TELECOMMUNICATIONS – AUSTRALIA

Bill hikes, investment warning as telcos face $7.3bn spectrum slug

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Original article by Jack Quail
The Australian – Page: 17 : 17-Dec-25

More than 80 per cent of the spectrum liccnces held by Australian telcos are slated to expire between 2028 and 2032. The Australian Communications & Media Authority has increased its estimate of the value of the spectrum licences to $7.3bn, compared with its previous valuation of $5bn to $6.2bn. ACMA chair Nerida O’Loughlin contends that the new estimate represents a "fair price" for spectrum, which is a public asset. However, telcos have warned that any increase in the cost of spectrum licences will affect their ability to invest in network upgrades, and could result in higher prices for mobile plans.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA AUTHORITY

Telcos accused of Triple-Zero death cover-up

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Original article by Jenny Wiggins, Nicola Smith
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 10-Dec-25

Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young has accused the nation’s telecommunications companies of a "cover-up" during the second hearing of an inquiry into Optus’s triple-zero outage, which has been linked to several deaths. She was responding to the revelation that a person had died after an outdated Samsung mobile phone was used to call triple-zero; the device defaulted to Vodafone’s decommissioned 3G network. This incident had been reported six days after the Optus outage on 24 September, but it was not publicly disclosed. Communications Minister Anika Wells was also criticised over her handling of the Optus outage; she had been in New York at the time, promoting the government’s social media age restrictions.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN GREENS, SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, VODAFONE AUSTRALIA LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INFRASTRUCTURE, TRANSPORT, REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT, COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS

Optus’ $1.5b in federal contracts in doubt

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Original article by Jenny Wiggins, Nicola Smith
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 6-Nov-25

Optus is under renewed scrutiny after a mobile network outage in the Hunter Valley region on Wednesday, which prompted the telco to warn that triple-zero services in 18 postcode areas could be affected. It was Optus’s third network outage in two months, and came just days after a parliamentary committee began an inquiry into the triple-zero outage in September that has been linked to several deaths. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Communications Minister Anika Wells has indicated that Optus’s contracts with federal government agencies are likely to be reviewed. The telco’s current contracts with the Australian Tax Office and the Department of Home Affairs expire in December 2026.

CORPORATES
SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INFRASTRUCTURE, TRANSPORT, REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT, COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS, AUSTRALIAN TAXATION OFFICE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HOME AFFAIRS

iiNet customers’ details stolen in cyber breach

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Original article by Jenny Wiggins
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 8 : 20-Aug-25

TPG Telecom has reported a hack of its systems that led to the email addresses and phone details of 280,000 iiNet customers being stolen to various bodies, including the Australian Signals Directorate and the Australian Cyber Security Centre. It has also apologised to iiNet customers for the breach, and has told them to be on the lookout for suspicious emails, texts and phone calls. It is understood that the breach of TPG’s systems took place on Sunday, with TPG having acquired the iiNet brand back in 2015.

CORPORATES
TPG TELECOM LIMITED – ASX TPG, IINET LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN SIGNALS DIRECTORATE, AUSTRALIAN CYBER SECURITY CENTRE

More AI, fewer staff for Telstra

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Original article by Joseph Carbone
The Australian – Page: 13 & 16 : 28-May-25

Telstra CEO Vicky Brady revealed details of the telco’s Connected Future 30 strategy on Tuesday. The five-year strategy includes using artificial intelligence and cloud technology to enhance its communications network and deliver a better experience for customers. Telstra will also aim to increase its strategic net promoter score to more than 50 per cent by 2030. However, Brady conceded that the increased use of AI will result in more job losses at Telstra. She also responded to claims that Telstra has overstated the size of its mobile network, stating that the telco stands by its claim that it provides three million square kilometres of coverage without the need for an external antenna.

