Australian consumers will have to pay 15 percent more for broadband access if Telstra is successful in its bid to build the Federal Government’s $4.7 billion funded national broadband network (NBN), according to a new report.

The report, estimates Telstra would have to charge 15 percent more for network access for it to achieve its publicly-stated 18 percent after-tax return profit target.

The report was conducted by independent economic consultancy group, the Centre for International Economics (CIE), at the request of the Competitive Carriers Coalition (CCC) – whose members include Telstra rivals; Macquarie Telecom, iiNet and TransACT.

“To be able to achieve its targeted return on equity of 18 per cent, Telstra would have to extract additional revenue from the network users through higher prices,” said the report’s authors, Mayela Garcia and CIE director Kerry Barwise.

“Higher prices in industries will be passed on to consumers in the form of higher prices for consumer goods and services, leading to a general increase in the level of prices.”

Exacting a further 15 percent from consumers’ pockets for network access would equate to an additional $897 million in Telstra’s coffers, claimed the report.

If the network was to cost $15 billion, an estimate Telstra boss Sol Trujillo recently quoted to The Australian, consumers would pay an additional $1.4 billion a year for broadband services.

The CIE estimates were based on Telstra’s calculations that the NBN would cost approximately $9 billion to build and comparisons of what consumers would pay for broadband services from an alternative operator.

The report also hypothesised that a network build based on Telstra’s cost estimates would increase inflation, reduce national growth, lower wages and reduce national consumption.

Telstra Wholesale managing director Kate McKenzie lashed out at the report, branding it as a “bogus”.

“This is a completely bogus report that has been bought and paid for by a bunch of competitors who want one thing only — to stop the building of Australia’s national broadband network and keep their current cosy arrangements,” she said in a statement.

“The report has no basis in fact. It is a dishonest distortion that is designed to do nothing but delay the process.”

 

   

Cheers

One of the most important decisions a small business has to make is how they are going to manage their communications. After all, communications are the back bone of any small business. If they cannot communicate clearly and efficiently with potential and current customers, they will not be in business long. It can be very stressful trying to determine which communications system is going to be best for your business. Adding to the confusion and stress of making the decision is the number of options available when it comes to telecommunications. There are standard hard line PBX systems, standard POTS lines from the local carrier, virtual PBX systems, local numbers, toll free numbers, virtual fax, standard VoIP and hosted VoIP PBX systems… and you could probably find at least a hundred providers for each. It’s enough to make you crazy.

One of the biggest mistakes that small business owners make as they wade through all the choices available to them is that they start at the end and work their way back. Usually they will do an Internet search for “phone systems” and from the thousands upon thousands of results choose a provider. Then they will go and see what systems and features are available. The problem with finding your telecom provider in this way is that you are trying to fit your small business communications needs into a cookie cutter phone system. And there is a dirty little secret in the telecom industry that perpetuates this problem. Small businesses end up finding a provider and then trying to fit their needs into the phone systems that the provider has to offer. Sometimes they fit and sometimes they don’t and that is when the small business loses out. The dirty little secret that these telecom providers are keeping from you is that it doesn’t have to be that way. You do not have to try to squeeze your small business communications into one of their pre- designed, one size fits all solutions.

Instead of finding a provider first and then trying to fit your needs into their solutions, you need to start at the beginning. The beginning is you and your small business. Before you even start looking for a phone system you should know exactly what it is that you want. Finish this sentence, “If I could have everything I wanted in a phone system, it would include….” Then start making your list. Here is a list of questions to help you get started:

1. How many employees will have extensions?
2. Would I like to be able to have a dispersed workforce taking calls?
3. Do I want to incorporate my Internet and phones together?
4. Do I need my phone system to grow with me?
5. Do I want to combine my fax and phone system together?
6. Do I want to be able to do inter-office/inter-extension transfers?
7. Do I want an automated attendant to answer and direct calls?
8. Do I want voicemail accessible by email and/or over the Internet?
9. Do I want to be able to monitor all calls on the system either live or through reports?
10.  Do I want to be able to create forwarding groups so that calls can be forwarded to all extensions within a group of employees?

