Despite fears the Australian Broadband Guarantee (ABG) might be axed, the Rudd government has approved the subsidy for Australia's most remote Internet users for one more year.
The federal government has cancelled the contract for Optus and Elders to build a WiMAX broadband network, the companies say.
Communications Minister Senator Stephen Conroy has issued a new set of guidelines for ISPs servicing rural and regional Australia, on the back of the Federal government's decision to extend the Australian Broadband Guarantee as part of last Tuesday's budget.
After Bruce Billson, Opposition spokesperson for Communications, claimed yesterday that the federal government is planning on cutting subsidies to rural and regional broadband providers, a number of industry sources have cast doubt on whether the policy axe has been raised over the Australian Broadband Guarantee.
The Victorian Minister for Information and Communications Technology has lashed out at the federal government saying it has not provided rural Victorians with adequate access to broadband technology despite the region's increasing demand.
Last week, a family friend rang for some technical help. "Telstra sold me this wireless Internet service and they promised it would work both at my home and at my office," he said. Said home is in the Melbourne CBD, and said office is in Kyneton, a lovely town about an hour away from Melbourne.
If there was ever evidence that the stoush over broadband had gotten personal, it came when Telstra's sour-grapes mentality led it to sue Helen Coonan, personally, for claimed procedural flaws in the OPEL contract.
Much has been made of Telstra's decision to finally stop holding Australia to ransom, and to actually turn on the ADSL2+ equipment it has installed in what is apparently over 900 of its exchanges around the country.
As Christmas roars in upon us and the Rudds, Trujillos, and Conroys of the world hang their Christmas stockings, everybody is casting an eye to 2008 and the changes it will bring.
Hopefully, you've been spending your end-of-year break better than the executives at Optus, who seem to have taken advantage of the annual industry-wide lull to get onetime WiMax aspirant Austar United Telecommunications to the negotiating table.
The South Australian government hopes to build a fibre broadband network in the regional centre of Mount Gambier.
What technology can blast data up to seven times faster and a thousand times further than Wi-Fi?
It seemed like a good idea at the time, but Australian utilities' recent abandonment of broadband over powerline (BPL) technology has all but sealed the fate of a technology that was once hoped to bring high-speed data to every corner of Australia.
WiMax, the controversial long range wireless broadband technology, is set to spread across rural Australia from next year -- but despite the outgoing Howard government's ambitious project, both fixed and mobile variants of the technology are already being deployed around the world.
An analysis by representatives of Australia's two largest IT industry groups shows that neither political party in the federal election has come up with a comprehensive policy around technology.
Even in big cities it can be a heck of a lot easier to find a Big Mac than it can be to find a wireless hotspot.
The broadband business -- plans, peaks, and penalties -- can be confusing to say the least. We line up some of Australia's best.
The emerging broadband wireless standard WiMax will address some of the problems with current technology and take wireless to a whole new level.
Telstra Country Wide has announced a AU$231 million investment in 2003/04 to improve services to regional areas.
For all its publicised benefits, why is iTV still having such a hard time making it in Australia?
Wii remote creates $50 digital whiteboard: IDF
Intel chairman Craig Barrett introduces innovative projects such as a $50 digital whiteboard created from a Wi… Watch it now
Driving Business Growth Through Enterprise IT Management
HP & Intel Business Technology Power Center
How Seven blew the internet Olympics
iPhone: how much storage is enough?
Conroy's filtering plan: security worries
iPhone Launch Centre
The ZDNet.com.au iPhone resource guide contains everything you need to know about Apple's highly anticipated mobile device.
Click here for more.
Superguide: Printers -- all you need to know
Looking to buy a printer? Our superguide rates the latest printers and shines a light into the industry.
Click here for more.
Power Centre: Transforming IT Management
Driving business growth through enterprise IT management.
Dig deeper by clicking here.
