8 Jun 2021
Tuesday round-up
The federal government and police wasted no time in seeking to capitalise on a three-year sting that involved the use of a compromised encrypted messaging app, pushing to fast-track even more disruptive technology powers through the Australian parliament.
Publicly listed fibre network operator Superloop has struck a deal to acquire internet service provider (ISP) Exetel for a total of $110 million.
Superloop is set to acquire retail service provider Exetel for $110 million in cash and shares, marking further consolidation in the Australian broadband market.
7 Jun 2021
Monday round-up
Telstra, Optus, TPG and Aussie Broadband expressed cautious optimism after the release of a flat-pricing model by NBN Co on Monday.
NBN Co has finally revealed how it might implement ‘flat’ wholesale prices, but it would involve a $5 to $20 a month hike, and unquantifiable yearly increases above the rate of inflation.
NBN Co will soon more clearly define what is “inappropriate or excessive” use on its fixed-line network - and what actions can be taken in response - almost a year after one ‘extreme’ user racked up 34TB of downloads in a matter of days.
NBN Co may be required to pay Australian telcos millions of dollars because of ongoing technological failures that are preventing customers from being able to join the national broadband network.
2 Jun 2021
Wednesday round-up
Gaming performance can plummet when an overloaded network causes high latency. To prevent this problem, Optus has launched a home internet plan especially designed for gamers, with a whole bunch of features that the company says helps address congestion issues within households where multiple devices are used.
A year after the Australian consumer watchdog took them to court over misleading National Broadband Service (NBN) speed claims, internet service providers Dodo and iPrimus have been ordered to pay a combined amount of $2.5 million in penalties.
Vocus has been penalised $2.5 million by the Federal Court over the evening peak speeds quoted for NBN services offered by its Dodo and iPrimus brands.
1 Jun 2021
Tuesday round-up
Australia’s three largest telcos are urging the federal government to push ahead with a proposal that would allow them to use some of the radiofrequency spectrum occupied by television networks to deliver 5G services to their customers.
Optus has backed a government plan that would create a repeat of the “digital dividend” spectrum auctions a decade ago, where spectrum used in TV broadcasting was refarmed for cellular use.
27 May 2021
Thursday round-up
NBN Co has finally revealed the root cause of issues with its troubled workforce scheduling system, essentially onboarding too many users at once and asking them to record too much data from the field.
21 May 2021
Friday round-up
When it comes to users jumping between NBN plans in the quarter to the end of March, there is one telco that stands above all others, TPG Telecom.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority has issued formal warnings to Telstra, Optus and Medion Mobile after they failed to verify people's identities before transferring their mobile numbers to other telcos, a process known as porting.
Australia’s media watchdog has issued a warning to Telstra, Optus and Medion Mobile for failing to check customers’ identities during number porting.
The commissioner of the Australian consumer watchdog has warned National Broadband Network (NBN) retail service providers (RSPs) to keep pace with demand when it comes to how much capacity they buy from the network wholesaler.
20 May 2021
Thursday round-up
Telco Optus has turned on its first six 5G millimetre Wave (mmWave) commercial sites in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, as the carrier clocks up one million 5G capable devices on its network.
Tech billionaire Elon Musk’s Starlink Internet service is like something out of a sci-fi movie. Floating 550km above the Earth, each Starlink satellite swaps laser fire with four other satellites as it passes them, and then beams data to its Earthly destination at almost the speed of light. A select number of Australians have begun trialing Starlink’s Internet, with a full release expected in August. But now a new initiative is introducing the technology to Aussie schools.