Anthropic opens Sydney office as demand for AI services grows in region
AUSTRALIA 05:54

Anthropic opens Sydney office as demand for AI services grows in region

Anthropic has opened an office in Sydney as part of an expansion into Australia and New Zealand, citing growing regional demand for its Claude artificial intelligence models and signalling potential future investment in AI compute infrastructure. The company said the Sydney site will become its fourth location in the Asia-Pacific region, joining existing offices in Tokyo, Bengaluru and Seoul. Anthropic said organisations in Australia and New Zealand rank among the most active global users of its Claude plat

Victorian rescue dog groups gain access to state emergency radio network
AUSTRALIA 05:44

Victorian rescue dog groups gain access to state emergency radio network

Two volunteer search and rescue dog organisations in Victoria have been granted access to the state's emergency communications network, enabling direct coordination with police and other first responders during rescue operations. Motorola Solutions said the groups, Australian Search and Rescue K9 and Search and Rescue Dogs Australia, have joined the Victorian Radio Network, a communications platform used by emergency services across the state.

Cisco and UTS launch Innovation Central Sydney to support AI projects
AUSTRALIA 11 MRT

Cisco and UTS launch Innovation Central Sydney to support AI projects

Cisco and University of Technology Sydney (UTS) have launched Innovation Central Sydney, a new industry collaboration hub aimed at accelerating the adoption of digital technologies and applied AI in Australia. The facility forms part of the National Industry Innovation Network, which brings together universities, industry and government to support digital transformation and technology commercialisation.

Datagrid secures approvals for 280 MW AI data centre in Southland
NEW ZEALAND 11 MRT

Datagrid secures approvals for 280 MW AI data centre in Southland

Datagrid New Zealand has received resource consent to develop a 280 MW hyperscale AI data centre campus in Southland on New Zealand's South Island. The approvals were granted by Southland District Council, Environment Southland and Invercargill City Council, allowing construction to proceed at a site in Makarewa near Invercargill.

Telstra partners with major banks to boost early fraud detection
AUSTRALIA 11 MRT

Telstra partners with major banks to boost early fraud detection

Telstra has launched a cross-industry initiative with several Australian banks to help detect money mule activity earlier by combining telecommunications network data with financial intelligence. The capability is being trialled by banks including ANZ, National Australia Bank and Westpac through Quantium Telstra. The initiative uses telco network telemetry together with banks' internal fraud intelligence to identify behavioural patterns associated with money mule accounts – bank accounts used to move illici

AMTA calls for national overhaul of Australia's telecoms planning framework
AUSTRALIA 11 MRT

AMTA calls for national overhaul of Australia's telecoms planning framework

A report by the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association (AMTA) has called for reforms to modernise Australia's telecommunications regulatory framework to accelerate mobile infrastructure deployment and investment. The report, Future of Mobile: Reforms to modernise Australia's telecommunications, developed with Deloitte Access Economics, argues that fragmented planning rules and regulatory complexity are slowing network rollouts and increasing costs for operators.

NSW approves Stockland hyperscale data centre for Sydney
AUSTRALIA 11 MRT

NSW approves Stockland hyperscale data centre for Sydney

The New South Wales government has approved plans for a hyperscale data centre development by Stockland at the MPark precinct in Macquarie Park in Sydney. The project at 1-5 Khartoum Road was granted approval under the state's State Significant Development pathway and will form part of Stage 2 of Stockland's MPark technology precinct in Sydney. The approved development will replace an existing multi-storey car park with a six-storey data centre building with a gross floor area of about 19,434 square metres.

