turnbull would win if leader, says Windsor
According to Independent Tony Windsor, if Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull were to contest the upcoming September Federal Election as Leader of the Opposition, the Coalition would be a shoe-in for victory.
“Like Sol Trujillo”: Conroy blasts Vodafone CEO
Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has taken an axe to complaints by Vodafone Australia's chief executive Bill Morrow about the national telecommunications regulatory regime, comparing Morrow to outspoken former Telstra CEO Sol Trujillo.
Qld Coalition MP issues loaded NBN survey
A North Queensland LNP Member of Federal Parliament has issued his constituents with a wide-ranging survey canvassing their views on a number of areas, including several questions which appear to take a misleading approach regarding the Government's National Broadband Network project.
Reality check: Telstra’s P2P trial is no big deal
Those panic merchants jumping up and down screaming blue murder over Telstra's P2P shaping trial need to take a chill pill and go sit in the naughty corner until their blood pressure sinks a few points. The reality is that the trial isn't a big deal and it's certainly nothing out of the ordinary in the context of the Australian and international telecommunications sector.
Coalition FTTN would ignore HFC areas: Conroy
Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has challenged Shadow Minister Malcolm Turnbull to confirm his rival broadband policy would not see fibre to the node technology immediately deployed to areas already covered by the HFC cable networks operated by Telstra and Optus, despite the fact that few use the ageing HFC networks.
Secret data retention docs display gross technical ineptitude
A treasure trove of previously confidential documents pertaining to the Government's data retention policy and released this week under Freedom of Information laws display an astonishing technical ineptitude on the part of the Attorney-General's Department with respect to the controversial project.
Turnbull confirms: ‘HFC areas’ last to get FTTN, if at all
Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has confirmed that metropolitan areas of Australia in the HFC cable footprint of Telstra and Optus would not immediately receive the Coalition's planned fibre to the node upgrade if it wins Government; despite the fact that very few in those areas actually use the HFC cable and it is regarded as deprecated.
Chaos: Coalition a total shambles on NBN policy
Up until now, I've been willing to give the Coalition the benefit of the doubt when it comes to national broadband policy, due primarily to the intelligence and experience of its Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull. But events last week starkly demonstrated the Coalition is currently a complete mess when it comes to this critical portfolio.
Reality check: NBN Syntheo delays not significant
If you believe what you read over the past week, you'd think that construction delays on the part of contractor Syntheo have significantly derailed the progress of the National Broadband Network. However, as is often the case with the NBN, the truth couldn't be more different. The fact is that network remains squarely on track to meet its June 2013 rollouts targets.
AFR leaves crucial info out of NBN cost story
The Financial Review newspaper has published a story claiming that the Federal Government's National Broadband Network project won't recover its costs by the year 2040, despite the fact that NBN Co explicitly stated in the same document reported by the AFR that there were several potential scenarios where it would recover the costs by that date.
Quigley refutes “incorrect, misleading” AFR report
The chief executive of the National Broadband Network Company this afternoon strongly criticised the Australian Financial Review newspaper for what he said was a "disappointing", "incorrect and misleading" report that had "wrongly" claimed NBN Co would not recover its costs by its projected date.
HFC the “steam train” of broadband, says Budde
Australian telecommunications analyst Paul Budde has published a strongly worded blog post arguing that the HFC cable networks focused on by the Coalition in its rival NBN policy are akin to steam trains in the 1930's through the 1960's -- they'll still around for decades, but don't represent the future of their industry.
82% of early stage residents back NBN
An extensive survey of residents in the early stage National Broadband Network rollout zone in the Melbourne suburb of Brunswick has shown that 89 percent backed the NBN as a "good idea", even if they hadn't immediately signed up to use the project's fibre infrastructure.
Telstra won’t renegotiate $11bn NBN fee
David Thodey has already reportedly started playing hardball with respect to the $11 billion in payments which Telstra is set to receive as part of its deal with the Government and NBN Co.
Help us fact-check iTNews’ NBN figures
Help us fact-check iTNews' claims that NBN Co is fudging its rollout figures in an attempt to make its progress look better on paper.
Abbott confirms Turnbull as future Comms Minister
Opposition Leader Tony Abbott confirmed over the weekend that he expected Malcolm Turnbull to become Communications Minister and have responsibility for the National Broadband Network project in a Coalition Government, following his time as Shadow Minister since September 2010.
iTNews report “entirely untrue”, says NBN Co
The National Broadband Network Company has labelled claims by iTNews yesterday that it was deliberately manipulating its rollout figures in order to put a more positive light on them as "entirely untrue", and argued that the publication's claims are "not supported by the facts".
Vodafone CEO backs Quigley NBN study
Vodafone chief executive Bill Morrow backs NBN Co chief executive Mike Quigley's proposal to have the Communications Alliance carry out a study into Australia's broadband future.
Ten’s The Project whacks Turnbull with ABC article
The young presenters of Ten's The Project pointedly question Malcolm Turnbull about the Coalition's NBN plans, using information sourced directly from Nick Ross' controversial ABC article on the subject to do so.
Hypocrisy: The Australian attacks ABC’s NBN objectivity
The Australian this morning published several articles accusing a senior ABC journalist of failing to uphold the broadcaster's editorial standards in coverage of the National Broadband Network, despite the fact that the News Ltd newspaper and its commentators have themselves faced the same criticism from the print media watchdog and others in the past.
NBN should abolish speed tiers, says economist
According to one economist, the NBN might actually see higher uptake if just one flat speed (presumably 100Mbps, initially) was provided.
Emperor Turnbull has no clothes
In a new scathing commentary published this afternoon, ZDNet columnist David Braue rips the recent performance of Malcolm Turnbull as a flailing Shadow Communications Minister to shreds and leaves the mangled corpse behind in the dust.
HANDS OFF NICK ROSS: Conroy warns the ABC and The Australian
Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has harshly criticised both The Australian newspaper and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation for what he said were "outrageous" attempts to vilify and discipline senior ABC journalist Nick Ross for merely doing his job in comparing the Coalition and Government NBN policies.
NBN on Media Watch tonight
Just a brief note to let everyone know that media coverage of the National Broadband Network is expected to be featured on Media Watch tonight, with a focus on the recent articles of ABC Technology + Games Editor Nick Ross and the controversy last week surrounding them. I would encourage all readers who have a view of this issue to contact Media Watch directly and make their opinion or analysis of the situation known.
Return of the King: Kevin Rudd re-joins the NBN campaign
Kevin Rudd has given several major speeches and press conferences pushing the case for the National Broadband Project he launched as Prime Minister in April 2009 to cause a "revolution" in sectors from education to healthcare and tourism; adding the Coalition's alternative would leave Australia an "economic backwater".
Corrosion drastically impacts BT FTTN speed
If BT's rollout in the UK is any indication, fibre to the node may not be the perfect broadband solution it has been hyped up to be.
Media Watch weighs in on Ross NBN coverage
We were pleasantly surprised with the conclusions which Holmes drew on last night’s program regarding the National Broadband Network coverage which ABC Technology + Games Editor Nick Ross has been generating over the past year.
Turnbull faces questions on NBN journalist bullying
Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has faced a number of questions from the media over the past 24 hours as to whether his actions towards ABC journalist Nick Ross and others has constituted 'bullying' journalists with respect to the contentious National Broadband Network issue in his portfolio.
Why the NBN needs a safe pair of hands
When I think about the future of the National Broadband Network project, what mainly concerns me is that whoever is in charge of the initiative keeps it moving forward, keeps it on track and delivers better broadband to all Australians within the next decade.
NBN could cost $100 billion, claims Turnbull
Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has publicly claimed that Labor's National Broadband Network project could could cost as much as $100 billion to build, despite the company’s own estimates showing that it will require around $37 billion of capital injection from the Government and eventually make a return.
Fast-growing M2 buys Dodo, makes Eftel offer
According to a cluster of media releases and company presentations issued to the Australian Stock Exchange this morning, fast-growing telco M2 Telecommunications has bought independent ISP Dodo for $203.9 million and has made an offer for similarly independent ISP Eftel for $44.1 million.
