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Tag: broadband

  • Vodafone Australia to offer fixed broadband services

    Vodafone Australia to offer fixed broadband services

    Vodafone Australia has revealed plans to branch out into offering fixed broadband services over the national broadband network (NBN).

    The operator plans to extend into fixed-line broadband to give its mobile customers more access to data both at home and on-the-go.

    While the NBN rollout is not scheduled for completion until 2020, around three million premises have access to the network and more than 1.1 million have signed up.

    At a press briefing, Vodafone Australia CEO Inaki Berroeta said the move into fixed broadband is a “natural progression” for the company, and it’s the right time to make the move because the NBN project is reaching the scale required to deliver an NBN service that complements its mobile network. It is expected that 4 million premises will be NBN-ready by the end of the year.

    Vodafone plans to make its first commercial NBN services available next year.

    Market research from Roy Morgan indicates that 550,000 of Vodafone’s mobile customers already intend to switch fixed broadband provider over the next 12 months, giving the operator a large potential market at the ready.

    Vodafone’s customers are also over 50% more likely than average to be dissatisfied with their current fixed broadband provider, and are statistically 10 percentage points less likely than the national average to have market leader Telstra as a fixed broadband provider.

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  • Bharti Airtel launches VDSL vectoring

    Bharti Airtel launches VDSL vectoring

    India’s Bharti Airtel has launched a new VDSL vectoring service the company has branded V-Fiber, capable of delivering speeds of up to 100Mbps.

    The company’s new service has been launched in Chennai, and is being rolled out across Airtel’s national broadband network – which spans 87 cities.

    Airtel will offer the service to its existing customers at no additional cost, except for the cost of an upgraded modem. For new subscribers, Airtel will offer an unlimited three month trial offer.

    The operator will now also offer all its fixed broadband subscribers unlimited voice calling at no extra cost, and is providing a rewards program to allow broadband customers to get 5GB of additional mobile data per month if they are also subscribed to Airtel’s mobile services.

    As part of Project Leap, Airtel’s nationwide network transformation initiative, the company is meanwhile augmenting its 550,000km of domestic and international fiber capacity to improve latency and customer service and meet growing demand for data services.

    “India is witnessing an explosive growth in data usage and a lot of in-home data consumption is happening over fixed broadband that offers consistent speeds. Airtel has always innovated ahead of the curve and offered its customers best-in-class broadband technology and experience,” Airtel director of operations Ajai Puri said.

    “With ‘V-Fiber’ and our national optic fiber backbone, we are all set to offer a future ready network for tomorrow’s digitally connected homes. This solution, besides reducing our carbon footprint, offers a very quick and convenient upgrade to the customer.”

    Airtel is bracing for the anticipated impact of the planned entry into the fixed broadband market of Reliance Jio Infocomm, the disruptive pan-Indian 4G service provider with an extensive existing fiber footprint.

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  • ACCC likely to continue regulating ADSL access

    ACCC likely to continue regulating ADSL access

    Australian competition regulator the ACCC has made a draft decision to continue regulating access to Telstra’s wholesale ADSL network for a further five years.

    Former government monopoly Telstra is required to provide access to its ADSL network to competitors due to its dominant position in both the wholesale and retail ADSL markets. When a commercial agreement cannot be reached, Telstra must provide access at regulated prices.

    The ACCC had been investigating whether regulated access was still necessary given the progress of the rollout of the national broadband network (NBN).

    “Telstra retains its dominant position in both the wholesale and retail markets for the supply of ADSL fixed-line broadband services on a national level,” ACCC commissioner Cristina Cifuentes said.

    “Continuing regulation will ensure network providers continue to have access to Telstra’s copper network at reasonable prices. This will encourage them to continue competing in the retail market to develop and offer different ADSL broadband products to meet the needs of customers as they prepare to shift to the NBN.”

    A final decision on the matter is expected in early 2017, before the current access declaration expires.

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  • Korea and Singapore’s broadband lead narrows

    Korea and Singapore’s broadband lead narrows

    South Korea continued to have the highest average connection speed in the world at 27 Mbps while Singapore maintained its position as the country with the highest average peak connection speed at 157.3 Mbps.