Once you decide what your small business needs, you can then search for a provider to fulfill those needs instead of finding a provider that you can try to fit your needs into. Having even just a basic understanding of the options available will help you understand your choices and not allow a provider to mold your needs into what they offer. Here is a breakdown of the most popular options:

• POTS lines (Plain Old Telephone Service) can be a simple solution for a one man band that does not need an automated attendant to route calls nor any enhanced features such as voicemail to email, virtual fax, follow me call forwarding, etc. Start up costs will depend on if you already have lines established on site or if you are starting from scratch.
• A standard PBX (Private Branch eXchange) includes onsite equipment to route calls between employees. These systems are usually cost prohibitive for small businesses due to their large up front costs, they have maintenance requirements, and they are not very flexible in their ability to grow with the business. Your start up costs will depend on how many users you have
• Virtual PBX systems include all the features of a standard PBX, but without the initial cost of the switching equipment, ongoing costs of maintenance and will allow for growth. Many small business owners like the virtual PBX set up because it allows them the flexibility that a small business needs and features that help them maintain a professional image. Specific features that benefit small businesses include the follow me call forwarding, automated attendant, multiple extensions/voicemail boxes, and online administration and retrieval of voice and fax messages. Virtual PBX solutions are usually only efficient for inbound calling only.
• Hosted VoIP PBX systems take the virtual PBX a couple steps further with the addition of VoIP technology and IP (Internet Protocol) phones so that you have inbound as well as outbound calling happening on one system. It will use your current Internet connection so an increase in bandwidth may be necessary. A hosted VoIP PBX also allows you all of the flexibility of a virtual system because it is scalable and can be used with a dispersed work force whether they are across town or across the country. The start up costs will be a little bit higher than a virtual PBX because you also have to buy the phones.
• intimidated into trying to squeeze your needs into a cookie cutter phone system. Your small business is not like anyone else’s and only you know what it needs. So first sit down and write down everything that you would like your phone system to do, learn the basics about what is available, and then find the provider that can fulfill those needs. Don’t allow the telecom providers dirty little secret force you into a phone system that isn’t a perfect fit for your business.

Brandi Cummings, an expert author on the unique issues facing small and home based businesses, recommends checking out  http://www.Freedom800.com a leading provider of business class virtual telecommunications solutions.

Cheers

GS

Continuing its push to become one of Australia’s dominant broadband players, Internode has installed its own DSLAM equipment in over 100 telephone exchanges.

The South Australia-based ISP has a further 50 exchanges planned for its ADSL2+ rollout schedule.

Simon Hackett, managing director at Internode, said the deployment schedule was being hampered by Telstra.

“Of the 106 exchanges we have equipped with our own DSLAM gear, 10 have limited capacity due to Telstra either restricting access to the exchange or declaring it full,” he said.

Hackett has previously criticised Telstra, arguing the carrier should open up access to its nationwide ADSL2+ network, and arguing that access for competing ISPs is being held up by delays.

Despite the restrictions, Hackett said that Internode remains committed to providing its customers with the best Internet experience possible.

“With our ADSL2+, ADSL1 and Naked ADSL2+ services, we provide customers with a great range of options for Internet access,” he said.

“ADSL2+ delivers the real Internet experience by letting us deliver a full range of rich online applications including our great streaming video and games and business systems such as high-speed tails for our Internode Business Connect (IBC) private IP network.”

The ISP is continuing with Optus Wholesale to provide its Naked ADSL2+ service across 350 exchanges Australia wide. Naked DSL allows broadband over a dial tone-free phone line, avoiding the monthly line rental charges usuallu required for ADSL broadband.

Internode currently has 45 of its own DSLAM exchanges in its home state of South Australia. NSW has approximately half this with 21 exchanges, followed by the ACT with 13 and Victoria with 12. Queensland, Western Australia and Tasmania trail behind with 10, 3 and 2 respectively.

It appears as though Telstra will belatedly jump on the iPhone bandwagon and will offer Apple’s 3G mobile device some two weeks after rivals Optus and Vodafone make it available to the public.