NBN support rises to 73 percent of Australians
A new poll has shown that support for Labor's National Broadband Network project has risen over the past few months to a total of 73 percent, adding to a long-term trend of enduring support for the initiative demonstrated over the past several years; with even a majority of Coalition voters supporting the project.
Leaked numbers show NBN fibre rollout lagging
I've been quite optimistic about the speed at which NBN Co is rolling out its brownfields fibre infrastructure, but that optimism has been challenged today by what appears to be the inadvertent release of new statistics regarding the company's rollout progress.
‘It’s not our fault’: Kogan on dumping high-usage customers
Maverick online retailer Ruslan Kogan has blamed an upstream wholesale Telstra partner for a policy which has seen some early adopters of his company's "unlimited" mobile plans dumped for using too much of their quota.
Syntheo hands NT work back to NBN Co
So that we can all enter wholesale into yet another orgy of doubt and self-flagellation about the current status of the NBN project, here's Syntheo's (very brief) statement this morning that it's handing back work in the Northern Territory to NBN Co.
Despite bumps in the rollout, households show strong support for the NBN
The NBN is emerging as one of the key issues in the lead-up to this year’s federal election. But the project has been fraught with challenges: planning issues and a shortage of skilled labour have delayed the rollout process.Today it was reported that NBN Co is now set to downgrade rollout targets by up to half of those initially forecast.
An update on our iTNews fact-checking effort
I want to apologise to iTNews and to readers for not getting the time to pursue the fact-checking article I planned to.
NBN Co chair quits, says AFR
Last night the Financial Review reported that NBN Co chairman Harrison Young (pictured) was planning to quit as the company's chairman, with current board member Siobhan McKenna to step into his place.
NBN revises June forecast to 190k to 220k
NBN Co today revealed it would substantially downgrade its forecast figure for how many premises its fibre network will have passed by the end of June this year, with the figure shifting down from an initial 341,000 premises (including green- and brownfields premises) to between 190,000 and 220,000 premises, as construction delays have continued to bite the company.
Optus “increases focus” by sacking 290 staff
Over the past decade your writer has been a technology journalist, we've seen quite a few weasel-worded media releases, and this morning's emission from SingTel subsidiary Optus is a good example of the genre. Sacking some 290 staff? Why not apply a little of the old doublespeak treatment and label the initiative as "increasing focus"?
“Large ISP” (TPG?) refuses to deploy Interpol filter
The Australian Federal Police has revealed that its limited mandatory ISP filtering scheme based on a list of offensive sites supplied by Interpol has not yet been taken up by most of Australia's ISPs, with only Telstra and Optus having implemented the filter so far and a further "large ISP" having flat out refused to comply with the project.
NBN Co has “major credibility issues”: Budde
NBN Co has "major credibility issues", according to telecommunications analyst Paul Budde, following the unexpected downgrade of its rollout schedule yesterday.
Vodafone sends Interpol filter live
National mobile carrier Vodafone has revealed it has become the third major Australian Internet service provider to implement the limited Internet filtering scheme supported by the Federal Government and Australian Federal Police, in a move which will now see its customers blocked from accessing a set of offensive sites supplied by Interpol.
Broken dreams: The NBN’s bubble has burst
With its rollout schedule significantly delayed yet again, its contractual and political relationships on the rocks and its transparency thrown out the window, it's apparent that NBN Co is not delivering the National Broadband Network the nation was promised. So what's the future of this great Australian dream?
iiNet taking lion’s share of NBN customers
National broadband provider iiNet has revealed it is taking the lion's share of customers who have connected to the National Broadband Network so far, with other large ISPs such as TPG lagging behind due to their unwillingness to engage with the new national network.
Kogan issues updated mobile usage policy
Telecommunications comparison WhistleOut has dug up the news that Kogan has issued a new acceptable usage policy for its so-called "Unlimited" plans.
NBN a “horrible hoax”, says Turnbull
The claim by Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull that Labor’s National Broadband Network project will take 20 years and up to $100 billion has been pretty comprehensively debunked at this point, NBN Co’s latest rollout speed downgrades notwithstanding. However, the Earl of Wentworth continues to trot it out during his visits to small community meetings.
Leighton confirms telco business sale
You may recall that diversified contract and industrial group Leighton Holdings has been looking to sell its NextGen, Metronode and Infoplex telecommunications and technology businesses for some time. At one stage interested bidders apparently included Telstra, but as it turns out, a somewhat different organisation has bought them.
‘Dumb’ people can’t see wireless is NBN future: Alan Jones
Radio shockjock Alan Jones has repeated his comments that wireless broadband represents the future of Internet access, describing those who can't face this situation as "dumb" and claiming that the Federal Government's National Broadband Network project will consequently be obsolete before it's finished.
‘Superceded’: Hadley joins Jones in wireless NBN attack
Radio shockjock Ray Hadley has joined fellow 2GB commentator Alan Jones in attacking Labor's National Broadband Network project for using fibre technology to upgrade Australia's broadband infrastructure, with Hadley claiming the fibre could be superceded over the next two decades by "something we don't even know about".
Incompetence: NBN Co forced to ‘re-do’ segments
The National Broadband Network Company is reportedly being forced to re-do portions of its fibre rollout in some areas because of the incompetence of its contractors, according to leaked documents the Financial Review newspaper published from within the company this morning.
ACCC knocks back NBN Co contract
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has issued a draft decision rejecting the 'Special Access Undertaking' (SAU) which will guide NBN Co's long-term relationship with the regulator and retail ISPs, noting that the contract had a great deal of merit but still needed work.
Turnbull agrees with Alan Jones: Wireless is NBN future
Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has publicly backed as "the facts" a number of highly contentious statements by radio shockjock Alan Jones about Labor's National Broadband Network project, including Jones' contested claim that wireless represents the future of broadband in Australia.
NBN debate full of falsehoods, say academics
It should come as no surprise to regular Delimiter readers that our National Broadband Network debate has been poisoned by a constant series of inaccurate and misleading statements. It’s the done thing, after all — politicians are doing it, newspapers are doing it, television stations are doing it — why wouldn’t everyone want to get in on the bandwagon?
Coalition policy claims NBN to cost $90bn
This morning the Daily Telegraph reported that an analysis contained in the Coalition's rival policy purported to show that the real cost of Labor's NBN project would be up to $90 billion.
$90bn NBN? WRONG: Oakeshott tells Coalition
The independent MP who chaired the Federal Parliament's committee investigating the NBN has lambasted the Coalition for its claim that the real cost of Labor's National Broadband Network project was likely to be up to $90 billion, pointing out that the treasury and finance departments disagreed with the Coalition's estimate.
Optus loses networks chief Ottendorfer
Optus revealed last week that it's losing its highly regarded networks chief Günther Ottendorfer, who's been the driving force between the rapid rollout of its 4G network. To put it mildly, this is a huge loss for Optus
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.
Coalition’s FTTN NBN to cost $29.4bn
So today is the day we’ve all been waiting for. The day when the Coalition finally releases its rival telecommunications policy to go up against Labor’s flagship National Broadband Network project. Sadly, so far we still don’t have the actual policy documents which detail the Coalition’s plans; they’ll (presumably) be released later today.
Coalition releases long-awaited rival NBN policy
The Coalition this morning released its long-awaited policy alternative to Labor's flagship National Broadband Network project, promising Australians download speeds of between 25Mbps and 100Mbps by the end of 2016 and 50Mbps to 100Mbps by the end of 2019, at a projected reduced total cost of $29.5 billion.
Coalition NBN policy a “farce”, say Greens
The Australian Greens have accused the Coalition of perpetrating a "farce" in the delivery of its rival National Broadband Network policy this morning, describing the alternative vision for Australia's future telecommunications needs as "planned obsolescence" on a vast scale and as "a rehashed ALP broadband policy from 2009".
Coalition NBN policy launch: Full video
Missed the Coalition's rival policy launch on TV this morning and want to catch up? No worries, Delimiter's got your back. Catch the whole presentation by Opposition Leader Tony Abbott and Malcolm Turnbull in this YouTube video. We're also working on uploading the question and answer session in which yours truly and a number of other journalists put the tough questions to the pair.
“Ignorance”: Conroy slams Turnbull’s “fail” NBN policy
Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has taken a pickaxe to the Coalition's rival broadband policy released this morning, describing the plan as a "fail" on the part of Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull and lambasting the Coalition for its "ignorance" when it comes to broadband policy.
