Many tech sites are reporting that internal Telstra systems are already popping up with hero 4G android devices such as the Samsung Galaxy Note, Samsung Galaxy S II 4G and a Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 LTE which could be released in Australia very soon.
 

Nothing has been confirmed or denied by Telstra as yet, however with the upcoming Mobile World Congress 2012 (MWC 2012) kicking off in late February, where the likes of Telstra figures prominently as an exhibitor, it makes logical sense that the Telco may use this platform to announce a spate of new 4G devices and spruik their 4G network.
 

Whether it’s these models or similar 4G devices that could be announced, the MWC 2012 also sets the perfect stage for Telstra to stamp it’s 4G dominance as Australia’s leading 4G LTE network provider.
 

Read more at Ausdroid.net – Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 LTE expected to launch on Telstra in late Feb to early March and Rumour: Telstra to launch Galaxy S II 4G and Galaxy Note in the near future
 

The head of the Catholic Church, who is now 83 years of age, declared the challenges that we now face within a virtual world are to be authentic and faithful in the search for friends and not to construct false and artificial profiles online.
 

No doubt Pope Benedict XVI is deeply concerned about youngsters entering cyberspace and considers this to be a very crucial time in history where many people are spending the majority of their time on the Internet.
 

Although the Pontiff appears to have accepted the online world of the Internet and social networks as an integral a part of modern life, he emphasises how important it is to limit this time and retain strong communities by spreading the word of the Gospel.
 

Read more at the dailymail.co.uk – Beware the internet’s virtual world, Pope tells young
 

In case you’re not up-to-date with this issue, I can tell you that the Bill fundamentally represents a form of legislation that could be introduced in the United States shortly to combat the infringement of copyrighted material (piracy).
 

Why would this Bill be a bad thing if its to counteract illegal Internet proceedings?
 

The force behind the push of this Bill are a handful of powerful multimedia companies (namely movie studios and record companies) who say they losing commercial revenue because of the lack of adequate online piracy laws. However many believe if a law that these companies wanted to see legislated was introduced, it could have monolithic consequences.
 

Those against the Bill are concerned that legislation of this nature would unleash widespread and unaccountable censorship involving non US websites that would block websites at the domain level and that it would greatly interfere with the domain name system (DNS) – the core of the Internet. More importantly, the believe this law could contain measures that would impede online freedom of speech, websites, and internet communities. There is also the argument that suggests a lack of inadequate safeguards mechanisms would not be effectuvely put in place to protect websites and user generated content.
 

The Attorney General stated that in Australia it should be up to content owners and ISP’s to work together to develop a suitable outcome to address online piracy and that discussions between ISPs and copyright owners were facilitated by the government. This was after ISP iiNet recently won a court battle against a copyright conglomerate of film studios called Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft (AFACT). At present, an appeal has been lodged by AFACT in the high court of Australia which has yet to be concluded.
 

Australian Greens Party communications spokesperson ‘Scott Ludlam’ recently asked the government to oppose the Bill as it could not only jeopardise the NBN project, however, along with the negatives as already described, Mr Ludlam also went on to suggest that there should be more representation be in place other than the ISPs and rights holders who both hold commercial interests only as there’s many other parties who will be greatly affected with a potential dumbed-down version of the law in 12 months time.
 

“Isn’t it interesting that the people that they’ve invited into that forum are the rights holders and carriers, and they appear to have left out the creative people who make the content and the audience …The people who actually matter in that debate aren’t in the room. They’ve invited the intermediaries and the people with commercial interests,”- Scott Ludlam
 

“We should be in that room, in the copyright debate; otherwise, we are going to get some kind of dumbed-down Australian-flavoured SOPA — 12 months after it resolves itself in the United States, it’ll pop up here; you can absolutely guarantee it.”- Scott Ludlam
 

“Do they recognise that there will be little purpose in investing tens of billions of dollars in the NBN if the US copyright industry cripples the medium itself?” – Scott Ludlam
 

Read more at zdnet.com.au – No SOPA for Australia: AG

Many residents who reside in Yendon, about 16kms out of Ballarat Victoria, complained to their local council about the introduction of fixed wireless towers due to potential radiation concerns. Some scientist believe that radiation levels emitted from these towers are too high so they should be kept well away from permanent residential areas.

Installation recommendations of wireless tower locations state they shouldn’t be erected within 500 meters of a school, however the proposed locations for Yendon are believed to be within 150 meters of the closest occupied house while a further two houses are located an additional 50 meters after that.

Although plans for the NBN’s fixed wireless service extend to only 4% of houses and businesses in some regional areas, it’s still represents a large proportion of the population and appears to be another hurdle for the NBN Co to climb over.

Read more at theage.com.au – Tower ban regions face slower broadband

At the CES 2012, onlookers were cheering the unveiling of the Samsung’s Smart Washing Machine – designed for busy people who are always on the go. Samsung’s hi-capacity WF457 front load washer is Wi-Fi enabled which allows you to access your laundry washer remotely. It gives you complete access and control of your washing cycles and at the same time can reduce your wash time to up to 25% because of the SpeedSpray feature. The Samsung WF457 is estimated to use only 96kW/h of electricity and reduce water consumption by 70% which is good news for everyone.