According to reports, Telstra will launch Apple’s new 3G iPhone in mid July, approximately two weeks after

Telstra did not respond to iTnews’ requests for confirmation of its iPhone plans, but according to The Australian, sources close to the telco said it would target a sale date of July 22.

Although Telstra has not yet made public its agreement with Apple the telco had previously hinted that sale of the iPhone would be inevitable.

“Telstra is the market leader in mobiles and we aim to stay that way, so while [we're] not commenting on iPhone or our plans specifically, watch this space,” Telstra spokesperson Peter Taylor previously told iTnews.

With Telstra joining Optus and Vodafone as stockists of the 3G iPhone, Australia will now become one of the most competitive iPhone markets in the world.

It’s highly likely that Apple’s new Sydney store will also stock the 3G iPhone after the company’s senior vice president of retail hinted at the possibility of it appearing in the shop’s windows.

“You might find a phone there in a little bit, but we’re not here to talk about that today,” said Apple’s senior vice president of retail, Ron Johnson.

Vodafone and Optus announced their intention to sell the 3G iPhone earlier this month. However, neither Optus, Vodafone nor Telstra, have revealed how they will structure the accompanying data plans for the device.

The 3G iPhone will include built-in GPS for real-time mapping and location-based services. It will also feature new iPhone’s 2.0 software that will provide support for Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync, allowing users to send and receive Microsoft Exchange email.

Alexa History

1996

Founded in April 1996, Alexa Internet grew out of a vision of Web navigation that is intelligent and constantly improving with the participation of its users.

1997

September of 1997 the Alexa Toolbar version 1.0 was released. The toolbar featured Site Information, Related Links, access to archived pages, access to Encyclopaedia Britannica content, and an instant messaging feature.

1998

In 1998, Netscape built Alexa into the 4.0 version of the Netscape Navigator browser as the centerpiece of the “Smart Browsing” feature set. Meanwhile, the Alexa toolbar had clocked over 1 Million downloads. Alexa began a long partnership with the Library of Congress, donating a copy of Alexa’s crawl of the web to the new digital library.

1999

In 1999, following Netscape’s lead, Microsoft built Alexa into the browser. Alexa popularity was reaching an all-time high with over 3 Million downloads. In June of 1999, Amazon.com purchased Alexa Internet.

2000

In 2000, Alexa released the version 5.0 toolbar, incorporating shopping features and search functions. Total downloads exceeded 7 million. Alexa’s donations of crawl to the Internet Archive 8 Terabytes in size (about 6 million floppy disks.)

2001

In 2001, Alexa released Alexa Toolbar 6.0, incorporating a new sleeker design, and the Wayback button. Alexa’s crawl donations to the Internet Archive surpassed the 100 terabyte mark. All pages were fully indexed and made available in the which is now the largest database in the World. The Wayback Machine, built by Alexa Internet for the Internet Archive, was named the site of the year by Yahoo Internet Life magazine.

2002

In May of 2002 Alexa released Alexa Web Search and Alexa Toolbar version 6.5. By partnering with Google, Alexa has built a new kind of search engine, one that helps users find detailed information about sites on the Internet. Alexa’s crawl donations to the Internet Archive have now surpassed the 200 terabyte mark.

2004

July 2004, the Alexa crawl increases in size to over 100 Terabytes covering 4.5 Billion pages.

In October of 2004 the Alexa Web Information Service beta was released on the Amazon.com Web Services platform. Now developers can build a whole new generation of useful tools based on Alexa’s extensive information about the web. The services include URL Information, Browse Category, Web Search, Web Map and Crawl Meta Data.

2005

In November 2005 the Alexa Web Information Service version 1.0 was released on the Amazon.com Web Services platform.

In December 2005 the Alexa Web Search Platform was released in limited beta, allowing developers to have direct access to access to Alexa’s infrastructure to create wholly new services based on Alexa vast repository of Web data.

The Federal Government has backpedalled on its bite into the Federal Communications Fund, according to Opposition claims.

