Retail News CRM

Tag: optus

  • Optus Business launches network-agnostic SD-WAN

    Optus Business launches network-agnostic SD-WAN

    Optus Business has launched its first software-defined wide area networking (SD-WAN) offering, powered by Riverbed Technology.

    The new offering, dubbed Optus Fusion SD-WAN, provides organizations with improved network management capabilities by monitoring the health of every network path reinforced with application awareness capabilities. It helps IT managers understand how their network is performing and where bandwidth is being used.

    These insights allow businesses to improve and prioritize data flow between branches, as well as Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Azure cloud environments, to immediately address business needs.

    Optus claims its solution is “one of the first SD-WAN solutions in Australia that can be deployed as an ‘over-the-top’ managed service across any business network – regardless of provider or connection.”

    “Business is moving at an unprecedented pace and, in an effort to remain relevant, organizations have deployed technologies from multiple providers. To ensure the long-term success and ROI of these strategies, Optus Fusion SD-WAN allows businesses to independently manage their networks in real-time, while also gaining the ability to instantly connect to the cloud,” said Enzo Cocotti, director of Optus Business.

    Optus Fusion SD-WAN is built on Riverbed SteelConnect, an application-defined SD-WAN solution that provides an intelligent and simplified approach to designing, deploying and managing hybrid networks.

    “Gartner predicts 30% of businesses will have deployed some form of SD-WAN platform by 2019, up from just 2% today. This is the start of the evolution of SD-WAN in Australia. As organizations continue to adopt more and more cloud apps and services, the network has to adapt to become more agile and intelligent,” said Keith Buckley, vice president for Australia and New Zealand at Riverbed Technology.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Optus, Huawei complete Massive MIMO field test

    Optus, Huawei complete Massive MIMO field test

    Australia’s Optus and Huawei have announced they have completed a successful infield test of Massive MIMO as part of the operator’s upgrade path to 5G.

    The trial used 128 transmit 128 receive Massive MIMO technology, achieving aggregate cell throughput of 665Mbps over a single 20 MHz carrier on the 2300-MHz frequency band, shared by 16 devices.

    Optus managing director for networks Dennis Wong said the trial demonstrated an aggregated speed improvement of up to eight times the capacity of existing 4G cell sites.

    “We’re seeing a 75% year on year increase in data consumption. Massive MIMO is an important step along the journey to 5G as it allows us to immediately increase cell site capacity and spectrum efficiency,” he said.

    “For customers, this means that their experience will be of consistently high standard even in high usage situations – regardless of whether your neighbour is downloading movies, or the person across the hall streaming 4K videos off YouTube.”

    He said the testing also indicates that the beamforming capabilities of Massive MIMO can deliver significant improvements in areas with high density populations, such as high-rises.

    In January, Huawei also completed field verification of the first FDD-based Massive MIMO technology, in collaboration with China Unicom. Major vendors showcased Massive MIMO technologies at Mobile World Congress 2017 this week.

    Lees ook:

  • Optus secures $30m Suretek contract

    Optus secures $30m Suretek contract

    Australia’s Optus announce it has secured an A$40 million ($29.7 million) contract extension to continue to provide networking services for specialist security provider Suretek.

    Under the agreement, Suretek’s 1345 Surecall services will be delivered via the Optus network through to the end of 2020.

    Optus, Singtel’s wholly-owned Australian subsidiary, will provide Suretek with inbound voice as well as fixed and wireless data services.

    Suretek provides security services including wireless alarm communications, remote video monitoring and redundancy assurance services.

    “We are delighted to extend our relationship with Suretek as they continue to deliver innovative services to the security industry,” Optus managing director John Paitaridis said. “We look forward to collaborating with Suretek on developing ways to deliver innovative security services.”

    Lees ook:

  • Optus offers bonus data for viewing ads

    Optus offers bonus data for viewing ads

    Australia’s second largest mobile operator Optus has introduced a new ad-supported offer allowing customers to be allocated extra data or credit by agreeing to have marketing messages displayed on their device’s lock screen.

    The Singtel subsidiary has announced Optus Xtra, which gives prepaid customers the option to earn 1GB of bonus data on eligible monthly plans or $2 of extra credit on daily plans every 28 days.

    Optus has developed the service in partnership with New Zealand based mobile advertising start-up Postr. The company has developed a technical platform for lock screen advertising and has similar operator partnerships in New Zealand and Southeast Asia.

    As well as static ads, the platform can give customers the option of viewing a video version of the ad or visiting an advertiser’s website. Users can nominate interests across eight categories – beauty, employment, fashion, government and politics, health, money, technology and travel.

    Singtel’s digital marketing subsidiary Amobee manages advertising for the service.

    “Optus Xtra is a mobile advertising solution that puts mobile first and allows advertisers to reach audiences who have opted-in to see ads that are highly relevant to their interests and preferences,” Amobee managing director for Australia and New Zealand Liam Walsh said.

    “The Optus Xtra lock screen format lets brand advertisers target highly engaged audiences, where they are guaranteed a full screen creative canvas and 100% viewability.”

  • Nokia teams with Optus on 5G development

    Nokia teams with Optus on 5G development

    Nokia has signed an agreement with Australia’s Optus to collaborate on 5G development, and revealed it is working with KT to deploy the world’s first 5G commercial trial network in 2017.