Other amazing appliances that made waves at CES 2012 were LG’s Internet fridge and smart oven. Loaded with the right software these appliances can actually communicate tasks to each other. Talk about taking automation and convenience on a whole new level! LG’s classy French Door Refrigerator is equipped with touch screen LCD panel which can take advantage of a smartphone app for easy food monitoring in terms of expiry dates, fridge capacity levels or storage information. And just when you thought you’d seen the best already, LG revealed somethine else they had up their sleeve. After loading all food stuff inside the fridge, the unit would then analyze everything inside and make recipe suggestions. Wow! A fridge that can almost cook for you? The fridge can then pass this information on to the Smart Oven with cooking instructions. Its conveniently large with 6.2 cubic foot capacity and freestanding so it can accommodate for your everyday cooking and baking needs.

Cool features included in these appliances consist of smart access, smart adapt and smart diagnosis. Smart access simply means you can check the status of that appliance via a smartphone app while smart adapt allows homemakers to send actual or desired cooking times to the oven, and of course, via their smartphone. Finally, smart diagnosis makes detecting problems easier and simpler. A great example of smart diagnosis is LG’s Smart Washing Machine. Like the WF457, LG’s smart washer is also Wi-Fi ready and can be accessed by smartphones and smart TVs. Users can actually monitor their washing time thereby eliminating tiring trips to the laundry area just to check whether it’s done or not. If you compare these great features to your those on your traditional washing machine, they’re almost like a quantum leap apart.

Smart this and smart that – are they really all that smart or perhaps just convenient and practical? Well one thing is for sure, the automation and convenience that these smart appliances are now offering definitely does make for more efficiency. And if these smart appliances are just the tip of the iceberg, I’d certainly like to know what’s just around the corner, or more to the point, on show at the next year’s CES in 2013 because its surely going to be a blast.
 

This upgrade means the total network’s lit capacity will now reach 1.4 Terabits per second and by March this will increase to 1.6 Terabits and to 2 Terabits by December. The company also states that it has the capacity to further upgrade the network to at least 6 Terabits by December 2013. This essentially indicates that Southern Cross Cable is trying to align it’s network to meet the growing demand of the market and that of the government’s National Broadband Network project.

So what does this mean and how will it affect us? Well, more availability of International capacity means that SCC can expand their supply. Recent SCC upgrades have witnessed increase ISP competition that resulted in data cap increases and price reduction. So perhaps 2012 may once again see some Internet Service Providers discounting prices, increasing data caps or simply providing better value for money propositions.

“With lower marginal capacity cost we have reduced our prices to the US from both New Zealand and Australia by 44%”

“it’s particularly pleasing to see how ISP competition has resulted in big increases to retail data caps over the last year for both Australian and New Zealand internet users, and to see the retail cost of data continuing to fall. Our new initiatives are again designed to support this process as another step towards the new NBN and UFB environments”

- Ross Pfeffer, Southern Cross Sales and Marketing Director.

Source: Southern Cross Capacity Up and Price Down – Again

Download speeds for wholesale customers on Telstra’s 3G services will range up to a maximum 3Mbps, while those on Telstra’s own Next G mobile network can achieve download speeds of anywhere up to 20Mbps. So there’s the catch. The vast difference in speeds is possibly due to the fact that Telstra need to be careful that they don’t cannibalise their own product.

The likes of Optus and Vodafone have also provided similar wholesale services to Telco’s such as Dodo, Virgin, iiNet and Internode for some time now, so this move by Telstra may not only seen as a potential tactic to counteract competition and bolster sales, moreover one that also aligns with Telstra’s transition to offering superior 4G services.

Read more at theaustralian.com.au – Telcos to resell Telstra 3G services

It’s believed that 49 new estates across Victoria’s metropolitan and regional areas with another 42 estates in New South Wales and 20 in Queensland, will now have new fibre broadband services installed free-of-charge over the coming months and well ahead of schedule.

In Victoria alone, the revised December increase means that 4636 premises have now been touted in the NBN Co Greenfield construction plans which is well up from the initial target of 1780 premises.

Read more at theage.com.au: Victoria’s new estates win in NBN rollout

That is the price tag that iiNet paid to snap up a pre-boxing day bargain and catapult the respective ISP into Australia’s third largest Internet Service Provider position.

The 190,000 customer transaction also brings the iiNet broadband customer base close to 900,000 subscribers (15.5% market share) which is only about 100,000 behind Optus who sits on 1 million.

Internode now joins an impressive list of Telecommunication acquisitions that iiNet have made in the past 18 months that includes the likes of TransACT for $60 million, Netspace for $40m and the consumer customer base of AAPT for $60m.

This latest purchase also appears to be a very timely and strategic move. One that not only has been brought about to strengthen iiNet’s position for the inception of the NBN, moreover a move that could also fend off a possible takeover from rival Telco TPG.

Essentially the ACCC is concerned that Telstra will continue to dominate the supply of retail and wholesale DSL services to its competitors and thus charge premium prices even after it is structurally separated.

