Telstra launches network intelligence for business segment (Australia)
Businesses and large organisations will now have comprehensive visibility of applications using their data networks with the launch of Australia’s first in-network intelligent reporting service.
The Telstra Application Assured Networking service will provide organisations with a clear view and more control over the increasing number of financial, relationship management, IP telephony, video conferencing and other business applications on their network.
The new service will initially allow an organisation to produce reports on how networks are being used by applications which can be viewed via an easy-to-use secure online portal on the Telstra Business and Enterprise website. Coupled with this is a consultancy service desk to provide expert advice with regards to application and network performance.
Building products organisation Peer Industries is the first Telstra customer to use the Application Assured Networking service.
Philip Jones, Telstra Executive Director, Data, IP and Network Applications and Services said the new service gives control back to IT executives. The launch of Application Assured Networking is a first for Australia and represents the leadership of Telstra in this area through our ongoing investment in their networks such as the intelligence built into their core IP network.
As global business IP traffic is predicted to grow three-fold, more and more organisations are looking to ensure business-critical applications can perform at their peak while not compromising their network.
The new Application Assured Networking service provides their customers with detailed application performance reporting and gives IT executives the knowledge they require to manage the delivery of traffic across their network, particularly as applications move to the cloud. With Application Assured Networking built into their network, they can offer a feature-rich application service based on an OPEX model.
Jones added that in essence, Application Assured Networking enables an organisation to get more performance and value from their network which in turn helps with business productivity. A planned future release of Application Assured Networking will enable customers to control the bandwidth for specific applications in real time.
China Mobile to launch 4G service on 25 April (Hong Kong)
Telecom operator China Mobile Ltd., is looking to roll out its 4G services in Hong Kong by the end of this month.
According to reports, Sean Lee, chief executive officer of China Mobile Hong Kong Co., said, a total of 10 4G phones will become available for customers this year. Moile operator Telstra (CSL) is already offering the advanced fourth- generation services since its launch in 2010.
China Mobile claims that the high-speed service, based on LTE technology, offers maximum download speeds of 100 megabits a second, or as much as 50 times quicker than 3G.
The 4G/LTE service lets users stream high defination videos and download games at much faster speeds, thereby catering to their needs of more mobile data and improving customer experience.
Telstra T-Box wins International IPTV award (Australia)
The Telstra T-Box, currently enjoyed in more than 300,000 Australian homes, has won the world’s top IPTV award. As per the company, the T-Box has been judged ‘Best TV Service Innovation’ at the IPTV World Forum awards in London, trumping competitors including, AT&T U-verse TV, Vodafone TV, VideoGuard Connect, Verizon FiOS TV app on Microsoft Xbox, Entertain Sat and Connect TV.
J-B Rousselot, Executive Director of Media, Applications and User Experience said the award confirmed the T-Box’s reputation for delivering a world-class entertainment experience to Telstra customers. He said that since the T-Box launched in 2010 they have aimed to provide their T-Box customers with compelling content over a range of exclusive channels and the vast library of titles on BigPond Movies. T-Box continues to evolve to bring even more entertainment to Australian homes, such as the recent Media Player upgrade, over 30 channels of FOXTEL and from this weekend every minute of live AFL.
Rousselot added that also believed the T-Box experience should be easy for customers to use so they have not only been focusing on content but also applications including a remote control app for smartphones and tablets and service upgrades for faster streaming, all to provide a better user experience for customers.
The T-Box currently provides over 4000 titles on BigPond Movies, FOXTEL on T-Box including exclusive AFL content for 2012 season, AFL and NRL Game Analysers, 11 BigPond TV Channels including news, AFL, NRL, V8 Supercars, Home Shopping and BigPond Music and Applications including Picasa and Weather.
Telstra cloud certified by Cisco (Australia)
Telstra announced that its infrastructure-as-a-service cloud has met all the requirements to receive accreditation from Cisco as part of their World Wide Cloud Partner Program. Certification confirms Telstra’s infrastructure and related managed services processes, practices and tools, are in accord with Cisco’s global best practice.
