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Wanted: a fibre partner for Wanganui

Posted Fri 30 October 2009 @ 12:42 p.m. by Louis

The Wanganui District Council is looking for partners to help it participate in the Government's ultra-fast broadband initiative. Wanganui is included in the Government's list of towns and cities for ultra fast broadband and the council is keen to see ultra fast broadband rolled out there, says senior policy advisor Marianne Archibald. “We have big dreams – Wanganui District Council is leading the charge for ultra fast broadband in the Wanganui district. “We will be submitting a notice of...

Categories: Broadband | Vendors

Crown Fibre co formed; board announced

Posted Thu 29 October 2009 @ 3:23 p.m. by Louis

The Government has just announced the formation of Crown Fibre Holdings Limited and unveiled its inaugural board. Crown Fibre Holdings is the company that will manage the Crown’s investment in ultra-fast broadband infrastructure over the next 10 years. Simon Allen, former New Zealand Exchange (NZX) Chair and founder and former managing director of ABN AMRO New Zealand, will lead teh new board as chair. He is joined by board members Andrew Body, Miriam Dean QC, Dr Murray Milner and Keith Tempest. Making...

Categories: Events | Fixed line carriers | Regulatory | Vendors

TUANZ goes rural for latest video blog

Posted Thu 29 October 2009 @ 2:56 p.m. by Louis

It’s taken a while, but we have finally recorded our latest video blog. This time round TUANZ boss Ernie Newman talks about getting rural New Zealand connected to broadband and tells us why this is important for New Zealand as a whole. He also has an enticing offer for agriculture buffs attending the upcoming TUANZ Rural Broadband Symposium being held in Rotorua on 12 and 13 November. Watch to the end of the video and see if you can answer the question puzzling Ernie… To watch the short video,...

Categories: Events | TUANZ policy

Build it and they will break it*

Posted Wed 28 October 2009 @ 3:09 p.m. by Louis

As a follow on from yesterday’s blog about the increase in broadband uptake in New Zealand, here’s a story from the Philippines that shows what could happen if telcos suddenly stop throttling demand for a service with high prices. The Philippines’ second largest telco Globe Telecom reports its mobile network was overwhelmed by a surge in new subscribers after the company lowered the price for its mobile broadband modem. The company more than halved the price of its Globe Broadband Tattoo stick...

Categories: Fixed line carriers | ISPs | TUANZ policy | Wireless carriers

SMS messages going AWOL

Posted Wed 28 October 2009 @ 11:37 a.m. by Ernie

I thought I was alone in having text messages vanish into the ether for several hours before mysteriously re-apperaing. But then I saw this billboard yesterday on a pub in the Bay of Plenty!

Categories: Light relief | Wireless carriers

Broadband subscribers hit a million; 400k still languish on dial-up

Posted Tue 27 October 2009 @ 6:05 p.m. by Louis

New Zealand now boasts over a million broadband subscribers. However, more than 400,000 internet users still rely on dial-up connections. According to Statistics New Zealand’s latest ISP Survey, there were 1.13 million broadband subscribers in New Zealand as at the end of June – an increase of 27% compared to 15 months earlier when the last survey was conducted in March 2008. This means broadband subscribers now make up nearly three-quarters of New Zealand’s total of 1,565,100 internet subscribers....

Categories: Fixed line carriers | ISPs | TUANZ policy

Better broadband to break down distance learning barriers

Posted Tue 27 October 2009 @ 1:31 p.m. by Louis

TUANZ has long advocated the benefits better broadband can achieve in the delivery of education in New Zealand, but an article in the latest Education Gazette gives a good overview from educators themselves on how improved connectivity can boost distance learning. The article states that ultra-fast broadband would increase speed and capacity to schools’ internet connections and could increase the potential to personalise learning. It quotes Trevor Storr, e-principal of the Aorakinet e-learning...

Categories: Education | Innovation | TUANZ policy

Cell phone ban looming – essential reading for motorists

Posted Tue 27 October 2009 @ 12:09 p.m. by Louis

The New Zealand Police has outlined how it will enforce the new road rules that come into force this Sunday, November 1, that will ban the use of a handheld mobile phone while driving. In this article on the New Zealand Herald website, a police spokesperson says that while frontline officers will be allowed to use their judgement during an initial “bedding in” period, dangerous texting will not be tolerated. While it is good to see the Police will not go easy on the extremely dangerous, and incredibly...

Categories: Education | Events | Regulatory | TUANZ policy

In support of E-day

Posted Mon 26 October 2009 @ 7:05 p.m. by Ernie

The 2020 Trust - the people who among other good works run the annual e-day collection of electronic waste - are an energetic, driven and absolutely ethical bunch who have been in the business a fair number of years. I know several of them well - Laurence Zwimpfer, Earl Mardle, and Don Hollander to name but three.They will be absolutely mortified at this story that broke today casting doubt on how the waste from this year's E-day - just 6 weeks ago - was disposed of.If it proves that the Trust...

