Optus Optus has announced a roadmap for the rollout of 4G coverage across Australia, with more than 200 regional locations slated to gain access by April 2015 — some of them for the first time, according to the telco. The expansion comes off the back of new spectrum acquisitions for Optus, with the 2,600MHz and …

Vodafone Vodafone customers in Adelaide are set to get better 4G coverage from today — especially indoors — with the company deploying its new 850Mhz spectrum in the city and surrounding suburbs. The switch-on follows news in July that Vodafone was “re-farming” its existing spectrum holdings, opening up the low-frequency 850MHz spectrum band in a bid to broaden 4G coverage …

Scott Ludlam is calling for memes to protest data retention laws. Scott Ludlam After new national security surveillance powers were ushered through Australian parliament this week, one Senator has called on the Internet to protest further national security reforms through mass meme power. Senator Scott Ludlam has been an outspoken critic of the three tranches of anti-terrorism legislation that are …

SBS has boosted its catalogue of free films for a full year. Screenshot by Claire Reilly/CNET SBS is promising a “no catch, no subscription, no illegal downloading” bonus for movie buffs, releasing 400 free movies to its SBS On Demand streaming service. The broadcaster is making its expanded catalogue of movies available for one year, from today, with roughly 10 …

Image by Cameron Adams, CC BY-ND 2.0 Telstra will begin a trial of its nation-wide public Wi-Fi network this November, installing Wi-Fi hotspots in busy public hubs and in its network of payphones across Australia. As a sweetener, Wi-Fi access at the 1,000 hotspots will also be free in advance of the network’s official launch early next year. The soft …

Vodafone As government and industry debate the practicalities of mandatory data retention in Australia, Vodafone has revealed it is already working on a scheme to match individual internet users to the sites they visit. Speaking at a Senate Committee review on the Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act, Vodafone’s general manager of industry strategy and public policy, Matthew Lobb, said that …

The bent aluminium body of the iPhone 6. Screenshot by Claire Reilly/CNET It’s been on shelves for a matter of days, but some iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus users are complaining of a major design flaw that sees the smartphone body bend under pressure. Photos have begun appearing online showing distinctly bent aluminium devices, with complaints that the new …

Getty Film buffs may bemoan the state of content streaming in Australia, but the Australian Home Entertainment Distributors Association says prices may not be as bad as some consumers think, according to new research commissioned by the industry body. While accepting Australia still has a way to go on release windows for home entertainment, the CEO of AHEDA Simon Bush …

Apple Pay uses NFC for contactless payments. James Martin/CNET After months of speculation, Apple finally came good on rumours of NFC functionality at last week’s launch of the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, and Apple Watch. However, the NFC capability on the new devices is set to be locked down for use only with Apple Pay mobile payments. While NFC …

Image by tomislav medak, CC BY 2.0 Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has announced plans to reallocate broadcast spectrum, pushing community television to online-only broadcasting. The reallocation would see the Government “free up” the spectrum known as the sixth channel, which Turnbull said is “substantially vacant but is currently being used by community television in some state capitals”. These community broadcasters …