One NZ selects Highlight platform to support managed network services
NEW ZEALAND 11 MRT

One NZ selects Highlight platform to support managed network services

One New Zealand has selected the service observability platform developed by Highlight to support its managed network services and provide customers with greater visibility into network performance and service delivery. The operator said the platform would be used across its managed services portfolio, which supports hundreds of customers including small businesses and government departments. Highlight's multi-tenancy capability enables the company's service desk to maintain centralised oversight of network

Macquarie Technology secures AUD 200 mln from govt to expand sovereign cloud
AUSTRALIA 11 MRT

Macquarie Technology secures AUD 200 mln from govt to expand sovereign cloud

Macquarie Technology Group has secured an AUD 200 million investment from the National Reconstruction Fund Corporation (NRFC) to expand sovereign cloud infrastructure, cybersecurity services and data centre capacity in Australia. The funding will support the growth of the company's Cloud Services and Government division, which provides cloud platforms, cybersecurity services and digital infrastructure to public sector and enterprise customers. The investment is intended to support new infrastructure designe

Foxtel Business partners with eero to bundle Wi-Fi for accommodation sector
AUSTRALIA 11 MRT

Foxtel Business partners with eero to bundle Wi-Fi for accommodation sector

Australia's Foxtel Business has announced a partnership with Amazon-owned eero to provide a bundled Wi-Fi solution alongside its Foxtel Business iQ platform for accommodation providers. The agreement combines Foxtel Business iQ's in-room entertainment platform with eero's Wi-Fi system, with the companies positioning the package as a way for hotels and other multi-occupancy venues to support connectivity for guest services and streaming content.

Cortical Labs developing neuron-based data centres in Singapore and Melbourne
AUSTRALIA 10 MRT

Cortical Labs developing neuron-based data centres in Singapore and Melbourne

Australian biotech startup Cortical Labs is developing two small data centres in Singapore and Melbourne that use lab-grown human brain cells as part of their computing systems, according to Bloomberg, citing industry sources. The project involves placing neurons grown from stem cells onto silicon chips that send and receive electrical signals. Software interacts with the cells and interprets their responses as computing output.

University of Sydney researchers develop nanophotonic AI chip prototype
AUSTRALIA 10 MRT

University of Sydney researchers develop nanophotonic AI chip prototype

University of Sydney researchers have developed a prototype AI chip that performs calculations using light rather than electricity, according to a study published in Nature Communications. The nano-photonic chip was built at the Sydney Nano Hub and uses photons to carry out computing operations. Instead of moving electrically charged particles through circuits, the prototype performs calculations as light passes through nanoscale structures embedded within the chip.

OCEANIA 10 MRT

ATH revenue rises 21% in H1 as PNG operations drive growth

Fiji-based telecom group Amalgamated Telecom Holdings (ATH) reported revenue growth in the first half of its 2026 financial year, driven largely by expansion in Papua New Guinea. For the six months ended 31 December 2025, the company reported group revenue of FJD 564.1 million, up 21 percent from the same period a year earlier. The company attributed the increase to strong performance across its subsidiaries and momentum in its PNG operations.

AUSTRALIA 10 MRT

Telstra hires ex-Spark exec Renee Mateparae to head product strategy

Telstra has appointed former Spark New Zealand executive Renee Mateparae as head of strategy and planning for its product and technology group. Mateparae will join Telstra on 21 April, reporting within the company's product and technology organisation. She most recently served as network and operations director at Spark, where she oversaw network performance, 5G deployment, automation and operational transformation initiatives.

AUSTRALIA 9 MRT

TPG Telecom selects Cisco's Splunk for AIOps service operations

Australian operator TPG Telecom is implementing Cisco's AI-driven technology to boost reliability, security, and efficiency in its mobile and fixed network operations. TPG Telecom will deploy Cisco's AI-driven observability and security tool Splunk to unify network operations into a single, modern platform, underpinning its migration to a AIOps-driven Service Operations Centre structure. A suite of integrations based on the Splunk technology will be configured to correlate real-time network data and IT inci

AUSTRALIA 9 MRT

Equinix Australia managing director Guy Danskine to relocate to US role

Equinix Australia managing director Guy Danskine will relocate to the United States to take up a new position as managing director for Equinix Western US, the company said. Danskine has led the Australian business for more than six years. During that time, Equinix said it expanded operations across four metropolitan markets, increased market share and opened its first xScale data centre facility in Sydney. The company said it will announce a successor for the Australian managing director role at a later dat