Categories: Education | Events | Vendors

NZ regulatory experiences help inform US regulator

Posted Fri 23 October 2009 @ 2:45 p.m. by Louis

New Zealand features in a report to US telecommunications regulator, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), as an example on the benefits of unbundling and operational separation of an incumbent carrier. The report, entitled “Next Generation Connectivity: A review of broadband Internet transitions and policy from around the world”, includes a comparative study of internet services in 30 OECD countries and was prepared by Harvard University’s Berkman Center for Internet and Society for the...

Categories: Fixed line carriers | ISPs | Regulatory | TUANZ policy

David Stone to lead Telecommunications Carriers Forum

Posted Wed 21 October 2009 @ 8:25 p.m. by Ernie

Vodafone NZ's Industry Affairs Manager david Stone has been appointed to lead the TCF, following the departure of Ralph Chivers earlier in the year.Full details on the TCF site here.I've worked with David in his role representing Vodafone on the TCF Board for a couple of years and in my books he's an excellent choice. The TCF will continue to gain in stature and effectiveness under his leadership.

Categories: Fixed line carriers | ISPs | Wireless carriers

Major milestone reached in fibre roll-out

Posted Wed 21 October 2009 @ 2:01 p.m. by Louis

Despite some anxiety about slow progress early on, TUANZ was very pleased to see the Government kicking off its search for partners in its ultra-fast broadband initiative today. Communications and Information Technology Minister Steven Joyce today released an “Invitation to Participate” in the partner selection process for its $1.5 billion investment initiative. The Invitation to Participate (ITP) document provides the terms and conditions of the government’s investment, and includes important...

Categories: Events | Fixed line carriers | Innovation | Regulatory | TUANZ policy

Copyright an issue in Europe also

Posted Wed 21 October 2009 @ 8:54 a.m. by Ernie

INTUG, the International Telecommunications Users Group,has alerted members this morning to the latest development in the attempts by the EC to develop a regulatory framework on illegal downloading of copyright material. (TUANZ's latest pronouncement on this is here.)Nick White, Executive VP of INTUG, says:"Agreement on the European Regulatory Framework review has been held up because of disagreement between the Council and Parliament. "Following an expected rejection of the second reading next...

Categories: Education | Fixed line carriers | Innovation | ISPs | TUANZ policy

Fast broadband to become a legal right in Finland

Posted Mon 19 October 2009 @ 4:43 p.m. by Louis

The Finns are famous for many things, such as the sauna and this humorous advert, but from next year they will be able to claim to be living the first country whose citizens will have a legal right to fast broadband. The country’s Ministry of Transport and Communications has announced that Finland's citizens will have the right to a 1 Mbps broadband connection as of July 2010. From this date, a 1 Mbps internet connection will be defined as a universal service. This means telecom operators defined...

Categories: Innovation | Regulatory | TUANZ policy

Does this sound familiar?

Posted Thu 15 October 2009 @ 11:31 a.m. by Louis

“A dramatic reduction in mobile phone charges may negatively affect the country's economy and communications sector.” This is an excerpt from a submission by mobile operator Vodacom, majority owned by Vodafone, to the South African parliament, as the government debates cutting interconnection rates. The South African government plans to push mobile and telecom operators to reduce interconnection fees, in an attempt to lower telco costs which it believes have impacted the country's growth. The...

Categories: Fixed line carriers | Regulatory | TUANZ policy | Vendors

"Its All Telecom's Fault" - Vodafone

Posted Thu 15 October 2009 @ 9:17 a.m. by Ernie

Do you believe that in 2009 a new business in Auckland’s Vulcan Lane – the heart of the CBD linking Queen and High Streets – can’t get DSL? From anyone?No? Neither do I. But Vodafone does. And Vodafone says its all Telecom’s fault. Earlier this week I had a frantic email from the owner of a new retail store about to open right there in the absolute hub of the city. He’d gone to Vodafone to get DSL and received the following message: “Dear (customer)We've discovered you're unable to get Vodafone...

Categories: Fixed line carriers | ISPs

NZTA clarifies rule on car cell phone ban

Posted Wed 14 October 2009 @ 2:52 p.m. by Louis

The New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) has released a set of clear messages to clarify the new road user rule that restricts the use of mobile phones in vehicles. The new Land Transport (Road User) Amendment Rule 2009 comes into effect on 1 November and according to the Ministry of Transport is designed to discourage motorists from talking on their hand-held cell phones or texting while driving. Calling is permitted provided the phone is either mounted in a device or can be operated completely...