    These were among the findings of the Akamai Technologies’ Second Quarter, 2016 State of the Internet Report.

    Both countries, however, registered declines in average connection speed and average peak connection speed, respectively, at 7.2% (South Korea) and 7.1% (Singapore) compared to the first quarter.

    Meanwhile, the global average connection speed decreased 2.3% quarter over quarter to 6.1 Mbps, while the global average peak connection speed increased 3.7% to 36 Mbps. The 10 Mbps broadband adoption rate grew 0.7% quarter over quarter, but 15 Mbps and 25 Mbps broadband adoption rates fell 0.8% and 2.1%, respectively.

    In Asia-Pacific, the report noted that 14 of the 15 surveyed countries had average connection speeds above the 4 Mbps broadband threshold. Indonesia registered a 148% gain in average connection speed in the second quarter and the only country to see its speed double compared to the previous year.

    In the mobile space, Akamai reported that average mobile connection speeds ranged from a high of 23.1 Mbps in the United Kingdom to a low of 2.2 Mbps in Venezuela. The report noted that in the upcoming quarters, it expects to see mobile speeds continue to climb as 4G LTE becomes deployed more broadly worldwide.

    In Asia-Pacific, South Korea (11.1 Mbps) also led the world in average mobile connection in the second quarter of 2016, followed by New Zealand (9.8 Mbps), Japan (9.5 Mbps), Taiwan (9.3 Mbps), Australia (8.9 Mbps), and the Philippines (8.5 Mbps).

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  • Telstra to launch mobile broadband capability for ESOs

    Telstra to launch mobile broadband capability for ESOs

    Telstra plans to introduce a national public safety mobile broadband capability for emergency services organizations (ESOs) this summer.

    Alex Stefan, Telstra’s national general manager public safety and security, said the technology behind Telstra LANES Emergency allows ESOs to communicate with each other, and it could also provide governments with significant cost savings.

    “Preserving the safety, security, and prosperity of Australian communities is an essential role provided by our emergency services and Telstra is committed to providing innovative solutions and capabilities to support them,” he said in a statement.

    Telstra developed the LANES Emergency solution in collaboration with Ericsson primarily to help ESOs increase their network capability, coverage and reach, without building their own private network but by offering them priority access on Telstra’s LTE network.

    Telstra LANES Emergency will be available in two forms – Telstra LANES Emergency Priority, which will provide access to Telstra’s LTE spectrum; and Telstra LANES Emergency Tailored, which will consist of customer-owned dedicated spectrum and access to Telstra’s LTE spectrum or enhancements to Telstra’s LTE network.

    “Through LANES we can offer Emergency Services priority data access on our 4G network or on a dedicated and partitioned spectrum for their exclusive use. On the wireless highway it is like offering Emergency Services their very own express lane,” explained Stefan.

    A recent report from the Australian Productivity Commission indicated that a commercial public safety solution like LANES has the potential to save ESOs $4 billion over 20 years over the cost of running their own systems, and provides them with access to more easily updated technology and innovations.

    “Telstra will be initially providing access to up to 160MHz of Telstra LTE spectrum, including our 700-MHz band, for use by ESOs under this new offering,” Stefan said.

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  • Nokia boosts True’s broadband network

    Nokia boosts True’s broadband network

    True Group in Thailand has deployed Nokia’s IP/MPLS routing technology to upgrade its broadband infrastructure in Bangkok.

    Surging demand for ultra-broadband fixed and mobile services, such as high-definition video and business services, have helped drive a dramatic increase in data traffic across True’s converged network, both in the city and its surrounding area.

    True is using Nokia’s IP routing technology to modernize its broadband infrastructure to improve the quality of experience and better support the growing high-bandwidth content demands of consumers and businesses.

    Nokia’s Service Router portfolio helps True to provide 4G LTE and 3G coverage to its 18 million mobile subscribers, high speed broadband to its 2.5 million broadband subscribers, and pay TV service to its 3.2 million TrueVision customers. The network upgrade was completed in May 2016.

    True can leverage Nokia’s infrastructure in the future to evolve to more dynamic agile services powered by Software Defined Networks and Network Functions Virtualization.

    True is using Nokia 7750 Service Routers (7750 SR) in Bangkok with the 7210 service access switch (SAS) being deployed in the northeast, east and central west regions of Thailand.

    “By leveraging Nokia’s expertise and leading routing technology,  we are able to provide seamless 4G LTE and 3G coverage along with quality, high-speed broadband data, voice and TV services to our mobile and fixed customers,” said Vichaow Rakphongphairoj, deputy CEO of operational development at True. “We can also deliver advanced high-speed residential, business and mobile services even more quickly and efficiently.”

  • Thailand sets terms for rural broadband project

    Thailand sets terms for rural broadband project

    Thailand’s ICT ministry has finalized the terms of reference for a tender auction for a 15 billion baht ($433.1 million) national broadband project.

    The project’s procurement committee is preparing the auction process and expects to name the winner by September 15, citing comments from ICT minister Uttama Savanayana.

    Whichever company is selected for the project will be a major supplier of fiber or copper broadband networks for the national project. State-owned operator TOT will be in charge of distributing the network to selected areas and hiring private companies to construct it.

    The national project aims to extend broadband infrastructure to the 39,000 villages that still lack broadband internet access. Uttama said the ministry aims to expand the network to at least 10,000 villages by the end of the year and to all 39,000 next year.

    While the ICT ministry first aimed to complete the terms of reference for the project by March, it was delayed by several months due to management issues, the report states. The project forms part of the government’s digital economy and Thailand 4.0 policies.

    TOT was selected to take sole responsibility for the project in April, despite initial plans to have the company jointly oversee the project with fellow state-owned operator CAT.

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  • Australia’s Megaport expands to Europe

    Australia’s Megaport expands to Europe

    Australian interconnection upstart Megaport has long been planning to invade Europe this year.  Today they not only formally launched their elastic interconnection platform on the continent, but they revealed two acquisitions that let them hit the ground running in a big way.

    Megaport has signed an agreement to buy Berlin-based Peering GmbH, Germany’s second largest IX provider. ECIX serves some 180 customers across 30 PoPs in Germany, giving Megaport immediate depth in the continent’s biggest market. The deal is expected to close in early August.

    Megaport’s other M&A move gives them an immediate presence in eastern Europe via the acquisition of Bulgarian-based OM-NIX Group AD.

    As one might infer from the IX part of their name, OM-NIX also specializes in interconnection, with extensive reach in Eastern Europe and especially the Balkans. Beyond the ECIX footprint, the deal adds another 18 locations to Megaport’s reach in Europe.

    Put those together with 9 other locations they have been developing organically, and Megaport’s European launch will span 57 locations in 19 cities in 13 countries. The acquisitions cost them some A$3.1 million ($2.3 million) and bring in annualized revenue of A$4.5 million.

    Over the past year, Megaport has expanded its interconnection footprint in markets throughout North America. The buildout has been quite rapid, and the move into Europe accelerates it even further.

    While the next phase is likely more adding revenue on top of the infrastructure they have built out, I have to wonder if they won’t keep going east. It wouldn’t take much to add a PoP or two in the Middle East and India on their way back around the globe to Singapore and Australia.

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  • Philippines to develop national broadband plan

    Philippines to develop national broadband plan

    Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte announced in his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday that he wants the newly created Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to develop a national broadband plan to accelerate the deployment of fiber and wireless technologies to improve internet speed.

    He also announced that Wi-Fi access shall be provided at no charge in selected public places, including parks, places, public libraries, schools, government hospitals, train stations, airports, and seaports.

    A previous government initiative to establish a National Broadband Network (NBN) was scrapped in 2007 after the $329-million contract awarded to Chinese telecommunications firm ZTE for the project had been investigated in the Senate.

    In 2011, the then Commission on Information Communications Technologies (CICT) had also released a five-year digital roadmap that aimed to craft a vision for ICT use in governance, including the creation of a national broadband policy that would enable the environment for broadband development and use.

    Duterte’s call for a new national broadband plan came on the heels of a wide public clamor for fast and affordable internet. The Philippines had ranked poorly in many global indices for digital readiness.

    The country trails behind its Southeast Asian neighbors, for example, in the latest Network Readiness Index published by the World Economic Forum, which measures how economies use the opportunities offered by ICT for increased competitiveness. At 77th place in a 139-country study, the Philippines was behind Singapore (1st), Malaysia (31st), Thailand (62nd), Indonesia (73rd).

