eSafety finds gaps in tech platforms' detection of online abuse
AUSTRALIA 5 FEB

eSafety finds gaps in tech platforms' detection of online abuse

Major technology companies including Apple, Google, Meta and Microsoft have made limited progress in tackling online child sexual exploitation and abuse, but continue to fall short in key areas such as live abuse detection and proactive identification of new material, according to a new report from Australia's eSafety Commissioner. The report is the second in a planned series of four transparency assessments examining how large platforms address child sexual exploitation and abuse, including real and AI-gen

BAI Communications to deliver private 5G network for Sydney Metro West
AUSTRALIA 5 FEB

BAI Communications to deliver private 5G network for Sydney Metro West

BAI Communications has been awarded a major contract to deliver radio communications and mobile connectivity infrastructure for the Sydney Metro West project, Australia's largest public transport infrastructure development. The operator will work as a partner to the Metro Trains West consortium, which was awarded the Trains, Systems, Maintenance and Operations contract by the New South Wales Government in December.

Firmus secures investment from Maas to expand Australian supply chain
AUSTRALIA 5 FEB

Firmus secures investment from Maas to expand Australian supply chain

Australian data centre and infrastructure developer Firmus Technologies has announced a strategic equity investment from Maas Group Holdings, as it continues to build a domestically based supply chain for large-scale AI infrastructure. The investment aligns Maas with Firmus's strategy of reducing reliance on overseas manufacturing by developing Australian capabilities across advanced manufacturing, construction and electrification for AI facilities. Maas is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange.

NZ operators back stronger protections for network relocation
NEW ZEALAND 5 FEB

NZ operators back stronger protections for network relocation

New Zealand's operators have broadly supported the Public Works Amendment Bill, while calling for targeted changes to ensure network operators are fully compensated and empowered when critical infrastructure is affected by public works projects. In a submission to the Transport and Infrastructure Committee, the New Zealand Telecommunications Forum (TCF) said it welcomed the Bill's intent to accelerate delivery of nationally significant infrastructure by streamlining land acquisition, objections, and project

Sky NZ renews distribution agreement with ESPN
NEW ZEALAND 5 FEB

Sky NZ renews distribution agreement with ESPN

Sky New Zealand has renewed its distribution agreement with global sports brand ESPN. Through this multi-year agreement, Sky customers will continue to enjoy ESPN and ESPN2 channels on Sky Sport and streamed on Sky Sport Now and Sky Go. The renewed programming deal continues to deliver a robust programming lineup, including: MLB; NHL; NFL; NBA; NCAA Basketball & Football; Australian NBL; and FIBA basketball. 

Gilmour Space to test laser communications with Transcelestial
AUSTRALIA 4 FEB

Gilmour Space to test laser communications with Transcelestial

Australian launch services company Gilmour Space Technologies has entered a partnership with Singapore- and US-based Transcelestial to integrate and test optical, or laser-based, communications on an upcoming satellite mission scheduled for later this year. As part of the collaboration, Gilmour Space plans to fly a Transcelestial laser communications terminal on its MMS2 mission, with an in-orbit demonstration intended to validate satellite-to-ground optical links under operational conditions. 

Lycamobile pays AUD 376,000 after scam rule crackdown
AUSTRALIA 4 FEB

Lycamobile pays AUD 376,000 after scam rule crackdown

Australian operator Lycamobile has paid a AUD 376,200 penalty after it failed to adequately carry out identity verification checks when transferring mobile phone services from other providers, which led to reported consumer losses of at least AUD 175,000. An Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) investigation found Lycamobile breached anti-scam rules on 131 occasions between September and December 2024 after scammers exploited weaknesses in its systems.

ACMA research finds strong support for consistent TV content safeguards
AUSTRALIA 4 FEB

ACMA research finds strong support for consistent TV content safeguards

Australian viewers continue to place a high value on safeguards for television content as viewing shifts towards online platforms, according to new research published by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA). The study, based on consumer research conducted in June 2025, found that subscription video-on-demand services are now the most common way Australians watch TV content, cited by 43 percent of respondents.

Consumer group wants coverage obligations in Australia's spectrum renewals
AUSTRALIA 4 FEB

Consumer group wants coverage obligations in Australia's spectrum renewals

Australia's communications consumer body, the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN), has urged the federal government to impose mobile coverage obligations on operators as a condition of renewing expiring spectrum licences at discounted rates. The call follows a proposal by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) to renew the licences without an auction, with a revised valuation of AUD 7.3 billion, compared with AUD 8.2 billion paid in the previous licence period. 

Snapchat blocks more than 415,000 Australian accounts
AUSTRALIA 3 FEB

Snapchat blocks more than 415,000 Australian accounts

Snapchat has blocked or disabled more than 415,000 accounts in Australia in the first two months of the country's Social Media Minimum Age (SMMA) law, as the company outlined its compliance efforts and raised concerns about the legislation's current implementation. The company said that by the end of January 2026 it had taken action against accounts belonging to users who either declared themselves to be under 16 or were identified as underage using Snapchat's age detection technology. 

2degrees completes 3G network shutdown
NEW ZEALAND 3 FEB

2degrees completes 3G network shutdown

New Zealand operator 2degrees has completed the shutdown of its 3G services. The shutdown removed 3G services from operation and will see 2degrees mobile users connected to its 4G and 5G networks. CEO Mark Callander said the operator had been communicating with its customers and planning for this shutdown for more than 18 months. The operator decommissioned 3G services on around 100 rural sites in December, then shut down 3G services in Palmerston North and Rotorua in January, before the full shutdown of na

Invercargill Initiative supports more than 1,200 youth in NZ
NEW ZEALAND 3 FEB

Invercargill Initiative supports more than 1,200 youth in NZ

More than 1,200 young people in New Zealand's Southland received direct support in 2025 through the Invercargill Initiative, a community-led collaboration led by the charitable arm of operator One NZ, Te Rourou, One Aotearoa Foundation, according to its annual report. The Invercargill Initiative Network 2025 Year in Review outlines the combined mahi of seven frontline youth organisations working with Te Rourou across Invercargill and Bluff. During the year, the network delivered more than 150 events and act

PAPUA NEW GUINEA 2 FEB

Papua New Guinea approves USD 120 mln submarine cable programme

Papua New Guinea's National Executive Council has approved a USD120 million financing proposal from the Australian Infrastructure Financing Facility for the Pacific (AIFFP) to deliver three new international submarine cable connections for the country under the Pukpuk Connectivity Initiative. The proposal is structured as a multi-route undersea cable programme intended to improve redundancy and reduce single points of failure in the country's international connectivity. 

NEW ZEALAND 2 FEB

One NZ expands mobile satellite service to include data and WhatsApp calling

One New Zealand has expanded its satellite-to-mobile offering to include limited data access and voice calling via WhatsApp, extending a service that initially launched with satellite text messaging in December 2024. The operator said the service, which uses Starlink's Direct-to-Cell satellite network, now supports a selected group of applications alongside messaging.

NEW ZEALAND 30 JAN

Spark finalises sale of 75% of data centre business to PEP

New Zealand  operator Spark confirmed it has completed the sale of a 75 percent interest in its data centre business to Pacific Equity Partners (PEP). Spark's data centre assets and operations have now transferred over to a new stand-alone company, called TenPeaks Data Centres, with Spark holding two seats on the board. Spark CEO, Jolie Hodson, and CFO, Stewart Taylor, have been appointed as non-executive directors alongside Andrew Charlier, Evan Hattersley, and Michael Bendeli from PEP's Secure Assets Fund

NEW ZEALAND 30 JAN

One NZ and dosh tie phone upgrades to everyday spend

One New Zealand has partnered with local fintech dosh to allow customers to earn mobile phone upgrade rewards through everyday debit card spending and home loans, extending the operator's Phone Dollar loyalty scheme beyond traditional mobile usage. Under the partnership, One NZ customers can earn Phone Dollars through a new co-branded dosh Visa Debit Card, which awards rewards based on everyday spend, as well as through an exclusive dosh home loan offer. 

NEW ZEALAND 30 JAN

Chorus sees strong data demand on fibre network

New Zealand wholesale operator Chorus said data demand in Q2 FY26 remains strong fibre usage continued its upward trajectory, with December 2025 average fibre usage at highest ever levels of 699 GB. This was despite the traditionally low Christmas holiday period. Year on year, the monthly average data usage on fibre for December was up 9 percent. Chorus recorded its highest ever data usage day on 30 November 2025 with over 31 petabytes (PB) of data transferred by its fibre network following the Fortnite "Pa

AUSTRALIA 30 JAN

Aussie Broadband appoints Darren Rowland as CFO

Aussie Broadband group has appointed Darren Rowland as its new chief financial officer, effective 23 February 2026. Rowland brings more than 25 years' experience across finance, commercial, strategy, M&A, capital markets and governance. Most recently, he served for eight years as chief financial officer and joint company secretary of Lifestyle Communities supporting the business through periods of significant growth, transformation and market change. 

NEW ZEALAND 30 JAN

Sky Sport continues as exclusive broadcast partner for NZ Open

New Zealand broadcaster Sky has confirmed a new three-year broadcast and production agreement with the New Zealand Open ensuring ensuring fans both at home and abroad can once again watch world-class golf from Millbrook Resort. Sky continues as the exclusive New Zealand broadcast, with NEP providing production expertise to deliver extensive coverage of the tournament from Queenstown.

AUSTRALIA 30 JAN

Adelaide University advances terahertz device research for 6G

Researchers at Adelaide University in Australia are developing terahertz-based wireless devices that could support future 6G communications, as academic research is translated into manufacturable hardware. The work is being carried out by the Terahertz Engineering Laboratory (TEL) in collaboration with the Australian National Fabrication Facility in South Australia (ANFF-SA) at Mawson Lakes. 

AUSTRALIA 29 JAN

WinDC partners Megaport to connect renewable-powered AI compute globally

Australian start-up WinDC said it has formed a strategic partnership with Megaport to connect its renewable-powered AI infrastructure to Megaport's network-as-a-service platform, enabling organisations to access AI compute deployed at renewable energy generation sites across Australia. Under the agreement, WinDC's modular AI facilities, located at solar, wind and hydro generation sites, will be linked to Megaport's private, high-capacity network, allowing customers to run AI workloads using locally generate

AUSTRALIA 29 JAN

SCX.ai deploys sovereign AI node at Equinix Sydney data centre

Southern Cross AI (SCX.ai) said it has launched what it claims is Australia's first sovereign AI inferencing node, hosted at Equinix's SY5 data centre in Sydney, providing locally based AI processing designed to meet domestic data residency requirements. The company said the deployment uses an ASIC-accelerated architecture rather than traditional GPU-based systems, delivering significantly higher energy efficiency for AI inferencing workloads and removing the need for water-based cooling.

AUSTRALIA 29 JAN

Telstra investigates network issue impacting older iPhones after software updates

Telstra said it is investigating a technical issue preventing some older Apple devices from connecting to its mobile network, including the ability to make emergency calls to triple zero (000). In a notice published on 28 January, the operator said the problem affects certain older iPhone models that have recently installed Apple software updates. Devices identified as potentially impacted include the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X running iOS 16.7.13.

AUSTRALIA 29 JAN

Osmose expands Australian telecom engineering capabilities through acquisitions

US-based Osmose Utilities Services said it has acquired Western Australia-based contractor Mainswest and substantially all assets of Centillion Solutions, expanding its underground construction and telecommunications engineering capabilities in Australia. The acquisitions were completed through Osmose's Australian subsidiaries.

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VodafoneThree comes 6th in UK Top Employers list

6 FEB 14:17

Dhiraagu partners with Medianet to introduce MTV Mobile streaming

6 FEB 14:13

Voxi, EE named best mobile, broadband providers by Uswitch

6 FEB 14:12

Macra board assumes office after orientation programme

Commentary

2 FEB 13:49

KPN results show little bother from the competition

2 JAN 13:21

Open Dutch Fiber's new management team takes up turnaround challenge

15 DEC 2025 13:56

Video market set for slower growth ahead

8 DEC 2025 11:38

Netflix buys Warner Bros to deepen content catalogue

Background

2 FEB 00:45

The week in telecoms: Verizon sparks fears of US price war, Apple beats Samsung in Q4, Telekom ramps up fibre marketing

26 JAN 00:31

The week in telecoms: Netflix and Ericsson all about cash, EU sketches out rip-and-replace and copper transition plans

22 JAN 14:28

Netflix can spend more on content and still improve its margin

19 JAN 00:42

The week in telecom: Apple holds on to smartphone crown, Ericsson slims down and CommScope changes name