J58 Telecommunications Services

Country’s first ‘sexting’ laws to be introduced in Victoria

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Original article by Henrietta Cook
The Age – Page: 3 : 21-Aug-14

Victorian Attorney-General Robert Clark has announced the introduction on 21 August 2014 of new legislation that specifically targets "sexting", the first in the nation. A parliamentary inquiry had looked into the issue of minors being automatically included on the state’s sex offenders register after sending explicit images among themselves. Under the new laws the practice will only constitute an offence if it occurs in "circumstances contrary to community standard of acceptable conduct"

CORPORATES
VICTORIA. OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Start-ups focus for Telstra offshoot

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Original article by David Ramli
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 23 : 19-Aug-14

Australian telco Telstra is pursuing a strategy under CEO David Thodey of diversifying into technology start-ups, to prepare itself for the loss of revenue from the traditional telephony business. It has set up the muru-D incubator in Sydney and lifted its stake in US-based online video software provider Ooyala from 23% to 98% for $US270m ($A289m). Both will now be housed in the newly-incorporated Telstra Software Group entity, where the board consists of global enterprise and services group executive Brendon Riley, strategic finance group MD Cynthia Whelan and muru-D co-founder Charlotte Yarkoni

CORPORATES
TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, TELSTRA SOFTWARE GROUP PTY LTD, MURU-D PTY LTD, OOYALA INCORPORATED, SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, SINGAPORE TELECOMMUNICATIONS LIMITED – ASX SGT, SINGTEL INNOV8 PTE LTD, GARTNER GROUP INCORPORATED, WHATSAPP INCORPORATED, SKYPE TECHNOLOGIES SA, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION

Telstra ready to splash cash

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Original article by Mitchell Bingemann
The Australian – Page: 17 : 15-Aug-14

Telstra has announced a 2013-14 full-year net profit of $A4.28bn, on a revenue rise of 3.4% to $A25.1bn. The best result in close to 10 years comes as the Australian-listed telco invests in new acquisitions to boost its footprint in the media content sector, after offloading the CSL mobile telephony asset in Hong Kong. The final distribution is up $A0.005 to $A0.15, for a 12-month payout of $A0.295. CEO David Thodey also announced a stock repurchasing scheme worth $A1bn, and on 14 August 2014 the shares closed at a price of $A5.56 last witnessed in 2002

CORPORATES
TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, OOYALA INCORPORATED, HONG KONG CSL LIMITED, CITIGROUP PTY LTD, ALPHINITY INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, SENSIS PTY LTD, PLATINUM EQUITY HOLDINGS, FOXTEL MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, NEWS CORP AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS

Report damns NBN Co’s corporate governance

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Original article by Anne Hyland
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 14-Aug-14

KordaMentha has been critical of the NBN Co board in its report on the entity’s corporate governance. The firm states in the report that directors who served on the board of the national broadband network roll-out manager between 2009 and September 2013 did not have enough experience and skills to manage Australia’s biggest infrastructure project. KordaMentha’s findings have been questioned in a letter signed by NBN Co directors Peter Hay, Gene Tilbrook, Harrison Young, Diane Smith-Gander, Siobhan McKenna, Terry Francis, Rick Turchini, Brad Orgill and Alison Lansley

CORPORATES
NBN CO LIMITED, TRANSFIELD SERVICES LIMITED – ASX TSE, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, KORDA MENTHA AND COLLEAGUES PTY LTD, ILLYRIA PTY LTD

Vodafone spends $1b to lure customers

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Original article by David Ramli
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 & 20 : 4-Aug-14

Vodafone Hutchison Australia CEO Inaki Berroeta says that boosting profits is the telco’s top priority in the next several years. He also notes that Vodafone has invested nearly $A1bn in its 4G network over the last year, and major rivals Telstra and Singtel Optus have similar capital investment programs. Meanwhile, Berroeta has criticised Telstra’s dominant market position and its offshore outsourcing program, noting that Vodafone has expanded its call centre operations in Tasmania

CORPORATES
VODAFONE HUTCHISON AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, VODAFONE AUSTRALIA LIMITED, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, SINGAPORE TELECOMMUNICATIONS LIMITED – ASX SGT, CREDIT SUISSE (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED

iiNet says NBN key to its growth

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Original article by David Ramli
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 13 & 20 : 1-Aug-14

The newly appointed CEO of iiNet, David Buckingham, has unveiled his plans for the group. He would like the Australian-listed ISP to expand in the business technology and mobile service markets. Buckingham also wants the company to be more active in the roll-out of the national broadband network. The company has about one million subscribers and a market capitalisation of $A1.23 billion

CORPORATES
IINET LIMITED – ASX IIN, NBN CO LIMITED, SINGAPORE TELECOMMUNICATIONS LIMITED – ASX SGT, SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, ASX LIMITED – ASX ASX, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, M2 GROUP LIMITED – ASX MTU

Vodafone’s 4G boost will rival Telstra, Optus

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Original article by David Ramli
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 20 : 30-Jul-14

Benoit Hanssen of Vodafone Hutchison Australia says the telco will transfer 50 per cent of its 850MHz radio spectrum to its 4G mobile network by the end of 2014. The remainder of this spectrum, which is currently used by Vodafone’s 3G network, will be reallocated to 4G in 2015. The move will enhance Vodafone’s ability to compete with the 4G networks of Telstra and Singtel Optus

CORPORATES
VODAFONE HUTCHISON AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, VODAFONE AUSTRALIA LIMITED, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, SINGAPORE TELECOMMUNICATIONS LIMITED – ASX SGT, ERICSSON AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, SAMSUNG CORPORATION, HTC CORPORATION, APPLE INCORPORATED

Telstra to axe jobs in Asia push

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Original article by Mitchell Bingemann
The Australian – Page: 21 : 24-Jul-14

Telstra group MD for the Global Services division David Burns has unveiled 460 redundancies at the telco, with a further 208 contractors also to lose their jobs. In total some 15% of the workforce in the unit will be affected by a move to outsource the tasks to low-cost providers in India. Michael Tull, president of the Community & Public Sector Union, has condemned the decision. He noted that Global Services is a growth business for the telco and the staff involved are highly skilled

CORPORATES
TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS|COMMUNITY AND PUBLIC SECTOR UNION

How Telstra and NBN Co started a $200m fight

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Original article by David Ramli
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 20 : 16-Jul-14

NBN Co and Telstra are engaged in a legal dispute over the impact of increases in the CPI on their $A11 billion cable infrastructure agreement. There is a difference of $A200 million in their calculations. Telstra believes the CPI increase should apply from 2012, while NBN Co claims the increase should apply from 2013. The matter will be considered in the Supreme Court of New South Wales

CORPORATES
TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, NBN CO LIMITED, SUPREME COURT OF NEW SOUTH WALES

Big screen challenge for Apple

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Original article by Paul Smith
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 23 : 1-Jul-14

Apple is under pressure to produce a larger smartphone to regain market share in Australia. Telsyte said that Google’s Android operating system holds 51 per cent of the local market of 16 million users, while Apple’s iOS holds 42 per cent. Apple will begin production of a larger "phablet" iPhone in August 2014. Telsyte MD Foad Fadaghi said that a larger model will probably allow Apple to regain lost market share

CORPORATES
APPLE INCORPORATED, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, TELSYTE PTY LTD, NOKIA OY AB, BLACKBERRY LIMITED, SAMSUNG CORPORATION, SONY CORPORATION, LG CORPORATION, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, SINGAPORE TELECOMMUNICATIONS LIMITED – ASX SGT, VODAFONE HUTCHISON AUSTRALIA PTY LTD