    Duterte’s assumption into office on June 30 came at a favorable time as the law mandating the creation of the DICT as the primary body that would create policies and drive the national ICT agenda was signed by former President Benigno Simeon Aquino III last May.

    The country’s first appointed DICT Secretary Rodolfo A. Salalima affirmed in his first media interview that the government cannot expect the commercial service providers to be in all parts of the country and there would be a need for the government to establish an ‘infostructure’ in the countryside and provide service.

    Shortly before Duterte’s inauguration as the country’s 16th president last June, Globe Telecom had called on the government to help develop broadband access in the Philippines by investing in internet infrastructure in rural and far-flung areas.Globe President and CEO Ernest Cu said in a media statement that telecommunication operators in the country are unable to deploy infrastructure in rural areas due to business viability issues.

    “There are a lot of localities in the country that cannot be reached economically. What we propose is for the government to build the infrastructure, such as submarine cables, and then rent these facilities out to telco operators,” he said, citing the case of Sulu and Basilan provinces in the Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao.

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  • Telkom launches 1Gbps broadband for enterprises

    Telkom launches 1Gbps broadband for enterprises

    Indonesia’s PT Telkom has launched a new line of high-speed broadband services for enterprise customers offering speeds of up to 1Gbps.

    The operator’s new Smart Office Pro services are designed to meet business customers’ requirements for high-speed broadband in the digital age.

    The company is offering a 1Gbps package bundled with up to 1,000 minutes of free voice calls, IPTV and bundled services including storage, hosting and managed services.

    At a press conference announcing the new offers, Telkom director enterprise and business services Muhammad Awaluddin said the service aims to help customers benefit from increased efficiency, flexibility, stability, sustainability ad continuity.

    He added that the launch is in line with the operator’s commitment to building a digital society in Indonesia, which itself also aligns with the government’s vision of transforming the nation into a digital economy.

  • NTT Com launches high-speed broadband in Myanmar

    NTT Com launches high-speed broadband in Myanmar

    Japan’s NTT Communications has launched high-speed internet services for enterprises in Myanmar, starting with the Yangon area.

    The company has secured a network service license from Myanmar’s Ministry of Transport and Communications, and has started offering the new Digi-Path Premier service in the market.

    The service provides dedicated, fully managed circuits from 1Mbps to connect enterprises with NTT Com’s global network, with 24/7 monitoring of circuits. Delivery of circuits can require as little as one month.

    NTT Com is also providing optional services including global IP address, web hosting, mail hosting, rental routers, managed firewalls, internet VPN and file transfers.

    NTT Com, along with NEC and Sumitomo, jointly deployed a 30Gbps core optical network between three major Myanmar cities in 2013, under contract from the Myanmar government. The operator established an office in the nation in October 2012, the first in the country from a foreign operator.

    The operator said it is now providing internet connections to enterprises globally including in seven Southeast Asian countries – Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia, as well as Myanmar.

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  • New Zealand’s Woosh Wireless enters administration

    New Zealand’s Woosh Wireless enters administration

    New Zealand wireless broadband provider Woosh Wireless has entered voluntary administration after burning through more than NZ$100 million ($67.7 million) in cash since it was founded.

    The operator has appointed local advisory and investment firm KordaMentha as administrators for the proceedings. The first meeting of creditors will be held early next month.

    Woosh was founded in 1999 and bought out by California-based Craig Wireless for $5 million in 2011.

    The company sold its fixed line network to rival Slingshot last year, and sold one of its three spectrum blocks – a 70 MHz lot of 2300-MHz spectrum – to Spark New Zealand for NZ$9 million in April.

    A KordaMentha partner said the company will be mindful of customers who rely on Woosh Wireless for their broadband services, particularly in remote areas in rural parts of Southland, where there is a strong concentration of subscribers.

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  • Thailand’s AIS launches prepaid broadband

    Thailand’s AIS launches prepaid broadband

    Thailand’s AIS has launched the nation’s first prepaid fixed broadband service, introducing a 15Mbps speed plan for a 500 baht ($14) monthly top-up fee.

    AIS has set a target of becoming Thailand’s second largest broadband player by 2019, citing comments from a senior executive at the company.

    The operator launched commercial fixed broadband services in April last year and had 450,000 subscribers as of December. AIS plans to increase this to 1 million by 2018 and 2 million by 2019.

    In order to achieve its growth ambitions AIS has allocated 7 billion baht to extend its fiber network to cover 24 provinces this year, and a further 10 billion baht to expand this to 40 provinces in 2017.

    Meanwhile rival Jasmine International, whose subsidiary Triple T Broadband operates landline broadband services under the 3BB brand – has retaliated by slashing the price of its 50Mbps plans to 700 baht per month, from 2,500 baht.

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  • Demand for inflight broadband in APAC hits new heights

    Demand for inflight broadband in APAC hits new heights

    Airlines in Asia-Pacific are seeing soaring demand for inflight broadband service, with a majority of passengers in the region expecting to have such services onboard, a new survey said.

    The survey, conducted between August 2015 and March 2016, garnered respondents from more than 9,000 passengers in Asia, Australasia, Europe, and Central and South America who had taken a short, medium or long haul flight in the past year and carried at least one personal device onboard the aircraft.

    According to the survey, conducted by Inmarsat and market research firm GfK, nine out of ten respondents from the region say the availability of onboard connectivity would influence their choice of airline, while over two thirds are willing to pay for the service.

    Meanwhile, 54% and 57% of Asia Pacific passengers would choose inflight broadband as a preferred service in short-haul and long-haul flights, compared to only 16% and 18% choosing traditional in-flight entertainment (IFE) as their preferred onboard service.

    Business flyers are even more likely to recognize the value of paying for high-speed onboard connectivity than vacationers, with 74% of business travelers surveyed indicating they are willing to pay more for faster inflight broadband compared to 62% of leisure travelers.

    The survey revealed that 64% of passengers felt that in-flight broadband can deliver all of their onboard entertainment needs. This highlights an opportunity for airlines to use in-flight broadband to increase ancillary revenues, as the majority of passengers are willing to pay for the service, with 68% of passengers under 34 years old and 55% of passengers over 45 years old willing to pay for unlimited internet usage during a flight.

    When it comes to the quality of the inflight broadband service, passengers are most concerned about reliability (that a connection does not drop out or cut off), availability (that the connection is available throughout the flight), and speed of the connection.

    Inflight WiFI reliabilityThe survey showed that quality is even more important than price in Asia Pacific, as passengers are prepared to pay more for a quality service. Some 72% of flyers in Asia Pacific would prefer not to use broadband that is of poor quality with 62% stating they would pay more for faster in-flight broadband

    “Our survey has highlighted a growing appetite for fast, reliable and consistent broadband in the air, with more than half of Asia-Pacific passengers preferring in-flight connectivity over a meal or traditional IFE,” said Bill Peltola, Asia Pacific regional director at Inmarsat Aviation.

    “Although three-quarters of Asia Pacific flyers would like to try onboard broadband in the future, only 3% of aircraft operating in Asia Pacific today offer the service, highlighting the potential for airlines to use it as a differentiation point to attract more customers.

    The inflight broadband connectivity survey

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  • TOT to take charge of Thai rural broadband project

    TOT to take charge of Thai rural broadband project

    Thai state-owned operator TOT has been instructed to go it alone in a project to build a national broadband network connecting 30,000 villages across the nation.

    TOT will take sole responsibility the project to bring broadband to the majority of Thailand’s villages that currently lack broadband connectivity.

    Initially the government had planned to have TOT and CAT Telecom jointly oversee the 15 billion baht ($427.5 million) project, but the ICT ministry decided that given TOT should take control of the project due to its existing extensive infrastructure.

    CAT has been told to focus on further investment in international internet gateway infrastructure to support the government’s policy of promoting Thailand as a digital hub for the Asean region.

    Construction of the network is expected to be complete by May 2017. The state will use the network to provide free broadband connectivity in public places in all villages, while TOT plans to offer at least 20Mbps plans with affordable tariffs.

    The national broadband project is expected to be partly funded from private sector investments. It forms part of the government’s five year master plan that aims to improve Thailand’s telecom infrastructure to lift the minimum standard for broadband speed across the nation.

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