How can you sum up Australia’s satisfaction with the NBN network last year? Well, it was the worst of times and it was the worst of times. The number of formal complaints about the NBN have jumped a whopping 204 percent, according to figures released today by the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman. But according to NBN Co, …
Read More »Claire Reilly
Optus demos live 5G with robots, VR and 8K streaming in your car
Optus wants to show you what the 5G future looks like, and it’s all robots, VR and watching sports matches streamed in 8K to the back of your car. The telco opened a 5G showcase on the Gold Coast on Thursday, showing the public what the new mobile technology will offer when it starts rolling out next year. It’s also …
Read More »Optus to launch 5G router in January 2019
The ultrafast speeds of 5G are coming, and they could be at your place as soon as January 2019. Optus announced Thursday that it’s in the final stages of testing a commercial 5G router for consumers, and that the hardware should be ready to launch at the start of the new year. “We want to make sure Australia is one …
Read More »Facebook faces Australian government privacy investigation
The Australian government has confirmed it will open an official investigation into the Facebook data scandal that saw data from 87 million Facebook user accounts shared with Cambridge Analytica. While the majority of users affected by the Cambridge Analytica fiasco were based in the US, Australia was the 10th worst country hit, according to figures released Thursday by Facebook. It’s …
Read More »NBN CEO Bill Morrow to step down at the end of 2018
NBN CEO Bill Morrow has announced he will step down from the role by the end of the year after more than four years at the helm. “I believe that as the company prepares to confront the new challenges ahead, this is the right time to hand over the reins for the next phase of this incredible project and for …
Read More »Uber Pool launches in Australia to disrupt Dad’s carpool
Uber’s entire formula revolves around giving you cheap rides in cars with strangers. But now the ride-sharing giant is upping the stranger count (and cutting the prices even more). On Thursday, the company announced the introduction of its car-pooling service Uber Pool for Sydney. The service matches riders with other passengers going in the same direction at the same time, …
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Here’s the good news: Australia is now home to the world’s first 5G-capable Wi-Fi hotspots. The bad news? There are currently no 5G-capable phones or tablets on the market, so no one using them will see 5G speeds. Aussie carrier Telstra installed the hotspots at its 5G Innovation Centre in South Port on Australia’s east coast, utilising its 5G test …
Read More »Telstra hit with $10M fine over suspect billing practices
Telstra has admitted it may have charged up to 100,000 customers for third-party content like apps and games without them knowing, and will pay a fine of AU$10 million for the mistake. The penalty relates to so-called “premium direct billing” charges it made on customer accounts during 2015 and 2016. Premium direct billing (PBD) allows telco customers to sign up …
Read More »Australian government proposes $7 tax for all internet shopping
Great news, Australia: Internet shopping could soon be more expensive. The federal government is reportedly considering adding a levy on all packages arriving from overseas, tacking on a AU$2 to $7 charge to cover the cost of security screening at the border. According to the ABC, Australia’s Department of Home Affairs is considering the charge to help pay for the …
Read More »NBN Co’s monthly customer experience reports don’t tell us enough
The good news: NBN Co is going to start releasing monthly reports to let you know exactly how the rollout of your national broadband network is going. The bad news: There are still some really important details they won’t be sharing — details that could massively impact your speeds. The NBN rollout is rolling on. Every month, the company responsible …
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