Coalition NBN policy launch Q+A: Full video
Yesterday we posted the full presentation given by Opposition Leader Tony Abbott and Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull in Sydney as they outlined the core tenets of the Coalition's rival National Broadband Network policy. And this morning we've got more; if you're interested in watching the full question and answer session which the pair conducted with assembled journalists (including yours truly), the videos are below.
PM Gillard meets global Huawei chair
Julia Gillard meets with Huawei's global chair during a visit to China.
Kogan drags ISPOne into court over mobile
blog Remember how Kogan issued a strenuous denial that it was its fault that high-usage customers were being dumped from its fladgling "unlimited" mobile...
The Coalition’s NBN policy is a triumph of short-termism over long-term vision
Malcolm Turnbull has moved the Coalition light years – or at least several million fibre optic kilometres – from the Luddite criticisms thrown up by the Opposition during the 2010 federal election campaign. That said, it was sad to see the number of debating tricks employed in launching his national broadband policy.
Coalition NBN will suffer in the long term: Experts
The federal Coalition’s new A$30 billion plan for “fast, affordable” broadband is a quick-fix strategy, which is likely to cost more and be less reliable long-term, according to experts.
25Mbps in flats? Turnbull “dreaming”, says strata association
The issue of how to treat those Australians living in multi-dwelling units such as apartment blocks has always been a thorny one for both Labor and the Coalition.
$94 billion NBN? It’s a nice, unproven, soundbite
One particular aspect of the Coalition's NBN pitch cannot go unchallenged: The constantly repeated claim that Labor's current NBN policy will cost $94 billion -- $60 billion more than Labor is claiming.
“Bicycle to the premise”: Clarke + Dawe on Coalition NBN policy
We're huge fans of the comedy duo Clarke and Dawe, who have long brought their cutting brand of satire to the ABC's flagship 7:30 current affairs show. And what better subject for this week's episode than the Coalition's new National Broadband Network policy? It all goes very smoothly for the pair -- until they get past the node, when a more unusual broadband delivery method presents itself.
FTTN cabinets “hideous”, say designers
Not everyone is particularly enthused by the idea of placing tens of thousands of broadband cabinets around Australia to realise the Coalition's fibre to the node National Broadband Network vision. And one of those not happy with the idea is UNSW building academic Alec Tzannes.
Turnbull openly “lying” about NBN, says Conroy
Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has accused his opposite Malcolm Turnbull and Opposition Leader Tony Abbott of openly "lying" to exaggerate the key differences between the two sides of politics' National Broadband Network policies, using a number of concrete recent examples to demonstrate his point.
Kevin Rudd misrepresents Coalition’s NBN policy
Former Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd has made a factually inaccurate statement regarding the Coalition's rival National Broadband Network policy, falsely claiming that much of his electorate will see "zero upgrade" from the policy, when in fact the Coalition's plan covers 100 percent of Australia, as does Labor's own.
FTTP too hard: Informa analyst backs Coalition
Informa senior analyst Tony Brown backs the Coalition's Fibre to the Node vision for the National Broadband Network.
$94 billion not the worst Labor NBN case: Turnbull
Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has responded to the claim that the Coalition is misrepresenting its own estimates of the cost of Labor's NBN policy, stating that the $94 billion figure being cited is not a 'worst case scenario', with the Coalition estimating that Labor's NBN could actually cost more than $100 billion and take 20 years to deliver.
Turnbull has “saved” the NBN, says Kohler
It's hard to recall, given Tony Abbott's enthusiastic support for the Coalition's 'NBN lite' policy released this week, but there was a time when the Opposition Leader and others in the Coalition had pledged to "demolish", "dismantle" and any other 'd' word you can think of, Labor's National Broadband Network policy. Until Malcolm Turnbull took control.
Coalition rejected: 78% support Labor’s NBN
An informal online poll taken by the ABC appears to have shown that voters have already rejected the Coalition's rival National Broadband Network policy, with 78 percent of some 5,700 readers noting that they didn't support the policy revealed last week.
As Labor and the Coalition duel over the NBN, the real winner is Telstra
The real winner out of the National Broadband Network process is Telstra, writes Gennadi Kazakevitch, Deputy Head, Department of Economics at Monash University.
The Coalition’s policy is a sensible NBN alternative
The Coalition's rival policy is a sensible alternative to Labor's National Broadband Network project, based soundly on its traditional principles of liberalism and support for the free market, but also pragmatically taking into account the situation which the the current Federal Government will leave the Coalition with if it takes power in September.
Greenfields lobbyist sees nine-figure windfall in Coalition NBN
blog The Coalition’s NBN policy launch may have been variously greeted with both strong derision and cautious support in varying measures, but with Labor’s...
Business warming to NBN but most still unprepared for it
Australian businesses expect massive change from the NBN and are rapidly warming to the potential role of NBN-driven teleworking, but most still aren’t ready for the changes the network will bring, a major survey of business readiness has concluded.
Australia’s 4G mobile services more reliable than 3G: J.D. Power
Emerging 4G networks are proving to be more reliable and deliver a better wireless experience than established 3G networks, a J.D. Power and Associates study has found. The 2013 Australia Wireless Network Quality Study measured problems per 100 (PP100) based on ten common problems that impact overall network performance, including dropped calls, calls not connected, audio issues, failed or lost voicemails, and more.
Game on: NBN Co fires broadband afterburners with 1Gbps services
The election’s just months away and it’s game on at NBN Co, which this morning announced it will add three more speed tiers to its services, now offering a maximum 1Gbps wholesale service at a wholesale access price of $150 per month.
NBN Co cranking up rollout to eleven – but can it rock ‘n’ roll?
A week after the Coalition debuted its anxiously-awaited alternative NBN policy, Labor seems to be cranking the project up to eleven as it works to reverse months of problems and improve the appeal of its NBN policy to voters. Telecommunications industry figures, however, aren’t convinced NBN Co can deliver on its promises, according to a report on technology site iTnews.com.au.
Pushed for Coalition contingency plan, NBN Co reveals rollout costs
A growing amount of information on the costs of NBN Co’s fibre-to-the-premise (FttP) rollout may have brought some long-wanted clarity to the national broadband network (NBN) debate, but calls by NBN joint parliamentary committee chair Rob Oakeshott for a revised NBN Co corporate plan – to account for potential changes due to the election of a Coalition government and implementation of that party’s alternative NBN – confirm the government is facing increased scrutiny as observers push for further transparency in the pre-election NBN debate.
‘Digital dividend’ spectrum battle will be over quickly: analysts
Australia’s long-awaited ‘digital dividend’ auction kicks off today, but may be a relative non-event with the reserve set relatively high and Telstra expected to dominate proceedings as it rushes to snap up as much spectrum for its 4G LTE services as possible.
Big fish, bigger fish: iiNet, M2 considered merger
Australia’s market recently dodged a potential merger that would have created an NBN-era telecommunications behemoth by combining M2 Telecommunications and iiNet.
Australia’s Internet services slower in 2012 than 2011: Akamai
Australia’s average Internet speeds have decreased by 23% compared with a year ago, according to the latest quarterly figures from global content distribution network (CDN) giant Akamai.
Coalition to answer all NBN policy questions
The Coalition has published an extensive document with which it appears to be hoping to answer all of the 'frequently asked questions' regarding its rival National Broadband Network policy, including points of contention such as its cost, technical aspects when compared to Labor's existing fibre solution, and future telecommunications industry structure.
New NBN policy galvanised Coalition voters
The release of the Coalition's new National Broadband Network policy had a dramatic effect upon support for Labor's existing policy, analysis of polling data shows, with a large chunk of Coalition voters abandoning their previous long-term support for Labor's existing NBN policy in favour of the new Coalition alternative.
Telstra has 2.1 million 4G customers
This morning the telco’s deputy chief financial officer Mark Hall casually told Macquarie Bank’s Equities Conference that Telstra already has 2.1 million customers on its 4G network.
“Truth”: Kogan wins ispONE fight
If you were watching Ruslan Kogan’s Twitter feed closely this afternoon, you would have seen the Kogan chief claim victory in his company’s contentious court battle against mobile wholesaler ispONE.