NEW ZEALAND 9 MRT

One NZ partners Shush to launch network authentication APIs

One New Zealand has entered into a commercial agreement with US-based authentication provider Shush to launch a set of network authentication APIs for enterprise customers in New Zealand. The operator said the agreement will allow businesses to use authentication capabilities derived from One New Zealand's mobile network infrastructure. The APIs will be delivered through Shush's Sherlock platform, which the companies said supports 47 network APIs and is designed to comply with GSMA Open Gateway, CAMARA and

NEW ZEALAND 9 MRT

NZ operators warn users to check devices ahead of 3G shutdown

New Zealand's telecommunications sector has urged mobile users to check whether their devices will continue to support emergency calling as the nationwide shutdown of 3G networks nears completion. The warning was issued by the industry body the Telecommunications Forum (TCF), which said devices that rely on 3G for voice, messaging or data connectivity will stop functioning once the remaining networks are switched off.

AUSTRALIA 9 MRT

Australian operators dispute proposed ACMA mobile coverage mapping standard

Telstra, Optus and TPG Telecom are disputing proposed changes to Australia's mobile coverage mapping rules being developed by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), according to ITNews, citing company sources. The dispute centres on a draft ACMA standard that would define areas with signal strength weaker than -115dBm as not having usable mobile service on coverage maps. Telstra has argued it should be permitted to classify areas with signal strengths down to -122dBm as having usable cove

AUSTRALIA 6 MRT

Aylo blocks Australian users ahead of new age-verification rules

Canadian adult content company Aylo has begun blocking Australian users from several of its websites ahead of new online safety rules requiring age verification for access to adult material. Aylo, which operates sites including Pornhub, YouPorn, RedTube and Tube8, restricted access to RedTube, YouPorn and Tube8 in Australia on 6 March and said it was not currently accepting new account registrations from the country. Pornhub, the company's largest platform, had not yet been blocked.

AUSTRALIA 6 MRT

Australia's Anti-Scam Centre taskforce disrupts hundreds of romance scams

A taskforce led by Australia's National Anti-Scam Centre has disrupted hundreds of suspected romance scam operations and referred more than 1,000 financial transactions for investigation, according to a new report covering activities between July and December 2025. The Romance Scam Fusion Cell brought together organisations from sectors including social media and dating platforms, banks, cryptocurrency exchanges, law enforcement and victim support services in a coordinated effort to tackle scams that rely o

AUSTRALIA 6 MRT

Acronis expands motorsport partnerships during Australian Grand Prix weekend

Cybersecurity and data protection provider Acronis has announced a motorsport partnership activation with Australian distributor Leader during the Australian Grand Prix weekend in Melbourne from 6-8 March 2026. The initiative spans two racing programmes. Acronis will serve as official cybersecurity partner to Campos Racing in the FIA Formula 2 Championship and as an official partner of Grove Racing.

NEW ZEALAND 6 MRT

New Zealand inquiry calls for stronger online safety rules for children

A parliamentary committee in New Zealand has completed an inquiry into online harms affecting young people, recommending stronger regulation of digital platforms, new legal measures and the creation of an independent online safety regulator. The Education and Workforce Committee released its final report on 5 March, outlining 12 recommendations for the government on how to address risks faced by children and teenagers online.

AUSTRALIA 5 MRT

Streaming dominates Australian viewing as free-to-air TV rebounds partially

New research from the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) shows online streaming remains the dominant way Australians watch and listen to content, while traditional free-to-air television has recorded a modest recovery. The findings, drawn from the regulator's annual consumer survey and industry data, show that 91 percent of adults used an online service to watch video content in a given week in 2025, unchanged from 2024. Viewership of leading platforms stabilised after years of growth, wit

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Background

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The week in telecom: MWC brings 5G advances, AI and satellite integration, plus first robot phone

1 MRT 13:21

The week in telecoms: Paramount tops bidding for WBD, Samsung S26 kicks off MWC showcase

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