CORPORATES
TELSTRA GROUP LIMITED – ASX TLS

Internet price war rattles Aussie’s cheap challenger

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Original article by Jenny Wiggins
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 : 25-Feb-25

Aussie Broadband has posted a 2024-25 interim net profit of $12.2m, which is 24 per cent higher than previously. The result was boosted by factors such as the sale of its stake in Superloop following a failed takeover bid. The company recorded 12.5 per cent growth in broadband connections during the half-year, to more than 727,000 in total. Brian Maher, who will become CEO on 1 March, concedes that the take-up rate for the company’s new low-cost Buddy Telco brand has been below expectations, with a total of 6,484 customers at the end of 2024; Buddy has added 2,131 new customers so far in 2025.

CORPORATES
AUSSIE BROADBAND LIMITED – ASX ABB, BUDDY TELCO PTY LTD, SUPERLOOP LIMITED – ASX SLC

Optus may sell sports streaming to Nine

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Original article by Zoe Samios
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 11 : 21-Jan-25

Sources have indicated that Optus has sought expressions of interest from potential buyers of its sports streaming platform. Amongst other things, Optus Sport holds the Australian broadcasting rights to the English Premier League and the Women’s Super League. The potential buyers that Optus has approached are said to include Nine Entertainment, which owns the rival Stan Sport streaming service. Optus is believed to be keen to focus on its core telecommunications business amid growing competition in the streaming sector and the rising cost of broadcasting rights.

CORPORATES
SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, OPTUS SPORT, NINE ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX NEC, STAN SPORT

Australia Post, ABC, Aussie Broadband, CSIRO and Red Cross win most trusted services and communications brands in 2024

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 9-Dec-24

Roy Morgan has presented the annual Roy Morgan Trusted Brand Awards for services companies and communications brands. Over 200 brands were in the running for these awards, across the five categories of Services, Charities, Government Services, Media and Telecommunications. Aussie Broadband has been named Australia’s ‘Most Trusted Brand in Telecommunications’ for a third consecutive year, ahead of Amaysim and TPG. Red Cross has won the ‘Most Trusted Brand in Charities’ Award for the first time, ahead of the RSPCA and The Salvation Army. The ‘Most Trusted Brand in Services’ award has been won by Australia Post, one of the few brands that touches nearly all Australians on a frequent basis. The ABC has in turn been named the ‘Most Trusted Media Brand’, having led this category since the inception of the survey six years ago, while the CSIRO is the winner of the ‘Most Trusted Brand in Government Services’ for 2024.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, AUSSIE BROADBAND LIMITED – ASX ABB, RED CROSS SOCIETY OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA POST, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, CSIRO

Telcos get slower at resolving problems

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Original article by Joseph Lam
The Australian – Page: 17 : 2-Oct-24

Data from the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman shows that it received 56,718 complaints about telcos in the 2023-24 financial year, which is 14.6 per cent lower than previously. Mobile services accounted for about 43.5 per cent of complaints, while 39.4 per cent of complaints concerned internet services. Meanwhile, about 63 per cent of complaints were made by customers whose telco had failed to address issues in a timely manner or had taken no action at all. Telstra attracted 27.1 per cent of complaints, compared with 23.5 per cent for Optus.

CORPORATES
TELECOMMUNICATIONS INDUSTRY OMBUDSMAN LIMITED, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD

Giving it away: Optus’ novel plan to win back customers

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Original article by David Ross
The Age – Page: Online : 23-Jul-24

Optus is offering people the chance to access its mobile network for one week for free, as it tries to win back customers after it was hit by a mass outage in 2023 that impacted 10 million customers. The telco lost thousands of customers after the outage, and Optus MD of customer success Maurice McCarthy says it has been trying to rebuild customer trust since then. McCarthy says the free trial is the first of its kind from an Australian telco, and possibly the world; it will see people get access to 30 gigabytes of data, unlimited standard national calls and 1,000 standard national text messages over a seven-day period.

CORPORATES
SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD