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

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 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.

Bringing the tally of NBN Providers in Tasmania to 5, Telstra consider the respective state to be the perfect test bed for experimenting with various types of services and plans over the NBN which should give them a great insight into offering services on the mainland once the NBN becomes established there. Optus is yet to decide whether they will offer fibre to the home broadband services in Tasmania, however I would suspect that they will feel obliged to now that Telstra has raised their hand.

With iiNet, Primus, Internode, Exetel, Telstra and potentially Optus joining the race down under on the Tasmanian NBN, it certainly sets the scene for a interesting mini telecommunication battleground. With the NBN now looking certain to take shape nationwide, the Tasmanian first release sites of Midway Point, Smithton and Scottsdale are sure to be in for a treat of technology, innovation, competitive telcommunication prices and of course very fast broadband.

Search and compare Telstra Home Bundles via BigPond right here! 

Once downloaded, Optus Internet Security Suite constantly monitors your computer and Internet connection, automatically updating itself with the latest virus definitions, and will notify you should anything unwanted be discovered. Enjoy the premium protection on offer for all your most valuable content including photos, music, programs or important documents.

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“Unfortunately the ETS has been Telstra’s get out of jail card,” Mr Krishnapillai told ABC Television tonight.

“We have a real fear that Telstra will simply cut a sweetheart deal with the government over the next two months.”

via News.com.au.

However, Mr O’Sullivan said, Telstra’s recent talk about the complexity of the process revealed that its underlying “script” had not changed despite the new leadership. The company had a long history of frustrating efforts to open up competition in the fixed line market and it was “rational” for it to now delay the process and confuse the issue in an effort to protect its control over the phone lines going into most Australian homes.

While Telstra had been “remarkably admirable in its gymnastics and ability to change its story, the fundamental strategy remains the same, which is delay,” he said. “If you’re making 60 per cent margins, the last thing you want is change.” Hitting back at allegations that Optus had not invested enough in Australian telecommunications infrastructure, Mr O’Sullivan said: “It’s an important lie to nail.

via The Australian.

“This deal offers Optus mobile users the very highest quality match broadcasts tailor-made for mobiles. It will give them blanket coverage from morning to night with the whole gamut of FIFA World Cup-related content such as team-specific reports, updates, downloads and clips,” said Niclas Ericson, Director of FIFA’s TV Division.

via Digital Media.

An Optus spokesman said customers were increasingly viewing broadband as another channel for entertainment.

The company recently announced a home entertainment-based deal with Sony in which customers are offered unlimited broadband bundled with an internet-enabled 120Gb PS3 games console and wireless keyboard.

Sony plans to introduce its own movies-on-demand service next year for PS3 users.

via Herald Sun.

Initial indications from many Optus customers suggest that they’re far from happy with the Optus decision to rejoin the Federal Government’s controversial Internet Content Filtering trial.

Broadband Industry analyst Paul Budde has also expressed his concern with the Content Filtering retort by Optus and stated that he suspects many Optus customers will be angered by such a decision.

“I thought the credibility of the whole situation was now so low that very few companies would actually put their weight behind it. It is clear the customers of companies such as Optus will not be amused about this sort of activity. So in that respect I am a bit surprised that companies do stick their neck out in a situation like that.” – Paul Budde

Not only does Mr Budde suggest that many Optus customers will be irate by the decision, he also ridiculed the Government’s process as unacceptable for a democratic society, which is also a view that has been aired by a significant amount of the online informed.

The Federal Government push to have mandatory content filtering introduced has appeared very ‘strong handed’, and capitalising further on Mr budde’s views, I too, am concerned with what might become, if such a potential precedent is struck.

Competition or no competition, that is the answer! The deconstruction of Telstra as a vertically integrated Telecommunication company could be nigh as the push for it’s structural separation gains momentum. In a report released by ‘Competition Economists Group’, who were commissioned by Telstra’s arch rival Optus, key findings suggested that Telstra (if not structurally separated) would have very powerful incentives to damage competition in the Telecommunication Industry if it were to win the National Broadband Network bid.

As reported back on April 1st, the Structural Separation of monolithic Telco companies in the UK, Europe and now New Zealand are solving anti competition dilemmas. But what about Telstra and it’s shareholders? Well it seems that conjecture and speculation cause investors to be weary and that structurally separating Telstra into retail and wholesale divisions could actually ease the uncertainties behind Telstra’s future and  restore or even improve market confidence.

“This means that if the NBN is owned by a vertically integrated Telstra, then discrimination — and damage to competition — will be a much bigger problem under the NBN than today.”

