Latest Telstra Stories

Alcatel-Lucent has won a $98m contract from Telecom Corp New Zealand (Telecom) to build a new IP phone network, having already worked on its fixed-line and mobile phone networks. Telecom said the network, to be completed by December 2009, will enable it to provide voice, data, and mobile services on a single integrated platform. Frank Mount, chief transformation officer at Telecom, said: "This significant investment will allow the development of world-class products in voice, video, and...

By VAN DEN BERGH, Roeland MOST of the biggest telecommunications companies deliver the worst broadband services, according to a report commissioned by the Commerce Commission. Broadband services from Telecom, Vodafone and Slingshot all scored average or below average in the March quarter. But those of their much smaller competitors, including MaxNet, Snap and Compas, consistently out- performed the industry average. TelstraClear's cable and DSL services were rated best in Auckland,...

By MCENTEE, Claire HEALTH network provider HealthLink has refused to sign an agreement that would connect its network to other providers, saying there are no guarantees information would be secure. The Health Ministry's Health Information Strategic Action Committee initiated the interconnection agreement, under which from next month health network users would have access to all health systems and applications regardless of their network provider. HealthLink, TelstraClear and Telecom's...

By KEAN, Nicola TELECOM is preparing to roll out speedier internet in Southland but Te Anau residents wanting broadband have been put on hold. Nine Te Anau households and businesses and Telecom customers in two other exchanges in Southland are waiting for broadband internet while equipment is upgraded. Telecom spokesman Ian Bonnar said customers sometimes had to wait to be connected to broadband when demand got ahead of supply. More equipment had to be installed at the exchanges, he...

By PRESTON, Nikki A Commerce Commission report which named Hamilton as having the best broadband services in the country only surveyed a small part of the city, it has emerged. Since the report's release, on Monday, which also found Orcon was the best internet service provider locally, its competitors have vowed to improve their Hamilton service. The report compared only the premium broadband packages offered by each provider in the main city centre. It did not include surrounding areas...

By HARTEVELT, John Christchurch has the worst urban broadband network in the country and hard-hit residential users will have to wait three years for improvement. The first in a series of quarterly broadband reports from the Commerce Commission yesterday placed Christchurch lowest of the five main centres. Former Christchurch mayor Garry Moore said the report was a warning about keeping up investment in high-speed fibre cabling. Moore was involved in the 2006 establishment of...

By WALLES, Hayden Faster broadband is coming, slowly. Hayden Walles explains the obstacles and opportunities. You just can't please some people. After all that fuss to unbundle the local loop, there are now calls to scrap it altogether and install "fibre to the home" (FTTH), the next big thing in broadband internet access. So what does it involve, and will it solve all our internet woes? There's not much to the local loop. It's a pair of insulated copper wires that run from a telephone...

By VAN DEN BERGH, Roeland; GRAHAM, Kathy; PRESTON, Nikki Hamilton has the best broadband service in New Zealand, according to a report commissioned by the Commerce Commission. But Hamilton residents still believe broadband could be much better. Hamilton resident Bruce Kingsbury, who is president of Linux Group, swapped to Vodafone from Orcon after suffering technical problems for a month, a decision he now regrets. "I am wishing I hadn't. I am not impressed by them (Vodafone) at all."...

LONDON, June 17 /PRNewswire/ -- The number of mobile broadband (HSPA) connections in the 850MHz frequency band worldwide has leapt to more than 13 million from 1.3 million one year ago thanks to rapid growth in the Americas and Australia, according to Wireless Intelligence, a unit of the GSMA, the global body for the mobile industry. This fast growing market is attracting more handset manufacturers and helping them achieve economies of scale, driving down the cost of 850MHz phones and other...

By HOYLE, Jon TELSTRACLEAR'S move to raise its cable broadband prices as its competitors drop theirs has puzzled one analyst. The monthly increases of $5 for its High Speed and $10 for its Light Speed plans will affect customers on Wellington, Kapiti Coast and Christchurch networks from July 1. They come during a fierce struggle for customers by telecommunications companies after Telecom was forced by the Government to open up its exchanges to competitors late last year. Last month,...