Productivity Commission chief is ex-DBCDE head
It escaped our attention at the time, but the more astute among you may have noted in November last year that Peter Harris, the head of Communications Minister Stephen Conroy’s Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, was appointed to chair the Government’s Productivity Commission.
Turnbull slams “dishonest” Labor NBN propaganda
Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has come out swinging against what he today described as "misleading and dishonest" material criticising the Coalition's NBN policy and promoting Labor's own, which prominent Labor MPs have started distributing to their constituents ahead of the upcoming Federal Election.
NBN Co updates rollout plan to 2016
The National Broadband Network Company over the weekend updated its rolling three-year deployment timetable, adding more than 1.35 million Australian premises to its plan for deploying fibre, wireless and satellite infrastructure throughout Australia.
NBN rollout update a “fantasy”, says Turnbull
Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has dismissed the latest update to the rollout plans for Labor's National Broadband Network project as a "fantasy", pointing out that the initiative has been under way for four years but has failed to meet its targets and has only successfully rolled out infrastructure to a "miniscule" number of premises.
NBN: Can’t we all just get along?
So far the National Broadband Network debate over the past several years since Malcolm Turnbull became Shadow Communications Minister has been broadly polite, with both sides rationally examining and critiquing each other’s policies in a calm manner, while engaging in a friendly rivalry about who has the best polic. Oh, wait, I’m wrong. It’s actually become a a bile-filled cesspit of misleading statements, public slander, irrelevancy and flat-out lies. How could I forget?
Turnbull’s NBN answers “make sense”, says Budde
Veteran telecommunications analyst Paul Budde has praised the Coalition for publishing an extensive 'frequently asked questions’ regarding its rival National Broadband Network policy unveiled last month, noting that the additional explanations of the policy "make sense" and that the Coalition is "moving forward" on the issue.
Telstra, Optus, TPG, spend $1.9bn on spectrum
The Australian Communications and Media Authority this morning revealed that the majority of its auction of wireless spectrum, as expected, was snapped up by Telstra and Optus to fuel their 4G mobile broadband rollouts, with surprise bidder TPG also picking up a tiny portion of spectrum. The total raised from the sale was $1.9 billion.
Cisco picks up 4G work with Vodafone
When you get into the datacentres of Australia's big telcos (as I've had the chance to do on occasion), what you'll find is that their network infrastructure is highly heterogenuous. You get a lot of Juniper, a lot of Alcatel-Lucent, a lot of Ericsson, a lot of Nokia-Siemens Networks and if you look hard enough you'll even be able to find some old Nortel gear tucked away in a corner and even some (gasp!) Huawei. However, if I had to make a bet, I'd say that the most ubiquitous brand in the core is Cisco.
Pro-NBN fanbois have fallen into bad habits
Like mindless junkies scrabbling for their latest fix, the virulent community of pro-NBN extremists in Australia's technology sector will do or say almost anything to prove the Coalition's NBN policy to be completely worthless, despite the fact that it shares most of its fundamental principles with Labor's own superior broadband vision.
Huston calls for active FTTP NBN
There are actually few Australians who your writer considers to be actual, verifiable experts on the current class of broadband technologies being debated as part of the National Broadband Network discussion. However, Geoff Huston is one of them.
AFP FOI review keeps filter info secret
An internal review has backed a decision by the Australian Federal Police to prevent the public from ascertaining the identities of ISPs participating in the Federal Government’s voluntary filter scheme for child abuse materials, through supporting the redaction of the ISPs’ details from relevant documents released under Freedom of Information laws.
The perfect demonstration of an NBN false dichotomy
We couldn't help but be amused by the brouhaha caused when smart cookie, self-confessed Liberal voter and Redditor James Brotchie created the very Web 2.0-ish site How Fast is the NBN, which attempts to graphically demonstrate the difference between the rival National Broadband Network policies of the two major sides of politics.
They just keep on quitting: NBN Co loses wireless exec
NBN Co has lost the executive in charge of its wireless rollout, according to the Financial Review.
“Mostly false”: Politifact disputes Labor’s $5k NBN fibre claim
The Australian version of pioneering US fact-checking website Politifact has given a "mostly false" rating to Labor's claim that the Coalition's National Broadband Network policy will see Australians charged $5,000 for access to fibre broadband infrastructure, in one of the site's first fact-checks on the Australian political arena after its launch this week.
‘It wasn’t us’: AG’s Dept denies massive filter false positive
The Federal Attorney-General's Department has denied any involvement in a controversial event in April which saw some 1,200 websites wrongfully blocked by several of Australia's major Internet service providers, claiming that neither it nor the Australian Federal Police were involved, despite ISPs blaming the Government for the move.
Offended by ‘fraudband’? Maybe you shouldn’t have said it first
There’s been a bit of hoohah about the use of the hashtag #fraudband recently by [Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull[ & his cronies, decrying every use as ‘poor form’ & the like. Yet when you look deeper into the use of the term ‘fraudband’, the reality is that the Liberal & National Party were using it LONG before anyone supporting the NBN was.
Ludlam to do Reddit AMA this Wednesday night
Just a very brief message to let y'all know that Greens Senator, Communications Spokesperson and William Gibson fan Scott Ludlam is planning to open up his world to all and sundry this Wednesday night -- 15 May, from 7:30 to 9PM, for a Reddit AMA ('Ask Me Anything') session.
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.
Interpol filter scope creep: ASIC ordering unilateral website blocks
The Federal Government has confirmed its financial regulator has started requiring Australian Internet service providers to block websites suspected of providing fraudulent financial opportunities, in a move which appears to also open the door for other government agencies to unilaterally block sites they deem questionable in their own portfolios.
Global eyes are watching: EFF condemns Australia’s new Internet filter
The global Electronic Frontiers Foundation has harshly criticised the Federal Government for allowing departments and agencies to unilaterally block websites suspected of containing illegal content, saying that it "beggars belief" that such a system could be in place after the previous mandatory filter policy was defeated.
FOI requests target Section 313 notices
News that Federal Government agencies such as the Australian Securities and Investments Commission have quietly started unilaterally forcing Australian ISPs to block websites suspected of containing illegal material has spurred an extensive round of Freedom of Information requests, as journalists and activists seek to ascertain how widespread the practice is.
Telstra suffers another data breach
It hasn’t been a good few years for the nation’s biggest telco Telstra when it comes to data breaches. It almost seems like every three to four months, there’s a new chunk of Telstra’s customer data leaked onto the public Internet, and the company has to make yet another apology to those affected, as well as kicking off another ‘review’ of its systems.
ASIC blocked “numerous” sites over 9 months
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission revealed tonight that it had in fact blocked "numerous" websites over the past nine months which it suspected contained illegal material, as fears about the extent of the agency's covert Internet filtering scheme continue to grow.
Turnbull rejects Labor’s NBN subsidy claims
Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has strongly denied claims by Labor MPs that the Coalition's rival National Broadband Network policy would see those in rural areas pay more to access NBN infrastructure, stating that the Coalition would maintain the so-called "cross-subsidy".
Is FTTN vectoring just a pipe dream?
If you believe Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull, a technology known as 'vectoring' has the potential to dramatically enhance the speed of a fibre to the node network such as the Coalition is planning to construct under its rival NBN policy. However, significant doubts have recently been raised as to the extent to which vectoring can be implemented in Australia -- and at what cost.
Optus launches TD-LTE 4G trial in Canberra
The nation's number two telco Optus has made a series of major announcements this morning regarding its 4G network, which now extends through five capital cities as well major regional centres such as the Gold Coast, Coffs Harbour and Byron Bay.
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.
At death’s door: Vodafone loses 216k more customers
Vodafone's global parent in the UK has revealed that its Australian division lost a further 216,000 customers in the first quarter of this year, as indications continue to mount that the ongoing customer outage from the beleaguered telco is accelerating, rather than declining.
iiNet sells TransACT’s FTTP to NBN Co
National broadband provider iiNet this afternoon revealed it had reached an agreement which would see the National Broadband Network Company buy the fibre to the premises network which iiNet bought 18 months ago with its acquisition of Canberra-based TransACT.