Categories: Events | Regulatory | TUANZ policy

Data Tails - High Court finds against Telecom - eventually

Posted Wed 14 October 2009 @ 12:53 p.m. by Ernie

Telecom used its substantial market power from 2001 to 2004 as a means to close down competition in the data market, the High Court has found.This will surprise absolutely nobody who was around in those days - not CLEAR, not TUANZ, not Ihug, and not, I suspect, Telecom.The tragedy is that it has taken six years or more for the court process to reach a resolution. This delay makes for a bad outcome for everybody. Its bad for Telecom's competitors of those days. They needed resolution right then at...

Categories: Fixed line carriers | ISPs | TUANZ policy | Vendors

Mobile VoIP: an opportunity for users, a challenge for carriers

Posted Tue 13 October 2009 @ 4:18 p.m. by Louis

A new service add-on from Vodafone in the Netherlands that allows mobile VoIP services is a good case-study of how carriers should approach this emerging technology. Dutch telecommunications news site, Telecom Paper, has published this report on the new service, which serves as a good analysis of mobile VoIP and the challenges carriers face. On the face of it these are rather obvious. Users want to make calls for as little as possible, and many are already used to making free or inexpensive VoIP...

Categories: Fixed line carriers | Innovation | TUANZ policy | Vendors | Wireless carriers

Report on MED Workshop on Fibre Deployment

Posted Tue 13 October 2009 @ 8:13 a.m. by Ernie

Yesterday TUANZ Chairman Chris O'Connell and I attended the first of the MED's series of three seminars to present its paper "Facilitating the Deployment of Fibre Infrastructure.”There was a mixture of good and bad.On the good side, the paper itself is a very solid start in identifying and dealing with a wide range of complex issues - land access. differing forms of infrastructure, RMA and many more. In a sense the paper is the first part of the National Digital Architecture that TUANZ...

Categories: Events | Fixed line carriers | Innovation | ISPs | TUANZ policy | Vendors

NZ’s broadband quality under par: report

Posted Mon 12 October 2009 @ 5:28 p.m. by Louis

New Zealand’s broadband quality is only just meeting the needs of today’s applications, but we are not comfortably enjoying these applications, and are certainly not ready for tomorrow’s internet uses. This is according to the 2009 Broadband Quality Score report, sponsored by Cisco and conducted by the University of Oxford’s Said Business School and Spain’s Oviedo University. The report calculates a Broadband Quality Score, which is an index that combines key performance parameters to measure...

Categories: Fixed line carriers | Innovation | ISPs | TUANZ policy | Vendors

A negative role model in government IT

Posted Sun 11 October 2009 @ 9:08 p.m. by Ernie

You can't work at TUANZ without being passionate about the role of technology in creating efficiency and productivity gains. Government agencies, by their nature, should be out in front as role models of its cost-effective usage. Indeed, they usually are. So on the rare occasions when I see government agencies get technology seriously wrong through what appears to be carelessness or stupidity, I get really annoyed.I know Auckland's northern toll road well. Its construction through really tricky...

Categories: Innovation | TUANZ policy | Vendors | Wireless carriers

Invitation - Workshops on Deploying Broadband Infrastructure

Posted Sun 11 October 2009 @ 5:24 p.m. by Ernie

The Ministry of Economic Development has arranged half day workshops to brief interested stakeholders on the government's paper "Facilitating the Deployment of Broadband Infrastructure." These will be held in Wellington, Christchurch and Auckland this coming week.Here's the notice. Please RSVP direct to Kester Gordon at the MED if you wish to attend. TUANZ will have representatives in both Wellington and Auckland.

Categories: Fixed line carriers | Innovation | ISPs | Regulatory | TUANZ policy | Vendors | Wireless carriers

Telstra to resist being split

Posted Fri 9 October 2009 @ 5:02 p.m. by Louis

Telstra says it is opposed to plans by the Australian government to split the company, and has asked for debate on regulatory changes to be delayed until it has concluded its talks with the Government. The comments came in Telstra’s submission to a senate inquiry into proposed legislation that would force Telstra to separate voluntarily or by force. In a statement released today, Telstra chief executive David Thodey said the proposed regulatory changes are unnecessary and would make it harder...

Categories: Fixed line carriers | Regulatory | Vendors | Wireless carriers

Indonesian users take telcos to court

Posted Fri 9 October 2009 @ 12:45 p.m. by Louis

Mobile phone users in Indonesia are taking their struggle against excessive phone charges to the courts by suing a number of telcos for billions of dollars. According to a report in The Malaysia Insider, an Indonesian court this week allowed a class action suit by nine people, who claim to represent millions of mobile phone subscribers, to be brought against several telecommunications providers. The group is seeking 30.8 trillion Indonesian Rupiah (around $4 billion) in damages suffered due to...

Categories: Regulatory | TUANZ policy | Wireless carriers

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