Telstra has decided to reabsorb its Network Design and Construction (NDC) unit in what one union branch claims is a "desperate bid" to preserve the skills it requires to maintain its regional networks.
Minister for Communications Stephen Conroy yesterday said a meeting with Telstra chief David Thodey had given him hope that the telco was open to a "meaningful dialogue" as the government wades through its industry regulatory reform submissions.
In preparation for its fibre-to-the-node (FTTN) rollout, the Federal Labor government is resuming its campaign to change legislation to allow it to access the AU$2 billion regional and rural Communications Fund, which the government claims is needed to bankroll part of the network's construction.
Bruce Billson, the Liberal communications spokesperson, has taken aim at Labor's plans to draw on money from the previous government's communications fund to build its fibre-to-the-node (FTTN) network.
Senator Stephen Conroy, Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy officially announced plans to build a 6,900km undersea cable between Guam and Sydney which will become one of the first links in the government's national FTTN network chain.
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.
Without consensus on labour issues, the eventual winner of the NBN may end up as little more than a lame duck and a cashed-up symbol of the conflict between the desire for progress and the lack of mechanisms to deliver it.
The vision of the future BT portrayed this week at an Australian conference was so far removed from how Telstra's David Quilty has described the British telco that I wonder if they were talking about the same UK.
One of the only Australian start-ups to present at the recent round of conferences in the US was Sydney-based spellr.us, which has launched a Web-based tool to check and monitor websites for spelling mistakes.
For no particular reason that I can discern, a 1979 Kenny Rogers song popped into my head as I was considering the ever more complex morass that is the national broadband network tender which Senator Stephen Conroy defended in his CeBIT keynote speech.
CEO Bruce Chizen talks up the impending merger with Macromedia and what comes next for Flash.
There's been a lot of talk about network convergence, the idea that data, voice and video traffic will one day travel over a single network. In this special report, we look at how Mount Erin Secondary College is tackling convergence and IP telephony goals at footy club the West Coast Eagles.
Even simple implementations can fail due to poor planning or communication. Here's how to avoid common problems when you are ready to deploy your next project.
This afternoon Communications Minister Stephen Conroy described his opposite, Senator Nick Minchin, as a Luddite as he took questions from reporters on the Opposition's attempt to block the government's wide-ranging telecommunications industry reform legislation, which includes provisions to force the break-up of Telstra.
Ten years ago they were the young turks of Australia's business community; radical free-thinkers on the path to fame and riches. Shortly after, all those dreams came crashing down. But where are Australia's first dotcom moguls today, and what are they up to?
Those who can afford the Touch Pro2 will be buying a feature-rich smartphone with a unique conference calling feature and a decent suite of business apps.
The 2135cn from Dell is a colour laser MFP with network support. While the 2135cn is a mixed bag in terms of quality and performance, it comes at a reasonable price.
Toshiba's updated R500 is a remarkably compact and complete machine, making it ideal for business travellers. However, at $3,300 you are paying extra for the privilege of a lighter load, and the screen is a little flimsy.
The VGNBZ15GN is Sony's latest business laptop in the Vaio range, and includes the new Centrino 2 platform. A heavy machine with strong performance, but let down by poor battery life.
The Lenovo M57 eco is a small form-factor desktop that is promoted by the company as energy efficient. We found it to be a capable and powerful office performer for its size, but with limited upgrade options.
Ben Forta: All about Adobe
Take one ColdFusion veteran and mix in a healthy dose of prolific book writing, and chances are you will end u… Watch it now
Google CEO Eric Schmidt
Google's chief sits down for an extremely rare, wide-ranging interview and discusses Google's two operating sy… Watch it now
Telstra shareholders fear break up
What do Telstra shareholders think of the telco's new CEO David Thodey? And would they support the government'… Watch it now
Can not-so-smart meters help the NBN?
Can the Telco Reform Act be win-win?
Has New Zealand's smiling assassin delivered?
What makes you click?
Tell us for a chance to win a $1,000 GAME gift voucher.
Click here for more.
Win an iPhone 3GS!
Sign up as a ZDNet Australia member during November and you'll go in a draw to win an iPhone 3GS!
Click here to sign up!
Best Laptops
Check out the best laptops here!
Click here for more.