Telstra set for massive internal restructure
Telstra tends to go through at least one to two major or minor restructuring rounds per year, and the cuts that the telco has announced internally appear to help align Telstra's costs to the more profitable and growing areas of its business, while taking resources away from areas where its losses are accelerating.
Mass piracy lawsuits are back in Australia: Law firm targets end users’ details
A Sydney-based law firm has issued a series of letters to major Australian ISPs requesting they hand over the details of users who have allegedly used peer to peer Internet file sharing platforms to pirate content owned by the firm's clients, in a move which appears set to reopen the debate about how such cases should be handled in Australia.
“Extortion”: Pirate Party slams piracy letters
The Pirate Party of Australia has described as "extortion as a business model" action by a Sydney-based law firm which has seen Australian ISPs issued with a series of letters requesting they hand over the details of users who have allegedly used peer to peer file sharing platforms to pirate content owned by the firm's clients.
Coalition NBN plan to deliver “25 gigabit”: Rural MP
A rural NSW MP from the National Party has inaccurately claimed that the Coalition's National Broadband Network policy will guarantee speeds of "at least 25 gigs" to all Australians by 2016, with Labor's policy to deliver a mere "100 kilobits" in comparison, as inaccurate comments about the two policies continue to proliferate.
Fairfax columnist prints blatant NBN falsehoods
A senior columnist writing for Melbourne newspaper The Age has falsely claimed that the fibre technology used in Labor's NBN project had a life of only 25 years and that it could be made obsolete by "low earth orbiting satellites", in an article riddled with inaccurate and highly disputed claims regarding the project.
NBN: Isn’t Siobhan McKenna just doing her job?
One can't help but be amused by the ruckus which the Financial Review newspaper has raised (and which the Opposition is echoing with vitriolic fervour) around the renewed attention which NBN Co's board has reportedly been paying towards the stewardship of the National Broadband Network Company.
The company you keep: Section 313 notices and IPv4 collateral damage
Internet Protocol researcher Geoff Huston analyses the Federal Government's usage of Section 313 notices to block certain websites, with reference to the ongoing issue of how IPv4 addresses are being used on the Internet.
‘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.
Telstra pledges strong NBN asbestos controls
The nation's biggest telco Telstra has announced a wide raft of new measures designed to ensure safety around the handling of dangerous asbestos materials in its pits and pipes, as concern continues to grow regarding the issue unearthed by the rollout of the National broadband Network.
NBN Co’s wireless rollout also behind
Bad news upon bad news is continuing to pile on for the Federal Government's National Broadband Network project. Hot upon the heels of the asbestos scandal which continues to plague Telstra as it remediates its pits and pipes for the NBN infrastructure, the Financial Review has reported this morning that the wireless component of the NBN rollout is also significantly behind.
NBN media criticism highly politicised, says Budde
Telecommunications analyst Paul Budde has sharply criticised Australia's media for not levelling the same "malice" and "vicious media attacks" at the Coalition's National Broadband Network policy as it has with Labor's NBN vision, despite the fact that the two policies share a great deal of similarity.
Politifact backs Turnbull: Labor’s NBN not “free”
The Australian version of pioneering US fact-checking website Politifact has given a “mostly true” rating to statement by Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull that connecting to Labor’s NBN infrastructure will not be “free”, as various Labor politicians have claimed.
Coalition NBN completed ‘six years faster’: False claims from Liberal MP
A Queensland Liberal MP who has been described as a "Malcolm Turnbull lieutenant" and a long-time critic of Labor's popular National Broadband Network policy has written to a controversial letter to his constituents making a number of false claims about the project, including the claim that the Coalition's version could be completed "six years earlier".
Internode’s business plans: Now identical to iiNet
National broadband provider Internode has changed its business broadband bundled plans to be identical to those of parent iiNet, in the latest sign that the Adelaide-based ISP will follow other iiNet acquisitions Netspace, Westnet, AAPT and OzEmail and become just another brand under the larger iiNet group.
Coalition hasn’t addressed basic NBN policy issues
Fibre to the node isn't intrinsically a bad solution for Australia's broadband needs. But when you compare it to Labor's more visionary fibre to the premises plan, the differences between the two start to become starkly apparent. Australia deserves a whole lot better than what an incoming Coalition government will serve up to us.
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.
End of an era: Stephen Conroy quits as Comms Minister
Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has reportedly resigned his post in the wake of Kevin Rudd’s successful challenge for the leadership of the Federal Labor Party, after declaring earlier this week that he would not serve in a new Rudd Cabinet.
Vale Stephen Conroy: Australia’s greatest ever Communications Minister
For all his flaws and missteps, Stephen Conroy has been an incredible reformer and revolutionary force for change in Australia's technology sector over most of the past decade. He will ultimately be remembered as Australia's greatest ever Communications Minister; a visionary who almost single-handedly drove the creation of the National Broadband Network.
Revealed: ASIC’s secret website block notices
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission has published the full text of its official notices to telcos requesting they block websites suspected of providing fraudulent financial information, with the documents revealing that both the frequency and breadth of the agency's blocking activities has increased since they began 12 months ago.
NBN chair seeks Quigley replacement?
Indications continue to firm up that NBN Co chief executive Mike Quigley is not long for the position, despite the pivotal role he has played in getting the NBN -- Australia's largest-ever infrastructure project -- off the ground.
NBN Co “in crisis”, Turnbull tells Albanese: Answers needed immediately
Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has issued a backhanded welcome message to his new opposite, Communications Minister Anthony Albanese, accusing the NBN of being "in crisis" and of being infected by "the dysfunctional revolving door culture of NSW Labor".
“Large ISP” got away with refusing filter
Former Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has revealed that the Australian Federal Police appears to have given up on pursuing the un-named large Australian ISP which flatly refused to implement the Federal Government's limited mandatory ISP filtering scheme based on a list of offensive sites supplied by Interpol.
iiNet threatens to ditch NBN altogether
In one of the more outlandish statements we've seen regarding the at-times fraught relationship between NBN Co and its bevy of retail ISPs (RSPs), the nation's number three fixed line telco iiNet has publicly threatened to walk away from its relationship with NBN Co, in a move which would mean NBN services would no longer be available through the telco.
NBN Co limps in to June target
The National Broadband Network Company this afternoon confirmed it had met its revised targets for the rollout of its fibre network to the end of June, revealing that at the end of last month it had connected a total of 207,500 premises; a figure in the middle of its target range of between 190,000 and 220,000.
NBN management credibility “shattered”: Turnbull
The credibility of NBN Co's management has been "shattered" by revelations that a third of the premises which its network rollout has passed with fibre can't actually connect to the network yet, Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull said this afternoon.
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.
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.
Informa analyst slams NBN ‘political sideshow’
We can’t help but agree with wise comments by seasoned Informa telecommunications analyst Tony Brown. In an opinionated article, Brown broadly argues that the NBN is pretty much a normal infrastructure project — but that the political debate swirling around it has obscured the actual project and outcomes.
Turnbull opens defamation door with inaccurate claims Quigley was “fired”
Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has publicly and inaccurately claimed that Mike Quigley was "fired" from his role as chief executive of the National Broadband Network Company, in comments which appear to leave the Liberal MP open to the possibility of defamation action due to damage to Quigley's reputation.
NBN Co paying lobbyists to woo the Coalition? This madness must stop.
If NBN Co's board has indeed hired political lobbying firm Bespoke to represent itself to the Coalition ahead of the Federal Election ... then that represents an extraordinary move, and one which I, for one, and no doubt countless others, simply cannot approve of.
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.
Quigley thanks Whirlpool for NBN contribution
Outgoing NBN Co chief executive Mike Quigley has posted a comment on broadband forum Whirlpool thanking the site's community for its support of him personally and for informing commentary on the subject of broadband in Australia, in a move which further demonstrates the influence the site wields in the nation's telco sector.
Poison words: Turnbull + NBN board go to war
The fraught relationship between the board of the National Broadband Network Company and Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has spilled into the public, with a series of sharply antagonistic letters between the two parties being published that highlight the depth of the antagonism felt on each side.
Labor and Coalition broadband policies: What’s the difference?