    Optus announced that the two companies plan to jointly conduct a 5G trial using Optus’ 3500-MHz spectrum. Optus andNokia will develop an early 5G prototype in the spectrum by 2017.

    The companies have already conducted initial closed tests at Optus’ Sydney headquarters over a new 5G radio test bed on Nokia’s Airscale product, highlighting the capability of 5G to deliver virtual reality video content at the required speeds.

    “There is a global race to explore and develop 5G technology, and in Australia, Optus is well positioned to lead in this space with our ownership of 3.5GHz, and close partnerships with our vendors including Nokia,” commented Tay Soo Meng, CTO of Optus’ parent company Singtel.

    In a blog post, Nokia project manager for 5G development research Jani Moilanen separately detailed the steps Nokia and KT are taking to deploy a 5G commercial trial network in the 28-GHz band next year.

    Nokia Bell Labs and the Nokia Korea Advanced Technology Center have developed initial network plans using 3D maps, accurate ray-tracing simulations and other technologies to address the potential for blockages of the 28-GHz band, including human bodies blocking line of sight between device and base station.

    The company is also working to address other key network planning challenges, including sufficient non-line-of-sight coverage in outdoor areas.

    Lees ook:

  • Optus to compensate customers after regulatory probe

    Optus to compensate customers after regulatory probe

    Australia’s Optus has been ordered to pay around A$2.4 million ($1.8 million) in compensation to mobile customers after an investigation found that some users were overcharged or mislead while signing up for mobile phone insurance.

    Regulator Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) has instructed Optus to refund around 175,000 Optus mobile customers and write to around 500,000 customers who may have been affected.

    Optus self-reported breaches including a failure to provide some mobile insurance customers with a required product disclosure statement and financial services guide, which may have prevented many customers from being aware of key features and limitations of the insurance they purchase.

    The operator also disclosed that some customers did not receive the one month free insurance they were entitled to under a promotional offer, were incorrectly charged a premium during a rain-check period and in some cases were issued the wrong cover.

    Inadequate training, monitoring and supervision of staff were some of the factors to blame for the oversights, the investigation showed.

    Optus will pay compensation including interest in the form of direct credit to customers’ accounts. The operator is also proposing to donate the compensation owing to former customers who cannot be located to a charity aiding with financial literacy.

    Optus has also taken steps to address the cause of the issue, including providing additional training for sales staff and appointing an independent company to conduct a thorough review of its regulatory compliance functions.

  • Optus commences rollout of VoLTE

    Optus commences rollout of VoLTE

    Australia’s Optus has commenced the rollout of VoLTE technology to Australia’s major capital cities.

    The Singtel subsidiary revealed that its initial rollout will concentrate on the central business district metro areas of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and Canberra.

    Optus will initially offer VoLTE over Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge smartphones.

    Optus managing director Dennis Wong said the company plans to “continue to add capability to other devices and remains focused on expanding our VoLTE footprint to further locations, particularly in regional Australia.”

    “We’ve been testing and tweaking VoLTE for the best customer experience and we’re excited Optus customers will start to see the benefits of this technology on our 4G Plus network.”

    Last year the operator launched the first commercial 3x LTE-A carrier aggregation network combining one FDD carrier with two TDD blocks. The network combines 1800-MHz and 2300-MHz frequency bands.

    Optus is Australia’s second largest operator after incumbent Telstra, offering both fixed and mobile services as well as satellite and other services.

    Lees ook:

  • Optus Business enters $9.1m partnership with Cisco

    Optus Business enters $9.1m partnership with Cisco

    Australia’s Optus Business has teamed up with Cisco to develop new technological capabilities aimed at helping local businesses and government become more agile in the innovation economy.

    The companies will invest A$12 million ($9.1 million) over three years to develop local capabilities based on cyber security, the cloud, the IoT and future networks.

    The co-investment is designed to prototype, develop and launch new capabilities in collaboration with customers.

    Optus Business managing director John Paitaridis said the investment is in line with the current Australian government’s focus on transitioning the nation from a resource-based to an innovation-based economy.

    “Many of the services and capabilities our economy will need tomorrow don’t exist today. This alliance with Cisco bolsters our commitment to bridge this innovation gap for business and government, to help them navigate a complex and evolving technology landscape,” he said.

    “Innovation and responding to change are critical challenges for all Australian businesses and enterprises, to ensure they adapt to changing customer needs and market forces.”

    Optus Business is a subsidiary of Australia’s second-largest operator Optus, which is itself a wholly-owned subsidiary of SingTel.

    Optus Business has a history of collaboration with Cisco, including being named the vendor’s 2015 Australian partner of the year.

    Lees ook:

    Lees ook:

  • Optus boosted by customer growth

    Optus boosted by customer growth

    New customers spending more on data have boosted revenue for Optus, but the telco continues to be outpaced by Telstra.

    Australia’s second largest telco achieved a 6 percent rise in revenue in the three months to December, as it added 100,000 mobile customers to 8.25 million.

    Data revenue rose 12 percent, as more customers moved to the company’s 4G network and new handsets, including the iPhone 6, were released.