News

• US tech leaders fear proposed Internet regulations, taxes at ITU meeting

  By Grant Gross | 31 May, 2012 19:29

  A meeting of the United Nations' International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in December could lead to broad new regulations of the Internet, including per-click taxes, if U.S. and other delegations don't work hard to oppose proposals, U.S. officials and Internet governance experts told lawmakers Thursday.

• Verizon boosting FiOS top speed to 300Mbps

  By Stephen Lawson | 30 May, 2012 20:45

  Verizon Communications is putting the pedal to the metal on its FiOS service with a new 300Mbps option next month, offering a majority of its customers a wild Internet ride, though it hasn't said how much that ride will cost.

• Cisco: Global 'Net traffic to surpass 1 zettabyte in 2016

  By Grant Gross | 30 May, 2012 18:31

  Global Internet Protocol traffic will reach an annual rate of 1.3 zettabytes in 2016 as more people connect more devices and download more video over the Internet, according to Cisco Systems.

• ACCC gives $800 million Optus-NBN Co deal the thumbs up

  By Spandas Lui | 28 May, 2012 10:36

  The consumer watchdog proposes to authorise the deal for Optus to migrate its HFC network customers onto the NBN after weighing up the pros and cons.

• Groups launch gigabit-per-second broadband project

  By Grant Gross | 23 May, 2012 15:48

  An Ohio startup company has raised US$200 million to fund gigabit-per-second broadband projects in six university communities across the U.S., the company announced Wednesday.

• VoIP provider files net neutrality complaint with FCC

  By Grant Gross | 23 May, 2012 04:16

  A Florida VoIP carrier has filed a net neutrality complaint against a Georgia utility and broadband provider, after the utility accused the VoIP firm of theft of service for using its network to deliver voice service without paying for it.

• Education group: Schools need 100 Mbps per 1,000 broadband users

  By Grant Gross | 22 May, 2012 07:23

  Schools in the U.S. will need broadband speeds of 100 Mbps per 1,000 students and staff members by the 2014-15 school year in order to meet a growing demand for Web-based instruction and a skyrocketing number of student-owned Web devices, according to a new report by a trade group representing state education agencies.

• Alcatel-Lucent offers managed service to improve mobile network performance

  By Mikael Ricknäs | 22 May, 2012 02:35

  Mobile operators that want help keeping their subscribers happy can get it through a new managed service from Alcatel-Lucent, the company said on Monday.

• Ericsson lets operators speed up mobile, fixed networks using caching

  By Mikael Ricknäs | 10 May, 2012 00:42

  Using caching technology from Akamai Technologies, Ericsson's Smart Cloud Accelerator, announced Wednesday, is designed to allow operators to improve performance in both fixed and mobile networks.

• Telco watch: NBN rolls out, at last

  By Spandas Lui | 09 May, 2012 15:25

  In 2009, then Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, with Communications Minister, Senator Stephen Conroy, by his side, announced the $43 billion National Broadband Network (NBN). Originally put up for tender to the private sector, the decision to make the lucrative – not to mention expensive – network a 100 per cent Government project has garnered much praise and criticism.

• Dodo casts spell on pre-paid mobile market with Magic Sim

  By Mike Gee | 08 May, 2012 09:48

  Dodo Australia has launched a new pre-paid mobile offering called the Magic Sim.

• Groups protest Verizon's proposed special access rate hikes

  By Grant Gross | 08 May, 2012 06:54

  Members of the NoChokepoints Coalition will ask the U.S. Federal Communications Commission to stop Verizon Communications from raising the rates for middle-mile broadband connections that many businesses rely on.

• Senator questions whether Comcast is following NBC merger conditions

  By Grant Gross | 08 May, 2012 04:55

  A U.S. senator has urged the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Federal Communications Commission to investigate whether Comcast is violating conditions imposed in its early 2011 merger with NBCUniversal.

• Who needs Google Fiber? Orono, Maine, getting 1Gbps broadband network

  By Brad Reed | 03 May, 2012 07:34

  Small-town Maine may be known best for its lobster and as the setting for several Stephen King books, but soon it could become known for its high-speed fiber network as well.

• KPMG: Cloud computing is a $3.25 billion opportunity

  By Spandas Lui | 01 May, 2012 14:34

  If businesses directed 75 per cent of their ICT spend to Cloud services, it could contribute billions to Australia's GDP after 10 years.