The Coalition’s broadband policy offers a lower-cost network that will provide customers with modest improvements in broadband services in the shorter term; whereas the Coalition’s network will create a new digital divide and require major upgrades soon after it is completed. Labor promises a more future-proof solution that will cost more at the outset, but will stimulate broadband developments in government, business, and entertainment, and has potential to serve Australia beyond 2050.
Massive customer outage increasing: Vodafone loses 8.4% in six months
Vodafone Australia has it lost a further 551,000 customers in the first half of this year, in further evidence that the turnaround plan put in place for the telco by its new chief executive Bill Morrow is having little effect upon the company's fortunes; in fact, the numbers of customers leaving the troubled telco are actually accelerating.
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.
Telstra abandons Adam Internet buyout
The nation's largest telco Telstra has abandoned its plans to buy South Australian Internet service provider Adam Internet, with delays caused by the competition regulator's concerns about the deal having caused its timeframe to have blown out.
Experts agree: Labor’s NBN ads are false
A trio of Australia's most prominent telecommunications analysts have reportedly backed complaints by the Coalition that much of Labor's election campaign material about the National Broadband Network contains outright lies or otherwise misleading material.
BT’s FTTN has passed 16m since 2009
British incumbent telco BT revealed overnight that its fibre to the node network has passed more than 16 million premises since the network rollout was commenced in 2009, with more than 1.7 million customers having signed up for active connections to the infrastructure.
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.
Albo slams Turnbull FTTP on demand “lottery”
New Communications Minister Anthony Albanese has issued a statement damning the controversial fibre on demand proposal contained in the Coalition's rival National Broadband Network policy, stating that Australians shouldn't have to take part in a financial and technical "lottery" to obtain the same fibre service which they would get for free under Labor.
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.
“Malcolm in a muddle”: Husic accuses Turnbull of FTTP “porkies”
One of Labor's newest recruits to the broadband portfolio has accused Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull of "telling porkies" and "complete fabrications" with respect to the Liberal MP's statement that businesses in key areas such as CBDs would not need to pay extra to have fibre connected to their premises under the Coalition's rival NBN policy.
iiBorg assimilates Adam Internet
Highly acquisitive Internet service provider iiNet has revealed plans to buy Adelaide-based ISP Adam Internet, swooping in quickly on the company following the collapse of a controversial deal that would have seen it bought by Australia's incumbent telco Telstra.
“Shocking”: Turnbull accuses Rudd of NBN “lies”
Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has publicly accused Prime Minister Kevin Rudd of telling "shocking lies" about the National Broadband Network and the Coalition's rival NBN policy, as election tensions continue to grow between the two major sides of politics over the issue of who's telling the truth about the key project.
“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.
News Corp Australia vs the NBN: Is it really all about Foxtel?
In its arguments against the NBN, it would seem News Corp Australia’s campaign is less than wholly transparent in representing its own interests.
Crystal ball gazing? Politics? AFR claims NBN Co will miss 2014 targets
Just how far out ahead is NBN Co able to predict the progress of its network rollout? Quite far, according to the Financial Review newspaper, which this morning published a front page article claiming it had seen internal projections that already stated NBN Co would miss its June 2014 rollout targets.
FTTN or FTTH? We’re “agnostic”, says Telstra
The nation's largest telco Telstra has declared itself "agnostic" as to whether Labor or the Coalition has the best method of deploying faster broadband under the National Broadband Network project, stating that it is "very happy" to work with either major side of politics.
$20,000 for 1Gbps: Turnbull’s Lateline lie
Malcolm Turnbull appears to have made a deliberate attempt to mislead the public about the cost of connecting to the National Broadband Network's upcoming 1Gbps fibre service, claiming on national television last night that such connections would cost "at least $20,000" a month, despite the fact that the Shadow Communications Minister is aware the cost is likely to be much less.
Rudd misleads the public on mobile blackspots
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd today made what appeared to be an extremely inaccurate statement claiming the Federal Government was taking steps to address mobile blackspots around Australia, when in fact Labor has not taken any steps on the issue in the six years it has been in power.
FTTN or FTTP? Both. The NBN should be hybrid.
It's time to get away from the Fibre to the Premises/Fibre to the Node debate, writes Progressive Democratic Party director and IT consultant Michael Berry, and acknowledge that Australia's National Broadband Network should include elements of both.
NBN Co’s constant network launches: Breaching the Caretaker Conventions?
Over the past week, the National Broadband Network Company has held no less than five launch events to mark the switch-on of its fibre network infrastructure in Queensland and Western Sydney, locations which will be critical to the Australian Labor Party if it is to retain power in the upcoming Federal Election. All of the events have been dominated by the attendance of Labor politicians, and have been broadly interpreted by the media as being election campaign events. NBN Co claims the events are just business as usual, but even if that's true, Labor is still using them to gain a massive election boost.
Treasury should cost Coalition NBN policy: Labor
Communications Minister and Deputy PM Anthony Albanese and Finance Minister Penny Wong have called for the Coalition to submit its alternative NBN policy to the Treasury and the Department of Finance and Deregulation for costing, in the wake of news that the Parliamentary Budget Office found the policy too complex to cost.
Turnbull avoids Treasury costing question
Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has avoided directly answering the question of whether the Coalition will submit its alternative National Broadband Network policy to the Treasury or any other organisation for costing purposes, instead accusing the Labor Government of not being transparent about its own numbers.
$5bn NBN blowout? “Wrong”, says Quigley
NBN Co chief executive has flatly rejected as "wrong" a report by the Financial Review newspaper last week which claimed that the company was facing a $5 billion blowout in its construction costs, stating that he expected the NBN project to deliver within its existing cost structure.
“Jiva”: iiNet’s new $79 unlimited quota plan
National broadband player iiNet has revealed it will challenge cut-rate ISPs TPG and Dodo with a new $79 broadband and telephone package offering "unlimited" broadband quota and to be marketed under a new brand dubbed "Jiva".
Defying the Federal Police: iiNet refuses to implement Interpol filter
National broadband player iiNet today revealed it had not implemented the Federal Government’s limited mandatory ISP filtering scheme based on a list of offensive sites supplied by Interpol and had no immediate plans to do so, in a move which appears to represent a total reversal of the ISP's position on the matter and defiance of the Australian Federal Police's wishes.
No matter who wins the election, here’s why Telstra should build the NBN
The issue of how the National Broadband Network should be rolled out is an extremely fraught and highly debated one. But one thing has become very clear over the past several years: The rollout has not progressed as fast as Labor said it would; in fact, far from it. One reason for this may be that the organisation with the most expertise in rolling out telco networks hasn’t participated in the construction effort, unlike in virtually every other country in the world. If we want this rollout to happen, it is definitely time to turn back to Telstra to get this thing done.
FactCheck: will regional internet users pay more under the Coalition’s NBN plan?
Both major parties are trying to convince voters that their plan is better than their competitor’s. So, is it true that the Coalition’s broadband plan will cost more for regional households and businesses?
Open deception: Albanese continually misleading public on Coalition NBN policy
Communications Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is continuing to regularly make misstatements about the Coalition's National Broadband Network policy in speeches and media releases around Australia, in what appears to be a deliberate attempt to deceive the public about the policy.
Better public Wi-Fi in Australia? Let’s send a signal
If you can’t get a satisfactory mobile signal in Martin Place or Collins Street during peak hour, perhaps you should lobby the Sydney or Melbourne city councils, as well as your mobile phone provider.
“No additional payment”: Turnbull believes Telstra will give Govt copper
Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull said yesterday that he believed Telstra would give a Coalition Federal Government its copper network for nothing under its existing contract with NBN Co, casting skepticism on critics of the plan who believe the telco could charge billions for the infrastructure.
Fibre on demand could cost $50k, claims Albo
Communications Minister Anthony Albanese has controversially claimed that the Coalition's fibre on demand service could cost end customers as much as $50,000, as the debate escalates about which major side of politics is presenting a more accurate picture of National Broadband Network finances going into the Federal Election.
“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.
FTTP “superceded” by FTTN, claims Turnbull
Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull last week made the controversial claim that the fibre to the premises technology used in Labor's National Broadband Network had been "largely superceded" by the Coalition's preferred fibre to the node model, and that there wasn't significant evidence to show that the higher capacity of FTTP was "necessary" or "valuable".
