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.
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 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.
ispONE sold … without Kogan Mobile
Those who’ve been following the Kogan Mobile saga will be interested to know that the wholesale company at the heart of all the controversy, ispONE, has been sold. However, Kogan has still not been able to negotiate arrangements for its affected customers.
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".
Conroy staffer + Telstra PR enters Parliament
Stephen Conroy might no longer be Communications Minister, and his party might no longer be in power, but the Victorian Labor Senator has just gained a new ally in Parliament, courtesy of the election of his former policy advisor and current Telstra regulatory affairs manager Tim Watts to Nicola Roxon's seat of Gellibrand.
FTTP NBN no big loss, claims Gizmodo
According to Gizmodo, the loss of Labor's fibre to the premises National Broadband Network policy is no cause for Australian technologists to "mourn".
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.
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.
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.
FactCheck: Will the NBN take another 20 years to complete?
The 20-year time to completion quoted by Tony Abbott seems to be some kind of rough estimate or guess, based on unclear assumptions. It is unlikely to be correct.
Coalition NBN policy “bulletproof”, says Abbott
Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has reportedly described the Coalition's National Broadband Network policy as "absolutely bulletproof", despite the fact that the Coalition has refused to formally cost the plan, and despite it containing a number of controversial assumptions which have been significantly questioned.
Delimiter endorses Greens based on tech policy
In an article on Delimiter 2.0 today (subscriber content), I argue that the Greens are the best option for technologists in the Federal Election, winning out over the Pirate Party by a nose.
Australians still overwhelmingly support the NBN
Research from the University of Melbourne shows that Australians still overwhelmingly support Labor's National Broadband Network project, despite the fact that the same research shows newspapers have been overwhelmingly negative about the project.
Sydney MDU VDSL rollout delivers 100Mbps
Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull this afternoon said a rollout of VDSL technology in a housing estate in Sydney and already delivering 100Mbps download and 40Mbps upload speeds demonstrated the strengths of the Coalition's rival NBN policy, which will use a similar rollout style.
NBN? No big deal, says Armidale
According to Business Insider, most residents of the rural NSW city of Armidale couldn't care less that the NBN's fibre has come to their region.
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".
What would Turnbull need to do in his first 100 days as Communications Minister?
Turnbull has made a very strident argument over the past several years that Labor needs to drastically rework its National Broadband Network policy. Well, it looks like the Viscount of Vaucluse is about to get his chance to make that argument reality. Will Turnbull fold or fly in his first 100 days in office, if the Coalition takes power next week?
“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.
Can Australia afford the Coalition’s NBN?
At a whopping two-thirds of the cost of the vastly-superior FTTP NBN, the Coalition’s NBN stacks up as waste of money.
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.
“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.
‘Red’: Vodafone overhauls plan structure
Bit by bit, cell tower by cell tower upgrade, customer by customer, Vodafone is attempting to bring its ailing operations in Australia back into the black. Today's new initiative from the big V is a new mobile plan structure which will see three price points established with "infinite standard calls" and "infinite texts".
NBN politics stems from missed targets
It is the delays with Labor's National Broadband Network project which has opened the door for the Coalition to attack the project.
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.
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.
Falling from the sky: How hubris brought down Kogan Mobile
Whose fault is the failure of Kogan Mobile, just nine months after it launched? Who should take responsibility for the fact that 120,000 Australians are about to have their prepaid mobile plans chopped off at the leg? Kogan itself? Its upstream partner ispONE? Telstra? Or should Kogan’s customers have expected all along that the offer the company took to the market was too good to be true? In this (subscriber only) piece for Delimiter 2.0, I argue every party to the process contributed to the fiasco.
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?
“Misinformation”: Kogan enters open war with Telstra on disconnections
The troubled mobile division of consumer electronics giant Kogan has accused Telstra of misleading the public about the telco's willingness to continue to support Kogan's mobile customers abandoned by the failure of wholesale ispONE, in a furious statement alleging commercial impropriety by Telstra on a range of fronts.
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.
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.
“Half true”: Politifact partially backs Turnbull’s $94bn NBN figure
Fact-checking media outlet Politifact has rated the controversial claim by the Coalition that Labor’s National Broadband Network could cost as much as $94 billion as “half-true”, as debate continues to swirl around the veracity of the Coalition’s own figures.
ispONE implodes, cancels Telstra contracts
Well, it looks like those rumours that mobile wholesale player ispONE (which supplies services to both ALDIMobile and Kogan Mobile) was going bankrupt were true. The company's Federal Court action against Telstra to stop the telco from cancelling its service to ispONE appears to have been railroaded by ispONE's sudden move to go into administration.