It’s believed that there could be some ‘regulatory gaps’ that Telstra could possibly exploit in the Telco’s revised separation undertakings so its upon the ACCC to investigate this matter through an enquiry which is expected to be completed by January 19 2012.

Read more at itnews.com.au: Telstra rivals welcome wholesale inquiry

It’s believed that Telstra will pledge not to mislead or deceive consumers in anyway that their wireless broadband services will be an effective substitute for the National Broadband Network and attempt to migrate their customers across to their own Telstra Next G wireless Network.

“We were very concerned about that because we believe there should be no prohibition on Wireless competition to the NBN.”
- ACCC chairman Rod Sims

Read more at theaustralian.com.au: NBN loses Telstra wireless battle

What does this mean for consumer? Well it should in turn benefit the consumer also and ease any concern in regards to any inflationary or sharp rises in costs for broadband, phone and IPTV services in the same period. However, just because the NBN has frozen prices for five years it doesn’t mean that retail service providers (E.G. Telstra, Optus, iiNet etc..,) will freeze their prices over the same duration.

Remember this article in coming years and think twice when you hear of any NBN service provider making an announcement that talks about about jacking up prices.

This means the entry level wholesale price would not rise until at least July 2017, and then increase by no more than 1 to 2 per cent per year after that, depending on inflation.

However NBN Co cannot guarantee retail service providers would not increase retail prices independently of wholesale prices.

Read more at smh.com.au – NBN reveals 5-year fixed price plan

Dodo Chief Executive Officer Larry Kestelman found himself in the unfortunate position of being confronted with TIO for all the wrong reasons including a $147,000 fine for violating telemarketing regulations. Mr Kestelman soon realised that bashing doors down to make things happen didn’t quite sit well with customers, the TIO and as a result the company’s bank account.

Speaking candidly with smh.com.au, Larry says that years spent on the quick road to success has finally caught up with him, and after some very dark days he realised that he had to truthfully take a look at himself and after which, changed his perspective on business administration. Now Mr Kestelman suggests that good business is not about technology or marketing, it’s about good customer service and after two years of transformation, he’s proud of what he has achieved.

Read more about the evolution of Larry at smh.com.au – Avoiding extinction: lessons from the Dodo

Telstra, Optus, iiNet, iPrimus and Internode have all acknowledged their support behind a new policy that will send out ‘education notices’ to users who are believed to have pirated content over the Internet.

It’s understood that users could face prosecution after failing to adhere to three warning notices within a 12 month period.  The respective ISP’s could then have the responsibility of executing the policy by passing on the users’ details to copyright holders who would then commence copyright infringement proceedings against them.

Read more at smh.com.au – Telcos volunteer to help police piracy

Telstra has spent upwards of a $1 billion just over the past year alone in order to ‘win back’ customers through improving customer service and facilitating management structures to reduce complexity throughout its bureaucratic system as the Telco positions itself for a NBN future.

With a chequered past in relation to previous transformation attempts that were lead by Mr Thodey’s predecessors Sol Trujillo and Ziggy Switkowski, Telstra will need to work hard to deliver a successful outcome. However if there’s one super positive strategy they have up their sleeve, it’s got to be the $11 billion windfall from the NBN Co and government deal which the respective parties would not like to see fail.

“We still have lots of market share to win and we need to be organised better to do that. But we have said we will improve services, drive out costs and grow market share. And we are doing that. We are delivering,” Ballantyne says.

“The strategy that David (Thodey) has put in place is all about moving from a business unit focus to a functional structure.

“We have now moved to a world where we have single accountability for service, we have single accountability for products and services and innovation, single accountability for operations and our media strategy and our international strategy.”

Read more at the australian.com.au – Telstra chief overhauls Telstra for NBN game

Nicknamed the ‘Nerve Centre’ the new facility will be an information hub for consumers and service providers for all things NBN and in addition, host the Network Service Operations Centre (NSOC), the National Test Facility (NTF), the Service Activation Centre (SAC) and the Discovery Centre.

Learn more about the NBN Co’s new operations and demonstrations facility at computerworld.com.au – NBN Co opens new facilities in Melbourne

It could be some years away yet until Telstra cable broadband services are decommissioned in favour of the new high speed national broadband network, so it makes sense for the Telco to upgrade services in Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and the Gold Coast to the DOCSIS 3.0 HFC cable broadband standard.

The upgrade will boost present download ‘peak’ speeds from 30Mbps to 100Mbps although the DOCSIS 3.0 technology has the theoretical ability to produce downloads speeds of up to 160Mbps.

Learn more about the upgrade at itnews.com.au – DOCSIS 3.0 to expand beyond Melbourne

The initiative is part of the Regional Backbone Blackspots Program (RBBP) with the completion announced yesterday by Stephen Conroy, the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy. Mr Conroy stated that the new link would provide greater competition, better value services and faster broadband throughout the stretch of 1150kms that the link entails.

