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This week
IN THE NEWS: Optus outage inquiries extended, infrastructure sharing under the microscope, and the cost of living is hitting hard – scammers are well aware…
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Mark Dreyfus, Acting Minister for Communications, has announced that the departmental inquiry into the November 2023 Optus outage will be granted an extension following the emergence of new information. According to the Acting Minister, “the new information relates to Optus’ activation of network wilting, where signals from mobile towers are powered down in order for Triple Zero calls to be carried by other networks, particularly for 3G signals”. The Senate inquiry into the outage has also been granted an extension and is now due to report in May. [Minister Rowland]
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The government has announced a consultation into the suitability of current infrastructure sharing legislation. Infrastructure sharing allows multiple carriers to use facilities owned or operated by a particular provider, a particularly useful capability in regional and remote areas which often have higher network costs. The consultation will focus on the effectiveness of facilities and tower access regulations, and will close in late March. [DITRDCA]
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The ACMA is warning consumers about a rising number of scam texts purporting to be from government agencies, including MyGov and Centrelink. The messages lead recipients to follow a URL to a convincing website, ultimately tricking you into handing financial information to a scammer. As always, if you see these or any other types of scams, be sure to make a report to Scamwatch. [ACMA]
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Gareth Downing appointed ACCAN Acting CEO
As previously advised, ACCAN’s CEO Andrew Williams will be finishing with the organisation on 1 March. Recruitment for Andrew’s successor is well underway and is expected to be finalised soon. In the interim, ACCAN’s Deputy CEO, Dr Gareth Downing, has been appointed Acting CEO until the process is finalised. [ACCAN]
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Have you or someone close to you experienced abuse, harassment, violence or threats online? Make sure you know the simple steps you can take to fight back against online abuse. The eSafety commissioner is running an online campaign to make sure consumers know what the Online Safety Act means for them in a time of need. We encourage you to learn more at the link above. [eSafety]
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Telstra has announced that over 250,000 parcel or delivery SMS scams have been reported by customers to their ‘snitch on a scammer’ hotline in 2023. Many parcel or delivery scams impersonate large companies such as AusPost or DHL. Telstra notes that their customers submit more reports on Thursdays than any other in the week, and have termed this Thursday February 29th, a leap year exception, as Scam Buster Thursday. [ITWire]
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Superloop has rejected an offer from Aussie Broadband to buy the company at a $0.95 per share in cash, valuing the company at around $460 million. Just prior, Aussie has purchased 20% of the company for the same price per share, totalling $93 million. It is understood that Aussie Broadband wishes to expand their customer base and increase their share of the mobile and broadband markets through the potential acquisition. [ITNews]
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Optus has announced that 198 staff within it’s ‘O-Team’ device installation business will be receiving redundancy notices this week, following an internal review. The O-Team oversaw the home installation of smart home devices, including security cameras, doorbells and EV chargers for Optus customers. [ITWire]
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Comms Alliance CEO John Stanton has indicated that he would not be seeking a further term in the role and will step down in August. ACCAN congratulates John for his long and successful career to this point in the telecommunications sector, including his 14-year stint at the helm of Comms Alliance. We wish him the very best for his future endeavours. [Comms Alliance]
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This piece from telecoms analyst Paul Budde considers how artificial intelligence may hasten the decline of vertically integrated business models to the advantage of platform-based businesses. He considers how telcos might take advantage of the opportunities offered by AI and a platform-based business structure. [Independent Australia]
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