Coalition implodes in Internet filter fail
Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has been forced to issue an embarassing retraction regarding the publication of a new online child safety policy late yesterday afternoon, which had initially stated that the Coalition was planning to resurrect Labor's failed mandatory Internet filtering scheme.
Filter gaffe says more about Fletcher than the Coalition
The botched resurrection of Labor's mandatory Internet filtering policy late yesterday afternoon would appear to be more the work of one continually inept Liberal MP than a grand conspiracy by the Coalition to hoodwink the Australian public into generating a false mandate for Internet censorship.
The FTTP dream is over: Coalition victory kills Labor’s NBN
The long-held vision dreamt up by senior Labor politicians Stephen Conroy and Kevin Rudd in 2009 of a universal fibre broadband network covering Australia is officially dead, with a solid election victory set to sweep the Coalition into power and a technically inferior fibre to the node plan into Australia’s streets.
Telstra wants “quick” NBN negotiations
Telstra chief executive David Thodey has congratulated the Coalition on its Federal Election weekend over the weekend and noted that the telco wanted to finalise negotiations over planned changes to its agreements with NBN Co "quickly" with a view to minimising "uncertainty".
Telstra kicks off P2P throttling trial
Six months after it notified customers of its plans, the nation's largest telco Telstra has finally kicked off a limited and completely voluntary trial of advanced traffic management techniques on its network that will see peer to peer traffic through platforms such as BitTorrent throttled.
The shape of things to come: FTTN criticism will not die
The creation of a fast-growing petition and the publication of a landmark article by the ABC on the issue are among growing signs that a powerful level of dissent about the Coalition's unpopular fibre to the node-based National Broadband Network policy will come to dog the incoming Abbott government on an ongoing basis.
Telstra trialling 450Mbps 4G, says AFR
It’s only been a couple of months since mobile carrier Vodafone started claiming it’s got Australia’s fastest mobile broadband network, and although our tests show it has some basis to the claim, it appears it’s not a claim Telstra is going to take sitting down. The Financial Review newspaper reports this morning that the big T is testing mobile broadband speeds up to 450Mbps.
Telstra P2P throttling “unacceptable”: Pirate Party
Pirate Party Australia has labelled as "unacceptable" Telstra's plans to trial a system whereby certain Internet services, such as BitTorrent file downloading, would be de-prioritised on its network, stating that the implementation of 'net neutrality" was "essential" for the future of Australian broadband.
NBN should be top Abbott priority: Poll
An online poll taken by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation this week has shown Australians overwhelmingly believe focusing on the National Broadband Network should be Prime Minister-elect Tony Abbott's highest priority in his first 100 days in office, eclipsing issues such as education, the carbon tax, border protection and the environment.
Back off, Turnbull tells FTTP petitioners: You’ve had your “democracy”
Malcolm Turnbull has sternly rejected an online petition which has so far garnered more than 200,000 signatures calling for the Coalition to support Labor's all-fibre NBN policy, with the Communications Minister-elect claiming it wouldn't be "democracy" for the new Coalition Government to reverse the rival NBN policy it took to the election.
People power: NBN dissent raises its head
With the election over, there is a growing body of evidence that more mainstream dissent against the Coalition's inferior fibre to the node-based policy is growing fast. There's suddenly a new public enemy #1, when it comes to broadband. And his name is Malcolm Turnbull.
How NBN spite has damaged the Turnbull brand: Get a free Delimiter 2.0 article
It’s been several months now since we launched Delimiter 2.0 with a subscription model. Since it’s been a while, we thought it might be a good time to give those who have yet to subscribe a taste of what they’re missing. This morning we disabled the paywall on one specific article, entitled: Conduct unbecoming: How NBN spite has damaged the Turnbull brand.
NBN petition and the backlash: When does democracy speak?
Malcolm Turnbull may believe that democracy has spoken; but now is the time for democracy to shout back.
‘You’re a disgrace’: Turnbull slams lecturer’s accurate NBN analysis
Communications Minister-elect Malcolm Turnbull has savagely attacked a University of Queensland lecturer for a seemingly innocuous article analysing rising online dissent towards the Coalition's NBN policy, inaccurately labelling the academic's article as "false" and "misleading", and claiming that it was "a disgrace".
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.
Screw the NBN, says TPG: We’ll do our own FTTB
National broadband company TPG has flagged plans to deploy so-called fibre to the basement infrastructure to some 500,000 apartments in major Australian capital cities, in a move which will compete directly with the new Coalition Government's plans to conduct similar rollouts under the National Broadband Network scheme.
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.
Telstra starts VDSL vectoring FTTN trial
The nation's largest telco Telstra has reportedly kicked off a trial of the Coalition's preferred fibre to the node, VDSL and vectoring technologies in an effort to show what they are capable of on its copper network, as the Coalition's plan to dial down Labor's more ambitious fibre to the premises NBN rollout gets into gear.
Reality check: Turnbull’s not “trashing” the NBN
The level of hysteria over the past 24 hours over Malcolm Turnbull's entirely predictable decision to refresh NBN Co's board has been laughably absurd, and starkly demonstrates the lack of understanding the media has about the National Broadband Network in general. Take a chill pill, people: The Coalition is not "trashing" the NBN or "setting it up to fail". The sky is not falling.
Policy reversal: Turnbull now ‘thoroughly’ open to FTTP
Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull appears to have drastically modified the Coalition's policy stance on the National Broadband Network just weeks after the Federal Election, declaring the Coalition was not wedded to its fibre to the node model and was "thoroughly open-minded" about the technology to be used in the network.
Credibility blown: NBN Co wildly revises targets again
The National Broadband Network Company has revised its fibre to the premises rollout forecasts dramatically down for the third time in six months, with the company now projecting that only 729,000 premises will be passed by its fibre by the end of June 2014, a little over half of what it was projecting in August 2012.
EFA wants public input in NBN review
Australia's premiere digital rights lobbying group Electronic Frontiers Australia has called for the Government to allow public input into the upcoming strategic review of the future of the National Broadband Network, as pressure intensifies upon Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull to support the previous Labor administration's all-fibre NBN policy.
Why Simon Hackett should be on the NBN board
There's no doubt about it: Internode founder Simon Hackett is a perfect candidate to sit on NBN Co's board, and what's more, he has the time these days to make a solid contribution.
Leak shows Coalition’s NBN costings are wrong
A leaked draft copy of NBN Co's latest corporate plan has provided further confirmation debunking the Coalition's claim that Labor's all-fibre version of the NBN could cost as much as $94 billion, as evidence continues to stack up that deploying fibre to the premises is not as expensive in Australia as previously thought.
Rethinking the NBN: Hackett’s just getting started
Internode founder Simon Hackett has declared that the innovative ideas he has put forward over the past several years with respect to reforming the NBN are "just the tip of the iceberg" in terms of potential improvements and cost reductions to the project, as debate continues about its future under the new Coalition Government.
This is what happens with vertically integrated monopolies
If you were under any illusions about Telstra's nature as a vertically integrated telecommunications monopoly being wholly intact in Australia, just case your eye over what's happening with the ongoing attempts by Foxtel to launch its own broadband service in Australia.
Tassie NBN rollout “in limbo”, claim activists
The Digital Tasmania lobby group has accused the Federal Government of leaving the Tasmanian rollout of the National Broadband Network "in limbo" by refusing to confirm whether the state would receive a predominantly fibre to the premises-based NBN deployment in last week's new NBN rollout orders.
Turnbull’s Blue Book: Help us crowdfund the new Minister’s briefing
Want to read the massive, 545 page departmental briefing document which Malcolm Turnbull received when he was sworn in as Communications Minister several weeks ago? We do too, but we'll need your help; so we've launched a $2,000 Pozible campaign to crowdfund access to it under Freedom of Information laws.
Greens’ Ludlam loses WA Senate seat
Technology-focused Greens politician Scott Ludlam has formally lost his Senate seat in Western Australia, the Australian Electoral Commission confirmed today, in a move which will be interpreted as a substantial blow to the digital rights movement in Australia.
Petition: Get Simon Hackett onto NBN Co’s board
Want to see Simon Hackett appointed to the board of the National Broadband Network Company? So do we. That's why we encourage you to sign a new petition setup to encourage Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull to consider the Internode founder and all-round broadband guru as a candidate.