“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".
$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.
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.
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.
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.
Coalition NBN policy goes uncosted
The Parliamentary Budget Office has decided the Coalition's National Broadband Network policy is too complex to formally cost without significant and expensive outside assistance, leaving the veracity of the policy unclear, in the absence of government or private sector examination of it.
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.
Conroy is a massive Dr Who fan
Former Communications Minister Stephen Conroy used his ministerial powers to keep Dr Who on the air, the ABC has revealed.
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.
Albo refuses National Press Club NBN debate
Communications Minister Anthony Albanese has rebuffed an open invitation to debate his opposite Malcolm Turnbull in a formal televised election debate at the National Press Club on the topic of the National Broadband Network, stating that he would prefer instead to debate Nationals Leader Warren Truss in the Infrastructure and Transport portfolio.
Snowden, Manning ‘not whistleblowers’, claims Australia’s Attorney-General
Australia's Federal Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus has made an extraordinary public statement that former CIA and NSA operative Edward Snowden and accused WikiLeaks collaborator Bradley Manning are not technically "whistleblowers", claiming that the information they had released publicly related to no wrongdoing by government agencies.
$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.
Coalition to spend $100m on mobile blackspots
Did you know there were other telecommunications-related issues being discussed in the Federal Election campaign than the National Broadband Network? No? Neither did I. But there apparently are.
NBN proof is in the pudding, not in the promises
Watching last night's Lateline debate about the National Broadband Network, I have to say, I was really impressed with both sides. However, what concerns me at the moment is not what's being promised, but what may end up being delivered.
Telstra may terminate 280k mobile services
Wholesale telco ispONE this morning issued a media release stating that it had filed an application with the Federal Court seeking to stop its own upstream provider, Telstra, from terminating the supply of prepaid mobile services to ispONE. Why is this an issue? Because if Telstra moves ahead with the move, it will result in some 280,000 customers losing their mobile access.
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.
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.
Abbott, Turnbull: No NBN talks with Murdoch
Opposition Leader Tony Abbott and Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull both deny they've held discussions with News Corp chief executive Rupert Murdoch over the National Broadband Network.
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.
Why the NBN probably won’t kill Foxtel
The theory that the National Broadband Network is a threat to Foxtel's pay TV business doesn't really hold water.
“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.
“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.
NBN Press Club debate: It’s on
Communications Minister Anthony Albanese and Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull have agreed to debate the National Broadband Network, likely at the National Press Club.
Reality check: Murdoch doesn’t want to kill the NBN
Over the past day or so, quite a few readers have made me aware of this controversial article published by long-time Paul Sheehan at The Age. In it, Sheehan makes the somewhat controversial claim that the constant string of negative articles which we’ve come to expect from News Corporation newspapers such as The Australian and the Daily Telegraph have had the aim of destroying the NBN to shore up the future of News Corp stablemate Foxtel. My response was published on Delimiter 2.0 yesterday.
Telstra NBN remediation work on again
The nation's largest telco Telstra has announced that it will restart remediation work on its pits and pipe infrastructure, as controls on asbestos handling have been put in place to deal with the hazardous material. The remediation work is necessary for the National Broadband Network rollout to go ahead, using Telstra's infrastructure.
Syntheo quits NBN rollout; Lend Lease + Downer EDI step up
Embattled construction firm Syntheo has walked away from the construction of the National Broadband Network project after a series of issues that have resulted in a material financial loss for the company, with Lend Lease to pick up its existing contracts and Downer EDI also coming on board with the NBN in other areas.
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.
So is G.Fast a thing or not?
Those who were closely observing Malcolm Turnbull’s debate with Business Spectator public Alan Kohler yesterday will have noted Turnbull’s reference to an emerging standard known as G.Fast. Turnbull made the somewhat controversial claim, according to ZDNet that G.Fast could eventually spur 1Gbps speeds over FTTN networks. But is G.Fast a reality, or another broadband pipe dream?
“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.