The Federal Government has had its Telecommunications Legislation Amendment (Communications Fund) Bill 2008 discharged from the Notice Paper. The Opposition claimed this was the device Labor planned to use to unlock communication funds.

Bruce Billson, Shadow Minister for Communications, said this showed the Rudd Labor Government has quietly retreated from its “reckless and shameless” plan to raid the $2 billion Communications Fund, with the withdrawal of legislation designed to pave its way.

“It is unclear what Labor plans to now do in relation to the Communications Fund, but I am hopeful it has finally accepted its raid was unnecessary and will leave the fund intact to fulfill the purpose for which it was established,” said Billson.

He claimed it was as yet unclear whether the people of rural, regional and remote Australia could take comfort from the decision. Billson said it was not apparent whether the Rudd Labor Government had accepted the arguments of the Opposition or whether they had some other motive.

“The Coalition has expressed its strong opposition to Labor’s plan to raid the $2 billion fund, plus its interest, which was established by the former government to address the telecommunications needs of rural, regional and remote Australia in perpetuity,” he said.

“Instead, Labor wants to use the money to help fund a vague, metro-centric national broadband network proposal, but is yet to even clarify on what the money will buy.”

Billson claimed the Rudd Labor Government inherited a massive surplus of funds from the previous government. “It has no valid reason to justify the fund’s dismantling. The fund’s balance is preserved, not to fall below $2 billion and interest is used to fund recommendations from regular telecommunications reviews of regional Australia,” he said.

He said that at a time when the telecommunications sector and consumers are seeking clarity about the National Broadband Network tender process, Communications Minister, Stephen Conroy, is on an extended overseas trip.

“It would appear he is desperately scratching around the world looking for a way to turn Labor’s broadband sound bites into something resembling sound public policy,” he said.

Chat to everyone everywhere – One Messenger for all social networks

Keeping track of all your old friends and new in more than one social network can be time-consuming. ExitReality’s messenger means you can chat with your friends without needing to be a member of every network your friends are on.

Move in to your MySpace 3D apartment and converse with friends who have a Friendster 3D place. Meet them in MySpace or Friendster or even Bebo. Invite them over to your newly decorated 3D MySpace apartment.

You’ll be able to tell where they are from your ‘Buddies’ list in ExitReality and meet and chat with them straight away. Just add your friends’ ExitReality username to your Buddies list and once they’ve accepted you’ll be able to see their location in the 3D Internet.

Plus, the messenger communication is not just chat. Your mini me communicates with gestures too. Wave, bust a move, even float in a yogi pose … It’s like emoticons on steroids.

cheers

GS

What is IP Telephony

IP telephony combines different types of communications-such as data, voice, and video-over a single packet cell-based infrastructure. 

IP telephony extends the value of the network with these non-traditional applications. By combining different types of traffic on a single network connection, small and medium-sized businesses and small branch offices can dramatically reduce the costs of their voice and data networks.

Cheers

 

GS

www.australianit.news.com.au

Source: www.australianit.news.com.au

IN a case of better late than never, Telstra, the gorilla of the telco market, will come to Apple’s iPhone launch party but may lag its rivals by almost two weeks with the handset.

cheers

GS

Volumes will be measured in exabytes by 2012, says Cisco.

Web traffic volumes will almost double every two years from 2007 to 2012, driven by video and web 2.0 applications, according to a report from Cisco Systems.

Increased use of video and social networking has created what Cisco calls ‘visual networking’, which is raising traffic volumes at a compound annual growth rate of 46 per cent.

Cisco’s predicts that visual networking will account for 90 per cent of the traffic coursing through the world’s IP networks by 2012.

The upward trend is not only driven by consumer demand for YouTube clips and IPTV, according to the report, as business use of video conferencing will grow at 35 per cent CAGR over the same period.

Cisco reckons that traffic volumes will be measured in exabytes (one billion gigabytes) by 2012 and will reach 552 exabytes by that time.

Soon after 2012 we will have to adopt zettabytes (one thousand billion gigabytes) to express traffic volumes.

The report is based on Cisco’s own predictions and aggregates analysis from several market research firms.

cheers

GS