Tag: Telstra

Australia’s Largest Telco Announces Hundreds of Job Cuts

Australian telco giant Telstra has started a new round of job cuts as the company progresses with its cost-saving strategy to remain competitive in the market. On July 20, Telstra said the latest changes within the company had resulted in “a net reduction of around 472 jobs.” Most of the lost positions were reported to…


Millions Affected as Eastern Australia Suffers 12 Hour Mobile Blackout

Millions of Australians in the states of New South Wales (NSW) and Queensland were left without mobile phone services after a 12-hour mobile outage hit the eastern states last night around 10 p.m. on Monday night. Independent outage tracker Down Detector noted on Twitter that outages were detected last night at around 10:17 p.m. Telstra alerted…


Personal Information of 130,000 Telstra Customers Published Online in Error

More than 130,000 Telstra customers have had their personal details leaked online due to an internal error. The telecommunication giant on Dec. 9 said some customer’s names, addresses, and phone numbers were incorrectly listed on the White Pages and Directory Assistance Services websites that the company is responsible for providing. Telstra said no cyber activity…


Consumer Watchdog Taking Telstra to Court

The consumer watchdog is taking Telstra to court over claims the telco giant was misleading customers on its broadband speeds. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has started proceedings against Telstra in the Federal Court about the company’s representation of its cheaper internet brand Belong. The commission alleges almost 9000 Belong customers were moved from…


Telco Giant CEO Urges Australia to Strengthen Cyber Security

The CEO of Australia’s largest telco Telstra has called on the federal government and the telecommunication industry to invest more in cyber defences to counter ransomware and other online attacks. Andy Penn, who is also the chair of the ​​​​​ Cyber Security Industry Advisory Committee, said Australia needed a whole-of-nation approach to online threats due…


Australian Telco Finalises $1.6 Billion Buyout of Digicel to Keep It out of Chinese Hands

Australian telecommunications giant Telstra, with backing from the federal government, will finalise its purchase of major Pacific mobile network provider Digicel Pacific. In October 2021, the previous Morrison government launched the bid to keep out potential Chinese suitors from gaining control over Digicel’s data network—the largest in the Pacific region. Current Foreign Minister Penny Wong…


Australian Telco Giant CEO Andrew Penn Announces Retirement

Andrew Penn, the chief executive officer (CEO) of Australian telecommunications giant Telstra, has announced his intention to retire after more than seven years in the role. Telstra Chairman John Mullen said Penn, who joined the company as CFO in 2012 and has been the CEO since 2015, would leave with a positive and enduring legacy….


Optus and TPG Refunding 6.5 Million to Consumers for Underperforming NBN Speeds

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) announced that Optus and TPG would be refunding 6.5 million to tens of thousands of NBN consumers for not informing them suitably of underdelivered internet speeds. Under ACMA rules, telcos must verify maximum internet speeds when migrating customers to the NBN and notify them when speeds cannot meet…


Telstra Fined Millions for Security Breach

Telstra has been fined $2.53 million (US$1.8 million), the largest fine ever issued by the Australian Communications and Media Authority after the company breached privacy rules made to protect consumer privacy and safety. ACMA’s investigation found Australia’s largest telecommunication company failed to correctly upload a customer’s choice of number as unlisted in almost 50,000 instances to…


Australia Blocks China With $1.6 Billion Takeover of South Pacific Telco

The Australian federal government and major telecommunications firm Telstra have pulled the trigger on a US$1.6 billion (AU$2.1 billion) takeover of a dominant South Pacific mobile telecommunications business amid ongoing concerns Beijing could step in and deepen its foothold in the region. The government and Telstra announced its decision on Oct. 25 to acquire the…