Kogan denies “bait & switch” mobile scam
Sometimes we amuse ourselves with thinking about what would make the perfect story on a mainstream media site like News.com.au. Well, this story published on News.com.au this morning involving Kogan Mobile really takes the cake.
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.
BT rollout shows what Australia could have had
I've been closely observing the rollout of BT's fibre to the node network in the UK, and while I don't think Australia should go down the same path now, I do think the BT example gives Australia a clear reminder of what could have been ... if we hadn't screwed it all up over the past decade.
$5 per day flat rate: Vodafone revamps global roaming options
Ever been hit with a massive global roaming bill? Vodafone's got your back. The telco this morning announced that it would be implementing a flat $5 per day fee for customers using their mobiles in popular international destinations such as the UK, US and New Zealand.
Telstra ready for NBN asbestos work again
It seems like Telstra went from a situation where asbestos contamination was randomly occurring around Australia at NBN worksites, to a situation two months later where Telstra appears to believe that everything is under control. But does this really represent the situation on the ground, or is it all just Telstra PR guff?
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.
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.
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.
New charging options for Delimiter 2.0
New yearly subscription and once-off individual article pricing launch for Delimiter 2.0.
Turnbull “copper” NBN plan “bizarre”, says Albo
Communications Minister and Deputy PM Anthony Albanese has taken a pick axe to the Coalition's rival NBN policy, describing its reuse of portions of Telstra's copper network as "bizarre" and "neanderthal", despite the fact that its so-called 'fibre to the node' rollout scheme has been used successfully by British telco BT and other telcos across Europe and the US to upgrade broadband speeds to millions of premises.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Albanese incorrectly claims Bespoke is ‘PR agency’
Communications Minister Anthony Albanese this morning claimed a firm hired by a law firm acting for NBN Co's board of directors was a "public relations company", despite the fact that the firm concerned, Bespoke Approach, is listed on the Federal Government's register of lobbyists and employs former senior politicians for the purposes of providing political management services.
Vodafone claims fastest 4G speeds in Sydney and Melbourne
National mobile carrier Vodafone has issued something of a public challenge to rivals Telstra and Optus, claiming that a clutch of recent speed tests had comprehensively shown its fledgling 4G network was the fastest such infrastructure in the major capital cities of Sydney and Melbourne.
The plot thickens: Going deeper into NBN Co’s spat with Turnbull
For those who've been watching the developing situation between Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull and the board of NBN Co, particularly its chair, Siobhan McKenna (pictured above), there are two new pieces of content this morning which you may be interested in.
Huge 4G expansion: Telstra to double coverage
The nation's largest telco Telstra has responded to the threat of expanded 4G networks from Optus and Vodafone by pledging to almost double its number of mobile towers with 4G support by the end of the year, as the race to cover the country with the latest mobile broadband infrastructure steps up a notch.
Tabcorp continues Telstra love affair
Wagering giant Tabcorp revealed this week that it had signed a new comprehensive telecommunications services deal with Telstra, in the latest contract the pair have inked in an extensive relationship dating back at least half a decade and covering a wide range of technology services.
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.
Telstra may sue Voda over 4G speed claims
Telstra threatens legal action against Vodafone over the claimed speeds of its 4G network.
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.
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.
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.
US ‘choke-points’ for Australian telecoms data are no surprise
So, what can we conclude from the latest developments? There are no real surprises. We know that lawful interception has been a highly valued (if at times shockingly misused) tool of law enforcement and intelligence agencies for decades. Perhaps the most important conclusion we can draw is that the law enforcement and intelligence agencies will not surrender such access easily.
It’s on: Husic takes the NBN fight to Turnbull
To those of you who have been spoiling to see a head-on debate between charismatic Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull and young gun Labor MP Ed Husic, following the latter's appointment under Kevin Rudd as Parliamentary Secretary for Broadband, you need wait no longer.
Exposed: Telstra’s secret FBI spy deal
Telstra 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 and national security organisations with an extremely broad level of access to all of the telco's telecommunications passing in and out of the US, it was revealed late last week.
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 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’s Quigley to retire
The National Broadband Network Company's founding chief executive, Mike Quigley, announced today that he would retire from the company and from corporate life, after four years of tumultuous life setting up NBN Co and initiating the construction of the NBN.
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.
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.