The RBBO will provide retail service providers the ability to offer better broadband services in the following towns:

Gawler
Tanunda
Angaston
Nuriootpa
Kapunda
Dutton East
Waikerie
Wigley Flat
Barmera
Berri
Renmark
Morcalla North
Merbein
Mildura
Coombah
Broken Hill
Red Cliffs
Chippendale
Robinvale
Kyalite
Swan Hill
Mystic Park
Kerang
Cohuna
Torrumbarry
Echuca
Moama
Kyabram
Mooroopna
Shepparton

Source: dbcde.gov.au

The forecast for EBITDA is believed to be around $250-270 million and TPG have also indicated that their debt would be reduced by $100 million for the 2012 financial year. If a transaction were to occur, the end result has the potential to take up about 20% of the market share. However it’s likely that any type of acquisition would take quite some time to undertake.

Read more at smartcompany.com.au – Speculation grows over iiNet takeover as TPG reaffirms guidance, renegotiates debt

Updated on: Nov 22, 2011 by Admin
————————————————————–
 

In October this year TPG stealthily purchased a 4.4% share of iiNet which now sits at a healthy 5.1%. TPG stated they had no intention other than to own shares in iiNet for strategic reasons. Then again, what other purpose would there be for a rival Telco to buy shares in a competitor other than having fundamental intentions to apply a takeover at some stage?

iiNet CEO Michael Malone said he has not met with TPG’s management in relation to an acquisition and further stated that the ACCC places a 20% market share threshold which would make it difficult for companies who have a greater share than this to buy iiNet. That would strike out Telstra and Optus, however TPG would probably sit on the borderline. In addition to ACCC conditions, a takeover such as this would also require a public inquiry and may need to be examined by the Federal Government.

Whether TPG are actually considering an acquisition or not, there’s certainly signs there that flag this possibility. TPG’s 5.1% stake is a fairly obvious sign and one that is probably enough to cause Michael Malone and iiNet some concern.

Read more at delimiter.com.au – TPG buyout to require public inquiry, says iiNet

Riding on a 15 year high in global computer sales, the latest figures are a shot in the arm for the Apple corp and their continual fight for worldwide domination with other leading computer manufacturers such as Dell, Hewlett-Packard and Acer.

Read more smh.com.au – Apple’s worldwide share of PC market reaches 15-year high

The government has really failed to capitalise on winning over the public and fully explaining both the immediate and future benefits, and prosperity, that the upcoming National Broadband Network will bring to Australians. And now that it’s coming, I wouldn’t be holding my breath too long for the government to educate you on the NBN.

So it’s up to you to find out what you can, because after all, you’re going to be affected by this new broadband network one way or another. Below is a link to four new videos that will assist you in understanding what the NBN is all about and how to connect to it if required.

NBN Explained Videos

• 1. Explaining the NBN – Reasons and benefits (2:25)
• 2. Getting connected to the NBN (1:20)
• 3. Explaining how to connect your phone to the NBN (1.23)
• 4. NBN process explained for property developers (1.56)

Mr O’Sullivan indicated that there should be full transparency on what Telstra spends the money on in order to contribute to a level playing field and so that the incumbent cannot further monopolise the Telco industry.

“We’d like a level playing field so we can play a competitive game.”

“We think there should be full transparency. Where the money is spent should be accounted for,”- Optus CEO Paul O’Sullivan

Read more at the heraldsun.com.au – Optus wants conditions put on Telstra’s $11b NBN windfall

It’s been no secret that iiNet was seeking to acquire further smaller ISP’s on the east coast in order to give the Telco a greater footprint in the eastern states while the purchase of TransACT is also expecting to further penetrate its reach into government and corporate sectors.

As the Telco is already the second leading ADSL2 provider in Australia behind Telstra, this latest acquisition will simply further verify iiNet as the outright third largest Telecommunications provider by far.

The transaction will also witnesses approximately 300 TransACT employees and another 80,000 customers make the transition across to iiNet ever growing list of assets and resources.

Read more at crn.com.au – iiNet rumoured to be buying TransACT

CEO Jason Cohenour stated that work is already well underway with Renault and expects that the technology could soon emerge into the Australian scene by 2016.

Read more at theaustralian.com.au – Car internet TV will be with us by 2016

The initiative which aims to provide service providers with new high speed wholesale broadband services is expected to assist small businesses by reducing costs, bolstering efficiency and reaching new markets.

“Our research indicates that many home office/small office operators and small businesses are currently using standard residential services for their telephone or broadband, or opting for business-grade offerings over copper-based ADSL2+ services. Beyond this, for larger small businesses, there is a quite a big jump to business-grade fibre-based services”.

Read more at the NBN Co – NBN Co to offer new services to ISPs tailored to small businesses

Apple iPad 2 16GB pricing on Telstra Post Paid Plans

Monthly Included Data	1GB	4GB	8GB	15GB
Monthly Cost	$49	$59	$69	$99
Upfront Cost	$0	$0	$0	$0
Min Cost 24 months	$1176	$1416	$1656	$2376

Apple iPad 2 32GB pricing on Telstra Post Paid Plans

Monthly Included Data	1GB	4GB	8GB	15GB
Monthly Cost	$54	$64	$74	$104
Upfront Cost	$0	$0	$0	$0
Min Cost 24 months	$1296	$1536	$1776	$2496

Apple iPad 2 64GB pricing on Telstra Post Paid Plans

Monthly Included Data	1GB	4GB	8GB	15GB
Monthly Cost	$57	$67	$77	$107
Upfront Cost	$24	$24	$24	$24
Min Cost 24 months	$1392	$1632	$1872	$2592

Click on the following link to Compare iPad and Tablet Plans.