Mark Pratley, General Manager, Telstra Cloud Computing, said receiving the Cisco Powered Infrastructure-as-a-Service Cloud Certification is another part of the evolution of the company’s investment in cloud computing services.
Pratley said that building on the long standing partnership between Telstra and Cisco, their business, enterprise and government customers can now leverage a truly global-quality infrastructure-as-a-service that is based right here in Australia. He added that it also gives customers the confidence they need to move their business-critical applications to Telstra’s cloud infrastructure.
Further, for customers, this means Telstra’s infrastructure-as-a-service cloud is optimised to work with a security fabric which protects a customer’s IT and production environment from security breaches arising from threats such as those introduced through viruses and malware as well as distributed denial of service attacks.
He also said that the Cisco certification of their infrastructure-as-a-service cloud again underlines their $800 million investment program in cloud computing over the next few years.
Ben Dawson, Director of the Telstra Business for Cisco Australia, said that through their strategic alliance, there has been a tight interlock between Cisco and Telstra in bringing a trusted end-to-end service delivery architecture that is cloud aware to enterprise and government customers.
Dawson added that achieving certification as Cisco Powered Infrastructure-as-a-Service Cloud Provider is a significant milestone in their shared vision to help customers accelerate adoption of new business solutions.
The certification also means Telstra and Cisco have expanded their sales and marketing collaboration to include Telstra Cloud Services as offers that can be sold by either company. In November 2011 Telstra launched a Cloud Services Portal based on the Cisco Unified Computing System that enables Telstra customers to browse, discover and purchase virtual infrastructure through an easy-to-use online tool.
Telstra’s investment in cloud computing is just one part of Telstra’s strategy to grow its network application and services business.
Apple to offer refund for iPad to Australian consumers (USA, Australia)
Apple has offered to refund Australian consumers who purchased the iPad 3 as it is not compatible with the nations 4G network. As per reports, the consumers alleged that the US giant had provided misleading information by promoting 4G capabilities in the new iPad.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) issued a statement claiming that Apple had represented to Australian consumers that the product ‘iPad with WiFi + 4G’ can, with a sim card, connect to a 4G mobile data network in Australia, when this is not the case.
A report by the guardian reveals that Apple admitted that the new iPad does not work on the country’s network. Telstra does offer 4G services to users in Australia, however the new iPad connects to 4G on the 700MHz and 2100Mhz frequencies, neither of which is used by Telstra.
As per the report, Apple has said that it will issue a statement and send emails to consumers offering them a refund if the iPad was bought under the misconception of compatibility with the nation’s 4G network.
Telstra and Samsung unveil Galaxy S II 4G (Australia)
Telstra and Samsung Electronics Australia unveiled the Galaxy S II 4G – Australia’s second ultra-fast 4G smartphone which will be launched exclusively on the Telstra Mobile Network. Andrew Volard, Director, Telstra Mobile, said the nation’s second 4G smartphone would make it possible for even more Australians to enjoy ultra-fast 4G web speeds from the palms of their hands.
As per the company, Volard said that the Samsung Galaxy SII 4G takes the design elements that have made Samsung Galaxy SII one of Australia’s most popular smartphones and adds 2012’s must-have phone feature – ultra-fast 4G web connectivity. Customers in 4G coverage areas are going to love being able to load web pages up to five times faster than on 3G handsets. They’ll be able to send, stream and surf at speeds that will blow them away.
Tyler McGee, Vice President Telecommunications, Samsung Electronics Australia, said that consumers want access to meaningful content quickly and easily whether they are surfing the web, watching a movie or reading a magazine. The combination of Samsung’s intelligent innovation through to its sophisticated hardware and design, in conjunction with Telstra’s super-fast 4G network – makes the Samsung Galaxy S II 4G an ideal smartphone device for Australian consumers.
The Galaxy SII 4G features a larger WVGA (800×480) SuperAMOLED Plus screen measuring in at 4.5-inches. Compared with the Galaxy SII it also has a more powerful 1.5GHz dual core processor onboard to support fast web browsing and easy switching between multiple apps, games and videos. It comes with an NFC chip built in for NFC tag reading.