Attorney-General’s Department misled Parliament on data retention bill
The Federal Attorney-General's Department has been forced to admit that statements it made in May in a Senate Estimates committee hearing that it had not drafted any legislation around the contentious issue of data retention were untrue, in a move which adds to existing questions about the department's integrity and transparency.
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 Co and Telstra: History repeating?
We couldn't help but laugh at this photo sent in by a reader this week. Apparently NBN Co has decided to locate one of its facilities (we're not actually sure which one) inside a building owned by Telstra. The whole thing has a whole 'future repeating' feel about it. Is this NBN Co brought to you by Telstra? Or Telstra brought to you by NBN Co? It's like one of those Russian Matryoshka dolls; the further you go inside the wormhole, the more you find smaller iterations of the same thing. Crazy.
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.
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.
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.
When academics perpetuate NBN ignorance
Professor Zumbo, we humbly submit that it might be wise for you take another look at the fundamental premises contained in your NBN article in the Sydney Morning Herald this morning. We humbly suggest that the degree of academic rigour contained within is sadly ... inferior.
Abbott not telling whole NBN truth, says Politifact
Opposition Leader Tony Abbot's statement that the Coalition's NBN policy would deliver broadband speeds "at least five times faster than the current average" was only half-true, fact-checking website Politifact said yesterday, in an article which has been heavily disputed by Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
“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.
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".
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.
Albanese reportedly appointed new Communications Minister
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has reportedly appointed Anthony Albanese, one of his key lieutenants during his leadership coup and an experienced senior Minister, to replace Stephen Conroy as Communications Minister in his new cabinet.
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.
Turnbull “virtually invented the Internet in Australia”, claims Tony Abbott
Oh dear. Sometimes you just have to laugh — because if you didn’t laugh then you would cry. Tony Abbott is talking about Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull massively as the man who “virtually invented the Internet in Australia." Riiight.
Team Conroy clocks off … Dalek and all
At least we now know where Conroy has drawn his 'take no prisoners' approach from. "EXTERMINATE!" might just be the right attitude to take into Australian politics these days.
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.
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.
Copper network rotting? “Nonsense”, says Turnbull
Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has described as "nonsense" claims by unions that Telstra's existing copper network is on the verge of collapse, which would make it unsuitable for use in the Coalition's fibre to the node National Broadband Network strategy.
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.
Vodafone gets HD voice
Straight from the Vodafone catch-up files comes the news that the telco has finally gotten a service to market which the nation's biggest telco Telstra launched back in June 2011.
‘Shelved’? No. Data retention will be back
Yesterday it was widely reported that the Federal Government had 'shelved' its data retention plans, walking away from the controversial proposal to monitor all Australians' communications. But the reality is the complete opposite: Data retention is still being actively considered as a policy and will shortly return to plague Australia once again.
Data retention goes back to drawing board: Parliament’s report criticises AGD secrecy
The Parliamentary Committee examining the Government's controversial national security reforms has recommended that the data retention segments of the reforms go through the committee process once again and criticised the Attorney-General's Department for the cloak of secrecy it has hung around the issue.
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.
Copper network in shocking state: Union
Telstra's main union says its copper network is full of plastic bags to keep water out, amid other 'band-aid' solutions.
Help crowdsource an NBN implementation study
The Register has posted an entry on local crowdsourcing site Pozible inviting Australians to help it fund a detailed implementation study into the NBN, sourcing quotes for such a study from veteran analyst houses IBRS and Market Clarity.
Copper good for 100 years, says Thodey
According to Telstra chief executive David Thodey, Telstra's copper network could last 100 years more.
Rejected: Labor to block Greens warrants bill
The Labor Federal Government has flatly rejected legislation introduced this week that would see Australian law enforcement agencies blocked from obtaining access to telecommunications records without a warrant, stating that such regulations would "critically impede national security and law enforcement investigations".
“Get a warrant”: Ludlam net privacy bill lands in Senate
Greens Communications Spokesperson Scott Ludlam has introduced legislation that would see Australian law enforcement agencies blocked from obtaining access to telecommunications records without a warrant; but it is not immediately clear if either of the major parties are prepared to support the bill.
Pointless? Google to trial net balloons in Oz
Is there a point to launching balloon-based broadband Internet in Australia?
First Vodafone 4G tests: It’s fast, but patchy
Due to its spectrum supremacy and the fact that there aren't many people using the network yet, Vodafone's 4G infrastructure does offer speeds that can in places be faster than those offered by Telstra or Optus. However, the telco is still lagging behind when it comes to the breadth of its network coverage.