See below snippet taken from the Optus media release for more Optus NBN prices and information.

From November 21, customers will be able to choose from a great range of Optus NBN plans for their fixed broadband needs. Monthly plans will start from $39.99 for 40GB of data (including up to 20GB peak and 20GB off-peak*) when bundled with any contracted Optus postpaid mobile plan from $19, plus the entry level “Stay Connected” speed pack.

On the $109 and $129 ‘yes’ Fusion plans, customers will receive a 500GB and 1000GB data allowance plus unlimited standard calls to fixed lines and mobiles all within Australia. All Optus month-to-month plans come with a free NBN Wi-Fi gateway and no service installation and set-up fees . To ensure a smooth transition to the NBN, Optus will also have specialist installation teams on the ground to connect customers and help make their experience as seamless as possible.

With regulatory uncertainty clouding the Telco for the past couple of years, Telstra’s board members would be quietly celebrating the outcome of the shareholder vote as it almost instantaneously provides stability and also places the Telco $4.7 billion greater than under the best available alternative.

All that stands in the way of a fully fledged NBN now are the concerns raised by the ACCC in relation to Telstra’s structural separation undertaking (SSU) that were submitted to the competition watchdog some time ago for approval.

It’s expected that Telstra will address and rectify these issues promptly as failure to do this by 31st December 2011 would activate a compulsory functional separation which would leave the ACCC and Communications Minister, Senator Stephen with greater control of how the Telstra’s retail and wholesale businesses would be separated.

The study found that if the NBN project remains on track the take up of fibre services could exceed that of DSL with 3 million connections to Australian Households and Businesses toward the end of 2015, and that approximately 4.2 million premises may have NBN Co fibre in 2017 at some stage.

A very impressive statistics and forecast no doubt, however if the Liberal Coalition government happens to take office in 2013, all of these figures could become thwarted. Whether or not a future coalition government continues with the present NBN plans or not, it will still be subject to a productivity commission enquiry which will slow the process down significantly while it conducts its investigation.

Opposition Communications spokesman Malcolm Turnbull has gone on record to say that all existing NBN contracts and services will be honoured if the Coalition wins office, but could not guarantee the future of the remaining NBN roll out.

ICT Companies and ISPs that were covered in study include NBN Co, Telstra, Optus, iiNet, VHA, Soul/TPG, FetchTV, FOXTEL, Eftel and a few others.

One would hope that if a huge national project such as the NBN found its feet and was well and truly up and running by the time the next election came around in 2013, that it would continue to be developed for all Australians to grow and prosper in regardless of who’s in office at the time.

The ASA have a $150 million dollar investment in Telstra which equates to 10,000 proxy votes and its statement is the strongest sign yet that deal will get the full stamp of approval at Telstra’s upcoming AGM in Sydney next Tuesday 18th October 2011.

They believe the Telco has no other option than to embrace the deal with the government and feel that all shareholders should vote for the agreement as it will also give the board greater bargaining power should further negotiations take place.

After obtaining shareholder approval, all that stops the Telstra NBN deal from going through is the recent structural separation concerns aired by the ACCC. These issues are expected to be resolved without contention which would then pave the way to a Telstra NBN deal.

The gizmodo.com.au article essentially took a vividwireless ViViFi Wi-Fi hotspot C900W and a Telstra USB 4G dongle throughout various locations in the Sydney CBD and took the two devices through their paces.

Trying to be impartial with their analysis, the report was quick to differentiate between the two 4G network technologies – vividwireless being WiMAX and Telstra being LTE (Long Term Evolution), whilst referring to Perth residents as complainers.

A result from the 4G download speed test conducted at Circular Quay, Sydney.

Telstra 4G
Ping: 38.33
Download: 26.78Mbps
Upload: 12.72Mbps

vividwireless 4G
Ping: 72
Download: 4.9Mbps
Upload: 1.37Mbps


You do the maths.

When considering a cheap broadband plan these days, I believe it’s almost as important for the consumer to know what they require from a plan let alone their concerns of being taken for a ride. The main two factors that come into mind are ‘data limits’ and ‘flexibility’. Firstly, you need to know how much data are you going to use – Will it be enough? What if it’s not and I have to move up or down? Will I get charged to do this? These questions lead me to the second factor of Flexibility – This option can be very handy to have when needing to move up and down through various plans/data limits or perhaps to move on to another provider.

Remember, cheapest is not always best, especially when it comes to mobile broadband as this product can vary dramatically in quality. However in the case of fixed line broadband, if you’re content with the factors that I spoke of (data limits and flexibility), you have more of a chance of getting yourself a cheap broadband plan that you may be happy with.

It’s expected that approximately 14,000 business owners and residents whose properties reside in the first release areas will be able to order, sign up and switch on National Broadband Network Internet and Phone (Bundles) services from tomorrow onward.

NBN Co Head of Product Development and Sales, Jim Hassell had this to say….