Consumer customers can purchase the Samsung Galaxy S II 4G for $5 per month on the $59 Freedom Connect Plan (after using an included MRO Bonus), with $550 worth of included calls & MMS, unlimited SMS and 1.5GB of data, all to standard Australian numbers (excludes use overseas) each month.
Business customers can purchase the Samsung Galaxy S II 4G on the $70 Business Mobile Advantage Plan plus $5 per month Mobile Repayment Option for 24 months, after using your MRO bonus. This offer includes unlimited standard national SMS, free national voice calls to eligible mobiles on the same account in Australia and 1GB of data to use in Australia each month that can be shared with other eligible mobiles on the same account.
Telstra receives telecom licences in Japan and Singapore (Australia, Asia)
Australian telecom operator Telstra has reportedly been given operating licences in Singapore and Japan, enabling the operator to expand its footprint in the Asian continent. As per company reports, Telstra plans to open and operate voice and data networks that will allow the company to build the local backbone required for new cable submarine capacity to Singapore.
Further, the company has reportedly claimed that the license enables them to offer voice and data services as well as systems and facilities locally. As per sources, the operator had previously received three telecom licences in India for providing customers with international telecommunication services.
Telstra launches 4G network (Australia)
Telstra, a leading telecom operator in Australia, will launch the nation’s first superfast 4G LTE mobile network in capital city CBDs and more than 30 regional and metropolitan centres.
As per reports, Telstra CEO David Thodey said Australians could now access one of the world’s most advanced mobile networks delivering some of the fastest mobile download and upload speeds available anywhere. He said that today marks a new high-speed chapter in Australian mobile telecommunications. Telstra’s 4G network delivers mobile speeds scarcely imagined a decade ago, making it easier for people to connect with the things they need and love when on the move.
He added that the superfast speeds mean consumers can download songs faster, get TV shows in minutes and do more things simultaneously. This is just the beginning. Telstra 4G will allow mobile devices to perform even more advanced tasks and open the door to a host of innovative high-speed services that have yet to be conceived.
Telstra claims that by using the Telstra USB 4G mobile broadband modem, which goes on sale today, customers in 4G coverage areas, can enjoy typical download speeds ranging from 2Mbps to 40Mbps – up to ten times faster than 3G speeds currently claimed by other Australian telecommunications companies. Customers can also experience typical upload speeds of 1Mbps to 10Mbps – three times faster than previous generations of mobile broadband in Australia.
Further, Mr. Thodey claims that Telstra is working with some of the world’s leading manufacturers to bring 4G-powered smartphones and tablets to customers in the first half of 2012. Telstra also announced that it would launch 4G services in more than 50 additional locations by year’s end.
Vodafone and Telstra to launch HTC EVO 3D this month (Australia)
HTC Corp’s recently launched 3D phone, the HTC EVO 3D will be available in Australia this month. The handset will be carried by Vodafone Australia and Telstra. The phone comes with a touch screen of 4.3” that enables the user to view photos and videos in 3D without the glasses. It has an internal storage capacity of 1GB, two cameras of 5MP with auto focus and a 1.2 GHz dual core processor.
As per reports, the handset is expected to be available on Vodafone by 14th September and on Telstra by 20th September. The EVO 3D has added a new dimension to the way users capture photos and videos and enjoy mobile gaming, and has been creating quite a buzz among the smartphone users.
TransAct appointed to AGIMO panel (Australia)
Australia-based telecommunications provider TransACT has been appointed to the Australian Government Information Management Office’s (AGIMO) panel.
The Telecommunications Commodities, Carriage and Associated Services Panel were first established by AGIMO in January to provide mobile phones, broadband and related services to government agencies.
AGIMO in a document stated that the aim of the panel is to save the government money on equipment and service purchasing for agencies through standardization of purchasing.
TransACT now joins fellow telco companies Telstra, Optus and Teledesign on the panel providing mobile services and equipment.
According to TransACT Chief Ivan Slavich, as the company already services over 50 government agencies, it was well-suited for the panel position. Their appointment to the panel demonstrates the confidence that the Federal Government has in TransACT to provide a wide range of reliable mobile phone solutions.
