Australia

The disappearing ISPs

According to a release from the Australian Bureau of Statistics last week, the number of Australian ISPs dropped by 32% between March 2005 and September 2006 from 689 to 467.

While the number of Australian ISPs have remained relatively static between 2000 and 2005, the market appears to have been consolidating significantly in the last 18 months:

[Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics]

While the Australian number of ISPs have remained steady until early 2005, the New Zealand market has seen a gradual decline in ISP numbers since 1999:

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February 23rd, 2007 | 2 comments
Sections: New Zealand, Australia
Tags: Broadband, LLU

iiNet trading still suspended on the ASX

The suspension on trading of iiNet shares on the ASX continues into its 4th week. iiNet is the Perth based owner of New Zealand’s third largest ISP IHUG. According to the Western Australian Business News, no further information is available as to when the suspension will be lifted.

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May 11th, 2006 | 1 comment
Sections: Australia
Tags: No Tags

Telecom NZ announcing AAPT sell-off today?

According to The Age, Telecom NZ is going to provide a “meaningful update” in regard to AAPT when it reports its third quarter results later today.

We are hearing rumours that a sell-off of AAPT may indeed be imminent. We are looking forward to Telecom’s third quarter results today and what may be announced in regard to AAPT.

May 4th, 2006 | Add a comment
Sections: New Zealand, Australia
Tags: No Tags

iiNet packet loss

It was not a pending acquisition that halted the trading of iiNet shares on the ASX but accounting errors and flawed financial forecasting. (iiNet is the Australian owner of IHUG.)

According to Australian IT, the company said it had become clear that its financial performance for the 2006 financial year would be “significantly below” its previous guidance to the market. iiNet issued a statement saying its shares would remain suspended until at least May 8 while auditors Ernst & Young investigated “deficiencies in forecasting and clerical errors in revenue recognition”.

Rumours are still suggesting that IHUG may be divested. Will Vodafone NZ pick up IHUG to acquire wireline broadband capabilities?

April 30th, 2006 | Add a comment
Sections: Wired, Australia
Tags: No Tags

The mothership to the rescue?

It is probably fair to say that TelstraClear was pinning much of its strategy on the local loop unbundling that never happened. The lobbying by TelstraClear and the other NZ challengers has been to no avail. Looks like the mothership is getting into the fight now however. NineMSN is today reporting that Telstra has told a parliamentary inquiry into the Australia and New Zealand Closer Economic Relations (CER) trade agreement there were many benefits in a single telecommunications market.

You bet there would be a number of advantages to a single market! At least to New Zealand and at least if “a single market” extends to the regulatory regimes.

Given Telecom’s disappointing performance in Australia via AAPT, they may not agree on this one however. Anything making it easier for the Telstra and its TelstraClear subsidiary to compete effectively in New Zealand is obviously bad for Telecom NZ. We are awaiting the Telecom NZ responses on this one.

April 24th, 2006 | Add a comment
Sections: Wired, New Zealand, Australia
Tags: No Tags

The NGN war is on!

The war is on between the Telco incumbents and challengers in markets around the world. The incumbents are defending their future IP-based next generation networks (NGNs) now under attack by the challengers. The was is now intensifying also in Australia.

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April 23rd, 2006 | Add a comment
Sections: Wired, New Zealand, Australia
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LLU: too little too late?

About a week ago, Statistics New Zealand released their Internet Service Provider Survey for the 5 month period 31 March - 30 September 2005. The highlights, if you want to call it that were simple, broadband uptake grew by 15% and dialup grew by 4%! What can we say, its pathetic.

In contrast, the take-up of broadband in Australia is approaching three million connections, according to a report issued by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) today. The annual growth rate for broadband in Australia in 2005 was 85% (compared to 94% in 2004). We do not have any annualized figures for NZ broadband growth, but given that the 5 month broadband growth between April and September was 15%, we can can safely say that we are slipping further and further behind.

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April 6th, 2006 | 2 comments
Sections: Wired, New Zealand, Australia
Tags: No Tags