“The launch of commercial services over the fibre network in the mainland First Release Sites marks a significant milestone for the delivery of the NBN. It is the start of a new era of service and competition as providers begin to offer a range of different plans over our open-access wholesale network.

“It is also an important landmark for NBN Co as we start to generate our first revenue from fibre services. Not only is the NBN a project that will see our national infrastructure upgraded, it is an investment through which revenues are planned to eventually repay the initial outlay and deliver a return to taxpayers.”

The Pando Networks Global Internet Speed Study concentrated on the very best and very worst places to access the Internet, and revealed the speed and reliability of Internet connections across the world. The report concluded that the average worldwide download speed is somewhere close to 580Kbps with South Korea leading the way with an impressive 2,2020 Kbps (2.2Mbps).

It’s probably no surprise to many that an Asian country leads the pack, however this assumption is quite the opposite when European nations such as Romania (1,909Kbps) and Bulgaria (1,611Kbps) come in second and third respectively.

When discussing Internet speeds, many articles usually report on superior speeds, associated technologies and the countries who dominate these speeds. In the Pando Study however, it’s interesting to note that the countries with the slowest speeds have also been recorded. Coming in at the very bottom are the developing nations in Africa and Asia with the Congo the worst of the group with a very ordinary 14Kbps, followed by the Central African Republic at 14Kbps and Comoros at 23Kbps. These speeds compare to the likes of the old ‘Dial up’ modems for those of you who remember.

If you’re wondering where Australia ranks in the scheme of average Internet download speeds, then try 348Kbps. In real Internet speed terms, it probably equates to the average speed of a wireless or mobile broadband Internet connection. Other well known countries such as the U.S. scored 616Kbps, while the U.K. recorded 599Kbps and New Zealand came in with 364Kbps.

How fast is your Internet speed connection? Test it here – Broadband Speed Test

Then simply click on the following link to see what Australians are buying on Broadband Guide – Top 20 Most Popular Broadband Plans.

Up until now only Optus and Vodafone have struck agreements with other Telco providers to resell services across their mobile network. This has seen the likes of iiNet, Dodo and Internode all take advantage by offering respective products and services of their own.

It’s expected that the Telstra initiative will offer wholesalers the opportunity to resell 3G mobile services over their existing Next G mobile network however it’s highly unlikely that Telstra will additionally allow the wholesalers use of their ‘Next G’ brand name.

Read more at ZDNet.com.au

The purchase was made earlier on in September with the migration of all Supernerd’s existing residential client base across to iiNet’s network well underway. Supernerd customers still have the option of retaining their existing email address and inbox services, although the respective website is already displaying iiNet’s acquisition information and brand along with relocating links to iiNet’s website.

The Supernerd ISP now joins Westnet, Netspace and AAPT’s residential customer base as iiNet’s other major purchases over the past several years. It’s expected that only Westnet will retain their brand whilst all other company brands will eventually be dissolved after the completion of migration stages.

Compare iiNet broadband plans here.

While some other providers have already released their NBN pricing models that consist of expensive plans upwards of $180-$200, iiNet have unveiled a simple cost effective model that significantly undercuts many of its rivals. In fact iiNet’s most expensive plan comes in at under $100 and will give consumers 1000GB (1TB) of data with speeds up to 100Mbps .

Although it’s not expected that Optus and Telstra will follow suit, however the NBN pricing move by iiNet will be seen as very aggressive and will give the other respective Telco’s something to seriously think about.

iiNet’s NBN offerings consist of three simple peak/off-peak plans – 1.$49.95 40GB (20GB + 20GB) 2.$59.95 200GB (100GB + 100GB) 3.$79.95 1000GB (500GB + 500GB) using the 12/1Mbps speeds option.

There are three other speeds options to choose from which all carry an incremental additional charge – 25/5Mbps, 50/20Mbps & 100/40Mbps. The highest you can pay is $99.95 per month for 1000GB data limit on the fastest NBN optical fibre speed available at 100/40Mbps.

These prices may not be necessarily cheaper than the current ADSL, Cable and Mobile Broadband products in the market today, but they are more or less comparable to such and certainly a step in the right direction.

Compare iiNet broadband plans here and start saving more on your broadband bills today!

Click on the following links to find out more information or to sign up to the 500GB Liberty Broadband Plan.

Telstra BigPond Elite 500GB Liberty Broadband Plan – ADSL2+
Telstra BigPond Elite 500GB Liberty Broadband Plan – Cable

Vital Info:

• - Available on Cable or ADSL2+
• - Shaped (slowed) to 256kbps when data limit is exceeded
• - 500GB high speed broadband data limit
• - No Peak or Off-peak restrictions
• - No additional usage charges

Major changes essentially encompass the inclusion of an additional 500GB data plan, raising the entry level data limit from 2GB to 5GB and lowering the eligibility criteria in order to receive a multiple policy/member benefit discount.

No longer do subscribers need to combine another additional service other than a Telstra Home Phone service in order to receive the associated discount price as displayed below.

Simply speaking, if you would like to subscribe to any of these plans below and receive the price points displayed, all you will need to combine is at least a Telstra Homeline Plus phone service and to sign up on any of the respective plans for 24 months.

• BigPond Elite 5GB Liberty – 5GB 24 months from $29.95
• BigPond Elite 50GB Liberty – 50GB 24 months from $49.95
• BigPond Elite 200GB Liberty – 200GB 24 months from $69.95
• BigPond Elite 500GB Liberty – 500GB 24 months from $89.95

Find out more about these products by visiting the following link – Telstra BigPond Broadband Plans

The company has also announced further 2G and 3G development to existing networks that will encompass 500 new mobile towers and upgrades to 2,500 sites.

Construction will commence shortly in Geraldton, Victoria Park and Mandurah, Western Australia, and in Bacchus Marsh and South Morang, Victoria along with further extensions to the existing site in Brunswick Victoria.

Below are the locations and their scheduled start dates which are expected to take up to one year before activation is available.

START DATES
Geraldton WA October 2011
Victoria Park WA November 2011
South Morang Vic November 2011
Bacchus Marsh Vic November 2011
Mandurah WA December 2011
Brunswick Vic March 2012

Telstra have advised the ASX that they do not expect the ACCC to approve their plans to structurally separate the company and transfer 10 million fixed line customers on to the NBN Co’s new fibre network before their upcoming shareholders vote.

The two biggest hurdles that Telstra need to clear before it can reap the $11 billion deal with the NBN Co are still up in the air although the Telco remains confident that they will eventually get there.

The first issue was to have the structural separation plans approved by the ACCC prior to the shareholder vote on October 18. This has yet to be resolved, however Telstra have declared they will still proceed with the second hurdle, which is to take their separation proposal to the shareholders at the upcoming annual meeting.

“We do not expect ACCC approval will be received before the AGM,” Telstra told the ASX.

Updated by Ronnie on October 3, 2011

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Despite all the recent media speculation stating that the ACCC was deeply concerned with Telstra’s structural separation submission and that it may set back the National Broadband Network roll out, Telstra CEO David Thodey has come out and quashed all reports by stating that the Telco is still on track to reach a deal with the competition watchdog very soon.

“It’s no change to what we’ve said before,” he said. “We’ve got some work to do and we’re working productively with (the ACCC).”

Mr Thodey said that he expects approval from Australian Competition & Consumer Commission to be reached in time before the Telxo brings it’s retail and wholesale structural separation plans to a shareholder vote on October 18, 2011.

Updated by Ronnie on September 9, 2011

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Telstra CEO David Thodey admitted that he wasn’t surprised with the ACCC’s warning about the Telco’s structural separation plans. This statement comes as a direct result from the recent concerns aired by the ACCC in relation to Telstra’s wireless services competing against the NBN Co’s upcoming national broadband network.

According to an article at Computerworld, Mr Thodey stated that… “The ACCC has raised a number of concerns but they do not really come as a surprise to us at all,” and… “We to believe the issues can be resolved in away consistent with our principle of protecting shareholder value and the company will continue to work closely with the ACCC to address the concerns with a view to obtaining acceptance to the structural separation undertaking and draft migration plan before the AGM on 18 October 2011.”

Telstra and the ACCC have been in regular consultation over the structural separation of the Telecommunication provider. So I suspect that the emergence of these recent events will not in any way hinder the separation process nor the upcoming shareholder vote.

Updated Friday 02/09/2011

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A fundamental component for the Government’s vision of a National Broadband Network to become a reality is the structural separation of Telstra. This has now hit a major hurdle with the ACCC flagging concerns over Telstra’s plans to restructure the company.

It was expected that Telstra’s submission to the ACCC would pave the way to an $11 billion deal with the NBN Co to share it’s vital infrastructure. However a green light from the competition regulator has not been granted as they are concerned with the Telco’s pre-conditional promise of ‘not competing’ with the NBN through its wireless services offerings.

This concern could be a major setback for the NBN’s development schedule and Telstra’s structural separation plans unless immediate action is taken by the Telco to make important changes to their proposal. Although this latest issue should not halt NBN proceedings entirely, it still managed to unsettle investors as Telstra shares took a dive after the announcement was made.

Opposition communication spokesman Malcolm Turnbull didn’t waste any time to attack the integrity of the Government by stating the comments showed the Government was putting its political interests ahead of the national interest. While the Minister of Communication Stephen Conroy said this issue was a matter for the ACCC and he looked forward to the final determination.

In a deal believed to encompass $1.1 billion over ten years, Netcomm will produce 4G technology/LTE (Long Term Evolution) routers and connection equipment for the wireless rollout.

Although Netcomm managing director ‘ David Stewart’ declined to reveal a monetary figure on what the deal would be worth to the company, it’s estimated that Netcomm could reap anywhere up to $200 million.

Telstra BigPond USB 4G Modem
The BigPond USB 4G is Australia’s fastest mobile broadband device. Get typical download speeds from 2Mbps up to a blistering 40Mbps in all capital CBDs, associated airports and selected regional areas.

BigPond Ultimate® Wi-Fi Modem
The BigPond Ultimate® Wi-Fi is Australia’s fastest mobile broadband Wi-Fi device. Connect up to 5 Wi-Fi enabled devices to the Ultimate Wi-Fi at any one time, take it with you on the go for fast, easy access to your mobile internet world. Laptops, smartphones, tablets, printers, – however you need to connect, the Ultimate Wi-Fi connects your Wi-Fi enabled devices to the Next G® network, Australia’s largest national mobile broadband network.