Today’s report is expected to be the first step in a concerted campaign led by Optus to lobby the Government for a forced split of Telstra.

source: news.com.au

Although not made from earth, the name TERRiA is rock solid and has been adopted (less the Firma of course) as the new name for the group of carriers formerly known as the ‘G9′ (or should I say the G8).

The consortium is made up from Optus, AAPT, iiNet, Internode, Primus, Macquarie Telecom,  SOUL and TransACT with the the ninth member ‘PowerTel’ now owned by AAPT, and to avoid further discrepencies down the track, it makes timely sense that the group come up with the new name of TERRiA. 

Michael Egan recently announced the new name, which is a contraction of ‘Terra Australis’, and said that it also phonetically the same as a terrier which eludes to tenacity and energy.  TERRiA also took the opportunity by saying they will develop a structurally separated model, however, had not yet responded to the current version of the NBN RFP.

“We …like the fact that it’s phonetically the same as terrier which hints at the energy and tenacity which will be needed to win the best communication outcome. In a word it sums up both our determination and the scale of the National Broadband Network with the commitment of coverage across the land.”

source: itwire

After recent talks with Optus-led G9 Consortium, German based Telecommunication group ‘Deutsche Telekom’ is examining prospects behind partnering G9 for a national broadband network bid. 

Optus chief executive Paul O’Sullivan has also called for the NBN bid deadline to be extended due to proposal submission time restrictions that is being brought about by the legislation that’s currently being passed through parliament to force Telstra to release information on it’s network.

If the Communications Minister ‘Stephen Conroy’ is not losing enough sleep as it is, recent comments from opposition spokesperson Bruce Billson who is calling for an inquiry by the Auditor General into the lack of Transparency behind the tender process, should surely strip him of some zees.

As the NBN proposal cut off date looms, Mr Conroy must be optimistically wishing for a happy ending. However with both ‘known’ major tenders threatening to pull out of the race if certain guidelines are not met, the minister might be reaching for the Valium prescription instead of a double shot of Vanilla Bean Caramel Frappachino Mix.

Proposals are due by July 25th, but Optus chief executive Paul O’Sullivan has called for the deadline to be extended by five months to give companies enough time to consider network information that is expected to come from Telstra after legislation is passed to compel its release.

Without the information, Mr O’Sullivan argued, the request of proposal guidelines by the government would favour Telstra

Opposition communications spokesman Bruce Billson yesterday called on the Auditor-General to inquire into the national broadband network tender process, saying it lacked transparency and that the July 25 deadline benefited Telstra.

Read more at misaustralia.com

In a recent speech on the upcoming National Broadband Network by OPTUS CEO Paul O’Sullivan, he stated that his overall message could be summed up in one phrase ‘Australia cannot take Competition in Broadband for granted’. In colloquial terminology using a famous Aussie expression it sounds more like he’s asking for a ‘Fair Go’ due to the current (and past) state of the Australian Broadband Industry and the Policy Guidelines behind the NBN process.  

Mr O’Sullivan also referred to the National Broadband Network as ‘Open Heart Surgery’ and touched on subjects that inlcuded The OPEL Decision, Structural Separation and gave an insight into the Broadband Market and the struggle that many ISP’s have against Telstra’s monopoly of the industry due to regulatory inadequacies.

Telstra has used its market power, over two thirds market share in residential fixed voice, to keep prices high – whilst pocketing the savings from the lower wholesale prices we have been forced to give it.

But recent developments are giving us increasing concern that the fine words of opposition are being lost under the heavy burden of Government and in the face of a seductive though anticompetitive pitch from Telstra.

If the new national broadband network is a repeat of Telstra controlling bottleneck infrastructure it will be a comprehensive policy failure – and Australian consumers will literally pay for this mistake.

we stand ready to provide a compelling proposal which will dramatically improve Australia’s broadband services. But we can only do this if we are given a fair and reasonable chance to put in a serious and compelling bid.

Read the entire speech article at news.com.au

Optus is the latest name connected to the ‘Unwired’ wireless race as speculation mounts over a potential counter bid following the Seven Network’s initial offer. It appears that Optus may require the WiMAX technology to assist its ‘Broadband for the Bush’ rollout which could in turn relieve the fixed-line stranglehold that rival Telstra has in place.

Merrill Lynch believes a counter-bid from Optus to Seven’s takeover offer is a “real possibility” because WiMAX is viewed as a strategic asset given that it has the potential to become an alternative to delivering broadband by fixed line and third-generation mobile phones.

Read the entire article at SMH.com.au