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 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".
Finally: Vodafone switches on 4G network
Almost two years after Telstra first launched 4G mobile broadband services and a year after Optus did the same, the nation's third mobile telco, Vodafone, has finally limped across the starting line, revealing today that it had switched on 4G mobile broadband access in selected areas of major Australian cities.
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.
Optus launches 4G TD-LTE in Canberra
Good news for residents of our nation's fair capital: That TD-LTE 4G mobile broadband network at 2300MHz which Optus has been planning for a while has finally hit Canberra, and Optus has released plan details for it this morning.
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.
Fact check: Abbott hasn’t canned FTTP extensions
The Coalition has rejected claims that asbestos concerns in Telstra's physical network infrastructure have caused it to dump plans to offer fibre to the premises services on demand under its predominantly fibre to the node-based National Broadband Network policy.
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.
Asbestos: Let’s just fix it
Despite its bluff and bluster about the dangers of asbestos, the Coalition is proposing to just leave it in the ground – for someone else to fix another day. Their plans to kill the current NBN look more irresponsible as time goes by, and we deserve so much better than that. This is a chance to fix it, and to fix it now.
Optus mulls user pays FTTH NBN plans
The nation's number two telco Optus has revealed that it is considering launching plans which would allow Australians to individually pay to have the Coalition's fibre to the node NBN infrastructure extended all the way to the premises, in a move which will echo similar plans launched in the UK by British telco BT.
Pay protest: NBN contractor rips out new pipes
According to The Australian newspaper, a sub-contractor for NBN construction firm Syntheo has taken a rather unusual step after Syntheo didn't come through with his annointed pay packet.
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.
‘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.
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.
Tragic accident reported in NBN Kiama build
NBN Co has been advised of a reported fatality at Kiama that occurred just before noon today. The Ambulance Service responded and Police are in attendance.
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.
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 Co to beat June target, says iTNews
According to an analysis done by iTNews, NBN Co may actually be back on track to meet its target for the end of June.
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.
“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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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".
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
‘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.
“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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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 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.
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.
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.
“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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
‘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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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...
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.
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.
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.
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.
$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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
“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.
$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.
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.
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.
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.
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...
PM Gillard meets global Huawei chair
Julia Gillard meets with Huawei's global chair during a visit to China.
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.
“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: 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.
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 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’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.
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.
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
$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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
‘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".
‘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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
“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.
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"?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
‘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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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".
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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".
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.
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.
Turnbull to reveal the ‘shocking’ NBN truth
Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull yesterday said a Coalition Government would, following the election, release a full analysis of what Labor's NBN project would actually take in time and money to complete, an accounting which he said would leave the Australian public "shocked".
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.
Exetel launches off-peak unlimited NBN plans
National broadband provider Exetel has launched a dozen new pricing plans on the National Broadband Network's infrastructure which feature unlimited off-peak downloads between 1AM and 9AM in the morning.
FTTH the best solution, says French IT Minister
Communications Minister Stephen Conroy's French counterpart has labelled Labor's preferred Fibre to the Premise broadband rollout style as "the best technology" for broadband infrastructure due to its technical merits and long-term potential, during a flying visit to Australia associated with NBN Co's signing of a key contract with French satellite giant Arianespace.
NBN Co inks $300m Arianespace satellite deal
This morning NBN Co inked a $300 million contract with French aerospace giant Arianespace to launch its two satellites into space in 2015. Now that's progress.
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.
Govt funds Vodafone’s Tassie expansion again
Vodafone has received its second round of government support in less than five years to expand its extensive call centre operations in Tasmania, with the ailing mobile telco revealing today it planned to double its workforce in the state to 1,500 and examine the case for bringing jobs back from overseas.
Turnbull gives mixed messages on NBN cost/benefit
Malcolm Turnbull has over the past several weeks given several conflicting messages on how the cost/benefit analysis into Australia's future broadband needs that the Coalition has promised to conduct upon taking government would actually be carried out, with at least three separate approaches being cited by the Shadow Communications Minister at different times.
NBN “disastrous” for piracy, claims music industry
Australia's peak music industry organisation has claimed that the rollout of the National Broadband Network could have "disastrous results" for the local music industry due to the lack of "graduated response" or "site blocking" processes to stop the "serious problem" of Internet-based piracy of music.