Ziggy Switkowski appointed NBN Co exec chair
As expected, Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull this afternoon confirmed former Telstra and Optus chief executive Ziggy Switkowski had been appointed as executive chairman of NBN Co, with most of the company's board departing and NBN Co chief executive Mike Quigley to leave the company.
NBN Board: Turnbull not taking his own advice
If you've been following the ongoing speculation around who, precisely, new Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull is planning to appoint to his refreshed NBN Co board, you will be aware that the Member for Wentworth has been beating a constant drum about NBN Co's board needing more talent with direct experience rolling out telecommunications networks. The only problem is, Turnbull doesn't appear to be taking his own advice.
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.
800 pound gorilla: Telstra throws its 4G weight around
The nation's largest telco Telstra this morning revealed it had more than 3.2 million devices operating on its 4G mobile network and that its 4G coverage was slated to reach 85 percent of the population by Christmas, in a move which will further solidify the company's 4G lead over its rivals.
Tassie NBN rollout “dead in the water”: Turnbull
Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has described the National Broadband Network rollout in Tasmania as being "dead in the water", with no progress in the state having been made "for month", in the context of calls from activists in the state for the Fibre to the Premises rollout promised under Labor to be completed.
No, Minister: The Tasmanian NBN rollout has not stopped
Amidst the ramping up of the new Australian government, and with reviews of just about everything under the sun underway, we see yet more incorrect statements from incoming federal Communications Minister, Malcolm Turnbull in regards to the rollout of the National Broadband Network (NBN).
Why NBN Co should finish Tassie FTTP rollout
If you've been reading Australia's technology media recently, you will not have been able to escape the fact that quite a few people in Tasmania are more than a little bit unhappy about the fact that they may not get the Fibre to the Premises-based National Broadband Network they were promised. Well, as I argue on Delimiter 2.0 this afternoon, the FTTP-based NBN rollout should proceed as planned, due to the specific situation in the state.
Targeting Turnbull: $15k raised for pro-NBN ads
A crowdfunding campaign has raised $15,000 in a matter of days to place ads supporting an all-fibre National Broadband Network policy in a local newspaper in the electorate of Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull, as evidence continues to grow of mass popular support for Labor's previous Fibre to the Premises policy.
100Mbps FTTN viable for most, finds study
A highly respected Australian telecommunications consulting firm has reportedly claimed that most Australians would be able to get the full 100Mbps speeds possible under the Coalition’s alternative fibre to the node vision, due to the fact that most premises will be a suitable distance from local neighbourhood ‘nodes’.
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.
Latest figures show terminally slow NBN rollout
NBN Co's latest set of quarterly rollout figures show the company's rollout progress remains extremely slow across Australia in general and has actually gone backward slightly in the state of Tasmania, as evidence continues to pile up that the company is not capable of delivering on Labor's Fibre to the Premises-based NBN vision in a timely manner.
NBN construction model failed, says Conroy
Ex-Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has acknowledged that the private contractor model which NBN Co attempted to use in its national fibre rollout has failed due to the inability of the company's partners to deliver on their commitments, in an admission which again raises the possibility of Telstra being brought back in to assist with the rollout.
Rumours place Rowland as Turnbull’s Shadow
Rumours flying around the telecommunications industry have named second-term MP and former corporate lawyer Michelle Rowland as having picked up the role of Shadow Communications Minister in Bill Shorten's new Labor Shadow Cabinet, leaving more high-profile candidates such as Kate Lundy and Ed Husic out of the running.
Coalition NBN plans lack detail, says iiNet
National broadband provider iiNet has published an extensive list of questions it still has regarding the Coalition's plans to alter Labor's National Broadband Network strategy, noting that details ranging from points of interconnect to who would build the network are still unknown, a month after the Federal Election.
Strategic Review: NBN Co needs consultant help
The National Broadband Network Company this morning issued a request for proposals for consultancy services from the private sector to support its Strategic Review into the future of the NBN under the new Coalition Government.
Turnbull stacks NBN Review with Telstra cronies
You can find my thoughts on Justin Milne and other recent NBN appointments under the new Coalition Federal Government in a piece published on Delimiter 2.0 this morning that I titled 'Stacking the deck: NBN Review filled with Turnbull cronies'.
FttX chaos: NBN Co won’t be able to price everything the same
If the Coalition orders NBN Co to pursue a heterogenuous National Broadband Network rollout which features different rollout styles from Fibre to the Premises, to the Node and to the Basement, the company will face a fundamentally new challenge: How to fairly set wholesale prices on technologies which are fundamentally different?
AAPT is up for sale … yet again
The Financial Review reports today that Telecom New Zealand is once again trying to offload its AAPT asset (when is it not?)
Turnbull clams up on NBN ‘jobs for the boys’
Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull yesterday actively avoided taking questions from the media about whether it was unethical to appoint several ex-Telstra executives with personal connections to the Liberal MP but little experience with network infrastructure rollouts to help NBN Co undertake the Strategic Review into its future broadband model.
Switkowski makes ex-Labor NBN exec redundant
Ziggy Switkowski has made the position of a senior NBN Co executive with a Labor political history redundant and allocated his responsibilities to a former Telstra executive with close links to Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull, in one of the NBN Co executive chairman’s first moves since taking the company’s reins.
‘Malcolm, you’re not listening’: Pro-fibre NBN ad unveiled
The group of pro-fibre National Broadband Network activists planning to publish advertisements in the local newspaper of Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull have revealed the creative they will use to target the Liberal MP, headlining their ads with the admonition: “Malcolm, perhaps you haven’t heard us clearly.”
NBN Co awash with review consultants
The National Broadband Network Company revealed late last week that it would appoint three consulting firms to assist with its Strategic Review process, despite the fact that Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull had stipulated it was his intention that the review be conducted by NBN Co itself.
Regulator clears Alan Jones of NBN falsehoods
Australia’s broadcast media regulator has cleared Alan Jones of any wrongdoing in a controversial broadcast in October 2012 in which the radio shockjock claimed the National Broadband Network was a “white elephant” and a “disaster” and that the future of telecommunications was “clearly wireless”, with the regulator giving Jones a pass because his statements were classified as "opinion" and not as "fact".
FTTP NBN “wacko”, claims Mad Monk PM
Prime Minister Tony Abbott has described the previous Labor Federal Government’s attempt to extend fibre broadband to most Australian homes and businesses as “wacko”, despite the fact that Labor’s Fibre to the Premises model is seen as the long-term future of most fixed telecommunications networks globally.
Govt maintains Huawei ban for now
Attorney-General George Brandis and Huawei have issued statements stating that no decision has been made by the new Coalition Government with relation to the Chinese vendor’s ability to tender for National Broadband Network contracts, contradicting a report by the Financial Review newspaper on the issue.
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.
“Misinformation”: Turnbull slams Digital Tasmania
Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has launched a broadside directly against Tasmanian technology activist group Digital Tasmania, accusing the group of instigating a “misinformation campaign” regarding the rollout of the NBN’s infrastructure in the state.
Turnbull approves 150k more FTTP premises
The National Broadband Network Company has confirmed that Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has approved a further 150,000 premises to receive a full Fibre to the Premises network deployment, on top of the 300,000 premises where construction firms have already received deployment instructions.
Visionstream the problem in Tasmania, says Turnbull
Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has published a statement implying that much of the problems with the National Broadband Network rollout in Tasmania could be pegged to NBN contractor Visionstream, stating that the company has done little work in the state since July and is asking for its rates to be substantially enlarged to complete the work.
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.
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.
Bedevilled by politicians: Tasmania’s 12-year FTTP failure
You may not realise it unless you’re a Taswegian, but Labor’s National Broadband Network policy is not the first time residents of the state have been promised a Fibre to the Premises rollout by politicians. Nor is it the second time. In fact, the current NBN promises with regard to Tasmania are the end result of at least 12 years of political pledges made to residents in businesses in the state that they would get better broadband.
NBN Co replaces respected COO with Turnbull Telstra contact
NBN Co today announced that its chief operating officer Ralph Steffens, one of the company's most qualified and experienced international fibre rollout experts, would be replaced with a Telstra executive who appears to have little direct last mile construction experience but does have a pre-election connection with Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull.