Telstra and TransACT will shortly begin offering 100Mbps broadband to many customers. By moving early, the companies have not only raised the bar for Australia's broadband services, but thrown down a challenge to a government that now faces increased pressure to deliver the NBN as promised.
It was interesting to witness Conroy's recent enthusiasm to spruik the NBN's role in supporting the Smart Grid, Smart City initiative. What a pity that Conroy hadn't yet seen the damning report from the Victorian auditor-general about that state's smart-meter roll-out.
As Telstra CEO David Thodey and CFO John Stanhope fronted a mob of concerned investors at the company's Investor Day this week, it became clear just how far removed the Telstra of today is compared to the Telstra of a year ago.
As the National Broadband Network pricing debate continues, we should consider which is the most appropriate model for costing a bit that costs virtually nothing to carry.
How well Stephen Conroy handles Telstra's challenge will determine whether we're hurtling towards a great new era in telecommunications, or fated to even more years stuck in the grip of Telstra's well-entrenched market position.
Labor's fibre-to-the-premises NBN was meant to be an act of freedom, a breaking-free from 100 years of copper infrastructure legacy and the start of something new. So why in the world are we still discussing Telstra's copper network?
Now that Minister Stephen Conroy has played his hand regarding Telstra's separation, the hard part begins.
Shareholders got a rude awakening this week as Stephen Conroy made good on industry calls to break up Telstra. Some argue the government has been duplicitous and should be held to account, but those who sit tight may find the new Telstra offers a far better value proposition with better long-term opportunities.
I have seen the NBN, and it looks a lot like Christina Aguilera. Or, at least, it looked like her when I dropped into Ericsson's Melbourne headquarters recently to see a live demo of their NBN solutions. Yet behind the streaming TV, one question lingers -- and not even the government seems able to answer it.
It wasn't too long ago that critics of WiMax wireless technology were declaring it dead at the starting gate.
Optus, Vodafone and Three have long struggled to match Telstra's reach outside the capital cities. Vodafone's major network upgrade is the best chance yet to dilute Next G's rural monopoly, but questions remain.
Should Telstra be investing in a pre-emptive defence against the NBN? Or should it go slow and wait like everybody else?
When Coles introduced Fly Buys, Woolworths introduced Everyday Rewards. When Coles introduced petrol discount vouchers, Woolworths introduced petrol discount vouchers. It's a bold plan, but can it — and Coles' inevitable copycat product — change the prepaid mobile world for the better?
Time will tell how the rest of the NBN Co board shapes up, but it's hard to dismiss the credentials of its two most high-profile appointments so far.
Seven has made no secret of its expansion ambitions, but buying into pay-TV monolith Foxtel lends even greater clarity to the network's long-term vision. With wireless distribution and solid content channels under its belt, can Seven bring IPTV into the mainstream?
Like the engineers that sat down on day one with an empty blackboard and a mission to get man to the moon and back, building the NBN from the ground up is a daunting and complex opportunity that will present more than its share of challenges.
This week, Stephen Conroy showed with great certainty that the NBN remains a touch-and-go affair with no clear timeline, a relatively questionable lack of governance, and lots of unresolved mysteries.
Around one third of Australia's telcos have shut their doors over time, but that isn't stopping new ventures hoping to chip away at carriers' mobile call bonanza. By fighting carriers at the smartphone rather than the home phone, could the latest two contenders be onto something big?
Rural areas will be welcoming the government's decision to put its money where its politicising is, funnelling $250m into a regional fibre upgrade to six rural centres. Remedying over a decade of near-neglect at the hands of telecoms privatisation, the investment could be the firmest step yet for Labor's NBN dream — but with inevitable political questions and a looming election, Rudd and Conroy need to deliver, and quickly, to preserve the NBN's credibility.
One of the more curious aspects of the iPhone phenomenon has been the disconnect between the device's capabilities and carriers' willingness to support them.
Google Chrome OS demonstration
Vice President of Product Marketing Sundar Pichai gives a virtual tour of Google's new operating system, Chrom… Watch it now
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