Turnbull should welcome Quigley review: Budde
We were a little bit surprised when Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbul abjectly rejected a move by NBN Co chief executive Mike Quigley last week to back an independent industry investigation into the merits of various high-speed broadband technologies. And, it appears we're not the only ones to think that way.
Class action lawsuit starts against Vodafone
Just when you thought Vodafone’s problems couldn’t get any worse … they just did. Remember that potential class action lawsuit which local firm Piper Alderman had been promoting back in December 2010 in the wake of Vodafone’s ‘Vodafail’ problems? Well, it’s back, it’s on, and some 23,000 people have joined the action.
Calamity: Vodafone lost 443k customers last year
Ailing mobile telco Vodafone Australia late yesterday revealed it had lost 443,000 customers and about $817 million in the 2012 calendar year, as indications continue to mount that the company's network rejuvenation, staff restructuring and executive leadership changes have had little to no impact on its fortunes.
The FTTN truth the Coalition does not want known
ABC Technology & Games editor Nick Ross is the only journalist in Australia so far to have gone into the appropriate level of detail in analysing the Coalition's rival NBN policy. And the Coalition should be very afraid of this fact indeed: Because his most recent NBN opus reflects a knockout blow for its disastrously flawed fibre to the node plans.
“Terminate copper”: France’s €20bn fibre splurge
Last week the French Government revealed that a combined €20 billion investment in fibre broadband technology, representing a combination of public and private funding, would be ploughed in to help bring the nation's ageing telecommunications networks up to spec and "terminate the copper".
“Cheap stunt”: Turnbull rejects Quigley’s olive branch
Malcom Turnbull has rejected out of hand a suggestion by Mike Quigley that Australia's telco industry independently back a study into the best technology to deliver Australians the next-generation of broadband infrastructure, with the Shadow Communications Minister describing the NBN Co chief executive's move as a "cheap stunt".
Telstra’s Sensis sacks 648 staff
It seems like we’re always hearing about redundancies at Telstra’s directories and digital division Sensis. Last week it was half the division’s staff, this week the number has firmed at 648, according to an official Telstra media release issued this morning. Apparently the restructure is aimed at “digital growth”. Right.
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.
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.
Telstra adds 900Mhz 4G band, trials LTE-A
Right now, Telstra's greatest issue with its mobile infrastructure as a whole might just be keeping ahead of customer demand for it. With this in mind, this morning the telco revealed it would add a second spectrum band, 900Mhz, to its existing 1800Mhz 4G infrastructure, as well as undertake a variety of other initiatives to keep its mobile network on track.
Vodafone achieves 67Mbps in 4G tests
We want to just briefly highlight the fact that ailing mobile telco Vodafone has finally kicked off trials of its new 4G network and is achieving top-range speeds of up to 67Mbps and upload speeds of up to 30Mbps.
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.
Turnbull wants ‘user pays’ FTTH model
Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has made some interesting comments backing BT’s ‘user pays’ fibre to the premise model in the UK, which sees the telco’s fibre to the node rollout extended upon user demand.
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.
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.
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.
This is what the NBN debate has come to
If you had any shred of belief that Australia's debate over the National Broadband Network had further depths to sink to, let that belief be laid aside. Today, News Ltd published an article attacking the amount of money which NBN Co spends on ... coffee. That's right; coffee.
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.
Telstra tests 4G network up to 90Mbps
The nation's largest telco Telstra has revealed it has tested its 4G mobile network at speeds of up to 90Mbps and will shortly introduce a smartphone and Wi-Fi dongle that can theoretically access the network at peak speeds even higher -- up to 150Mbps -- although the network is not yet capable of those speeds.
Google Fiber shows what the NBN is capable of
The argument that the construction of the NBN will engender great things for Australia has just been bolstered by closer examination of what's happening in the areas in the US where Google has already laid its own fibre to the premise network.
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.
BitTorrent “not time-critical”: Telstra defends trial
The nation's largest telco Telstra claimed over the weekend that BitTorrent-style peer to peer traffic on its network was "not time-critical" and so could be slowed on its network "without significant consumer detriment", in an extensive statement defending highly controversial plans to trial several new network management practices.
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.
“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.
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.
You heard it here first
Delimiter editor Renai LeMay has "jumped the shark", according to Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
“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".
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.
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.
“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.