Gizmodo Australia » broadband

iiNet Now Offering Unmetered TiVo

Nick Broughall — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 05:31:29 +0000

It looks like iiNet has just stretched its lead over other unmetered data offerings by adding TiVo’s on demand content to its Freezone.

That means that they now have unmetered access to iTunes downloads, Xbox demos and updates (but not paid-for movie downloads) and ABC iView and TiVo. That’s a pretty wide range of content right there. The TiVo partnership means that apparently 20 per cent of broadband users now have unmetered access to TiVo’s movie downloads. That’s a pretty good percentage, too.

The question now is whether or not a) current iiNet customers will be swayed to TiVo, or b) whether this would sway potential TiVo customers to iiNet. Share your thoughts in comments.

Internode Introduces Easy Naked Broadband Plan

Nick Broughall — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 02:30:44 +0000

Building on the success of their Easy Broadband plans introduced earlier this year, Internode has just launched Easy Naked Broadband plans for naked DSL internet.

For $70 a month, you get 50GB worth of broadband data and $10 worth of VoIP calls. The catch is you need access to an exchange with Internode’s ADSL2+ equipment installed.

It sounds like a pretty good deal if you’re able to get it.

[Internode]

Rural Aussie Broadband Slower Than Carrier Pigeon

Nick Broughall — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 23:30:00 +0000

Remember how last month an enterprising South African used a carrier pigeon to transfer data, and it was faster than using his DSL connection? Oh, how we laughed and laughed. Well, turns out that our own broadband situation is similarly awful, with ABC program Hungry Beast putting Telstra’s broadband to test against a pigeon and a car. Guess which one was the slowest?

The show transferred a 700MB file using all three methods from Tarana in rural NSW to Prospect in western Sydney, a distance of 130 odd kilometres. It took the pigeon about an hour, the car about two and ADSL… well, let’s just say that Telstra didn’t quite finish the race, although when the process started it was apparently going to take somewhere between four and nine hours.

So while we wait for the NBN, maybe we should invest a bit in pigeon training?

[ABC via ITNews]

Telstra Unveils The T-Hub… Does Anybody Want One?

Nick Broughall — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 22:25:23 +0000

If it wasn’t for the fact that I need a home phone line for ADSL (I can’t get Naked at my exchange), I would have dumped my home landline years ago. The T-Hub, which was shown off at the Telstra Investor Day yesterday and also popped up on their intranet, doesn’t really make me want to hang on to the legacy landline option…

The T-Hub is a device that connects your Telstra home phone and your Telstra Broadband wirelessly, and features a 7-inch LCD touchscreen that allows you to jump on board a whole heap of Sensis based services.

From the Telstra staff Intranet description:

Customers will be able to make calls easily scrolling through their contact list and pressing “Call”. Or if a plumber is needed, click to search Yellow Pages online and select the number to call. Enjoy the added convenience of sending SMS to mobile numbers on the Telstra network and to most Australian fixed numbers, or checking the weather forecast, or scheduling family events and appointments on the electronic calendar.

The memo also describes the T-Hub as a potential photo frame or internet radio player.

The device is supposed to be available in the “coming months”. But from reading through that description, there doesn’t seem to be any killer feature that my mobile phone or laptop can’t do just as easily. Although maybe if Telstra do follow through on their promise to drop pricing, it might come part of a bundle option? Would that sway opinions?

FCC May Reclaim Some TV Airwaves To Boost Wireless Broadband

Danny Allen — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 11:28:57 +0000

You’ve heard lots about the FCC and net neutrality, but they’re also working on another important problem: Mobile broadband is growing faster than wireless providers have expansion room to cater for. What the FCC calls the “looming spectrum gap”.

We’ve mentioned the FCC’s plan to speed up new mobile tower rollouts to get more 4G goodness in the air, and now they may shift a portion of the spectrum set aside for digital TV to wireless companies to help create more bandwidth.

Of course, broadcasters don’t like the idea, and if you’re happy with free over-the-air digital TV, you probably won’t either.

This latest idea is being considered as part of the larger US national broadband plan, which is set to be made public in February. It’s not yet known if the TV spectrum proposal will make into the final plan. [Wall Street Journal]

Telstra Admits They Charge Too Much

Nick Broughall — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 04:27:02 +0000

It must be cold down in Hell at the moment, because Telstra CEO David Thodey has just admitted that their broadband pricing is “out of line”. Even better, they’re planning aggressive price cuts.

The Telco has also promised to spend a little bit more time focusing on improving customer service.

There’s no word on how soon we can expect to see these price cuts, or whether they’ll track over to the wholesale internet side of things, but any price cut’s going to be welcome for Telstra customers…

[SMH]

Internet Speeds And Costs Around The World, Shown Visually

Adam Frucci — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:00:00 +0000

This awesome infographic shows the internet costs and speeds around the world for the top 20 nations in the ITIF Broadband Rankings. Unsurprisingly, we don’t compare too well.

Number one is, predictably, Japan, where the average broadband speed is 60mbps and they pay $US0.27 per 1mbps. The US, in comparison, averages 4.8mbps and pays $US3.33 per 1mbps, putting them at #15. Be sure to click the above image to see it in its full glory. [Zach Klein]

Optus’ New Wireless Plans Sound Good At First, But Get Weird Later

Nick Broughall — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 03:09:01 +0000

So Optus has refreshed their wireless broadband plans. They’re offering more data for less, with a much lower excess usage fee. Huzzah! But instead of basking in a successful strategy that’s a win for consumers, Optus instead decided to halve the amount of data you get for the same price after the first 12 months. Seriously, WTF Optus?

What’s even weirder than halving your data allowance after 12 months is that the contracts for the new plans are only 12 months.

So obviously, Optus wants you to sign another contract at the end of that initial 12 months is over. But in all seriousness, is that something anybody’s going to do?

The deals themselves are on par with other telcos – $15 gets you 1GB of data, $25 gets you 2GB, $35 gets you 4GB and $55 gets you 7GB. The E160e modem is $99 up front as well. It’s just a shame that after that initial 12 month contract is up, Optus wants to bend you over and… well, you know…

[Optus]

First White Spaces Broadband Trial Spreads Wi-Fi Via Broadcast TV

Chris Jacob — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 01:40:00 +0000

The NAB has been battling white spaces networks for years, but the technology that repurposes unused TV spectrum as a Wi-Fi signal is finally getting a trial period in Claudville, Virginia.

The idea is simple, but the politics aren’t. All white spaces networks do is stick data into the unused frequencies that neighbour television signals, but broadcasters are afraid that TV signals aren’t robust enough to handle data being packed in so tightly. This trial will be the first real-world test of that belief.

Hopefully all will go well and the tech will be able to provide rural communities with the broadband they’ve been hurting for. [Ars Technica]

Image via FutureAtlas

Alcatel Lucent Explains The NBN For Your Mum

Nick Broughall — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:56:34 +0000

It’s pretty basic language, but this video from Alcatel Lucent actually does a pretty good job of explaining to the general populous why we need a National Broadband Network. Although personally, I’m waiting for those holographic technologies they mention towards the end of the video to be unleashed… “Help us National Broadband Network – you’re our only hope!”

[YouTube]