Australia’s fastest portable mobile broadband Wi-Fi option, with download speeds between 1.1Mbps and 20Mbps in capital cities and many metropolitan and regional areas, you won’t waste time waiting but enjoy more of what you love online.

Compare Telstra BigPond 4G Plans
Compare Telstra BigPond Mobile Broadband Plans and Prices with their new USB 4G or Wi-Fi modems by visiting the following link: Telstra BigPond 4G Mobile Broadband Plans

Updated by Ronnie on October 03, 2011

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Telstra 4G Mobile Network Official Launch

In a Telstra media release published today the leading Australian Telco announced the official launch of their 4G LTE mobile network in Australian metropolitan central business districts and more than 30 other regional and metropolitan areas.

The 4G network which uses LTE – Long Term Evolution wireless technology is believed to be capable of transmitting data transfer speeds up to 25 times faster than its predecessor 3G network. In realistic terms, Telstra suggest typical download speeds range from 2Mbps – 40Mbps making it one of the world’s fastest mobile networks.

Telstra’s CEO David Thodey had this to say about the 4G network launch…..

“Today marks a new high-speed chapter in Australian mobile telecommunications. Telstra’s 4G network delivers mobile speeds scarcely imagined a decade ago, making it easier for people to connect with the things they need and love when on the move”

“We know there is a huge appetite for 4G-powered smartphones and tablets and Telstra is working with some of the world’s leading manufacturers to bring some of these devices to customers in the first half of 2012”

Updated by Ronnie on September 27, 2011

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The much anticipated launch of the Telstra 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) network has now been finalised through an announcement stating that around 2000 Telstra USB 4G mobile broadband modems would be available to business and enterprise customers from August 2011.

Telstra initially switched on many of its Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane 4G Network base stations back in May this year which is planned to increase both network capacity and download and uploads speeds. At the same time this development should also alleviate the pressure on its existing 3G network and client base.

In LTE trials conducted late last year, it was reported that Telstra obtained test speeds of 149MBps down and 59Mbps up on a 20MHz frequency spectrum.

Although the incumbent has not yet officially announced respective theoretical speeds for it’s new LTE 4G network, it’s believed that the Telco’s new dual mode 4G USB modem should easily exceed 20-30Mbps download speeds across an 1800MHz spectrum band during typical operating conditions.

Read more that The Australian

Concerned about Vodafone’s coverage and reception? Well don’t be because Vodafone are so confident with their new and improved mobile broadband network that they’re now offering a service guarantee initiative titled ‘Mobile Broadband Satisfaction Trial’.

Put simply if you’re not happy with Vodafone’s coverage experience after joining, you can cancel your service within 30 days. Vodafone will then waive any contract cancellation fees and you’ll only pay for what you’ve used.

Prices start from $14.95 for Micro-Sim Prepaid Starter Pack which includes 1.5GB data, with postpaid mobile broadband data plans ranging from $15 for 1.5GB data to a whopping 16GB for only $59.95. Choose from BYO, micro-sim, USB and Wi-Fi modem options.

Compare Vodafone mobile broadband plans by simply clicking here.

Almost coinciding with the NBN target date of completion, in which most Australian premises will have been migrated away from Telstra’s copper PSTN to the national broadband network, Telstra is expected to commit to the completion of the restructure by 1st July 2018.

Read more about Telstra lodging separation document with the ACCC at iTWire.com

NBN Co CEO Mike Quigley has labelled the publishing’s as entirely wrong by slamming the media companies behind the misleading reports. The official NBN Co website has even gone to the extent of naming the companies involved and totally rejected any hacking related incident involving the NBN.

Read the NBN Co response right here

Telstra flicked the switch late on Friday night with Optus expected to follow suit later this month. It’s believed the Interpol list of blocked websites has been in use for a number of years with the likes of BT, O2 and Virgin blocking addresses for quite some time.

Users who try and connect to banned websites will be greeted with an Interpol ‘stop page’ message that explains the content that they are attempting to view is illegal and along with instructions on how they can challenge Interpol’s ruling.

Read more on Optus and Telstra Internet Content Filtering initiatives at delimiter.com.au

Joined by the Minister of Broadband and Communications Stephen Conroy, NBN Co CEO Mike Quigley and Telstra boss David Thodey, the Prime Minister stated the deal would involve giving the $38 billion National Broadband Network (NBN) access to Telstra’s fixed line copper PSTN network.

Telstra’s shares were also halted from trading in New Zealand during the announcement this morning and are expected to significantly rise once trading resumes from yesterday’s closing value of $3.03. Investors have been reluctant up until now to buy into Telstra amid fears of uncertainty with the Labor government’s NBN project.

Now that the deal has been signed and sealed, it also paves the way for many contractual obligations such as a $800 millionr deal with Optus to transfer its cable customers to the NBN and in effect, make it more difficult for the Liberal party to deliver it’s alternative broadband plans for Australia if it were to win the next election.