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NBN gives itself until September to get fixed wireless congestion sorted

Published

5 years ago

January 3, 2019

(Image: Corinne Reichert/ZDNet)

The company responsible for deploying the National Broadband Network (NBN) across Australia has said it wants to have less than 1 percent of its fixed wireless towers suffering from congestion by late September.

Congestion is defined by the company as having a 30-day average busy hour throughput of under 6Mbps.

In its monthly progress report for November, NBN said it had 0.12 percent of its cells below 3Mbps busy hour speeds, and 3.7 percent sitting between 3 and 6Mbps.

Almost half of NBN’s cells, 47 percent, were capable of over 25Mbps at busy periods.

Responding to Senate Estimates Questions on Notice, NBN said at the end of October it had 416 cells below the congestion threshold, a reduction on the 465 counted on July 1.

“There is not only a dedicated program of work in place to ensure the cells that are currently below the engineering threshold are upgraded as a priority, but also a proactive upgrade program to ensure that cells don’t drop below the engineering threshold,” NBN wrote.

To the end of October, NBN said it had upgraded 3855 cells on 452 sites during 2018, with not all cells necessarily below the threshold. The company added that its upgrade program would continue beyond the September 2019 deadline to “maintain the performance” of its fixed wireless network.

Last month, NBN announced it would be shaking up its fixed wireless plans in mid-2019.

The governent-owned broadband wholesaler will drop its top-tier 25-50/5-20 Mbps plan by the end of 2019, and replace it with a best-effort plan called Fixed Wireless Plus. The new plan will initially be capable of 60Mbps download and 20Mbps upload speeds and will cost the same for retailers as part of NBN’s AU$45 a month fixed line 50 bundle.

After spectrum is reallocated in 2020 to conform to an ACMA edict on interference management, NBN said the plan will have the potential to deliver 75/10Mbps speeds.

“The new wholesale Fixed Wireless Plus product is designed to reflect user demand with our insights showing people connected to the Fixed Wireless network are using their service with a ratio of 10:1 downloads compared to uploads,” NBN chief customer officer Brad Whitcomb said at the time.

“We acknowledge there are some users are currently experiencing slower speeds than anticipated in the busy hour on the Fixed Wireless network and want to reassure people that we are working hard alongside the industry to improve network capacity.”

In August, then-incoming NBN CEO Stephen Rue detailed a new wholesale fixed wireless pricing — AU$45 for existing customers and AU$65 for new customers on the 50/20Mbps speed tier — during a joint standing committee hearing; however, after backlash, the company retreated.

A year earlier, NBN had flagged creating a 100/40Mbps fixed wireless tier, but it too was unceremoniously dumped.

Former NBN CEO Bill Morrow told Senate Estimates in May there was no economic case for it.

“We killed it,” Morrow said.

In October, NBN revealed that more than 1,500 fixed-wireless cells had at least one service downloading more than 1TB of data during the month of May.

Despite this, NBN also said it had forecast to have less than 1.4 percent of fixed-wireless users on the dumped 100/40Mbps speed tier by 2022.

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The company has also revealed that it has purchased 27,600 kilometres of copper cable.

17.5k NBN satellite users have no 3G

Around 17,500 Sky Muster satellite users have no 3G coverage, and that’s before obstructions that could also limit mobile coverage are taking into account.

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The regional telecommunications independent review committee has recommended that NBN be clearer about tech upgrades, look into satellite and fixed-wireless issues, and increase data allowances.

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Cars

2024 Genesis GV60 RWD Fixes The EV’s Biggest Problem

Published

5 hours ago

October 4, 2023

Francisco Peguero

The 2024 Genesis GV60 Standard RWD trim has a starting MSRP of $52,000. The GV60 Advanced AWD and GV60 Performance AWD models start at $60,550 and $69,550, respectively. Another issue cited in SlashGear’s review of the 2023 Genesis GV60 was the vehicle’s limited availability in North America, a problem that hasn’t quite been solved. The GV60 Standard RWD and GV60 Advanced AWD are currently available at select retailers in 23 states, while the availability of the GV60 Performance AWD hasn’t yet been announced.

Despite limited availability, the 2024 Genesis GV60 shouldn’t be overlooked when considering a new EV, especially considering its increased range. Other standard features new to the Genesis GV60 include a Wi-Fi hotspot capability, Highway Driving Assist II, and Advanced Forward Collision Avoidance-Assist. Plus, Genesis added more airbags to the 2024 model, as well as a seat belt pretensioner, load limiter, and rear seat belt reminder.

The luxury EV also retains advanced features Genesis had implemented in previous models, including tech that allows drivers to operate their vehicle using fingerprint and/or facial recognition in lieu of a key. Additionally, it uses a glowing crystal ball as its drive shift, which may be the vehicle’s most unique and innovative feature. Anyone interested in purchasing a 2024 Genesis GV60 can visit a local Genesis retailer or the automaker’s website for more details.

Cars

The History Of Presidential Aircraft From Roosevelt To Biden

Published

6 hours ago

October 4, 2023

Francisco Peguero

Just as the 20th century dawned, a new age of mankind was dawning. Near the end of 1903, Wilbur and Orville Wright accomplished a previously insurmountable task that would alter the course of humanity for the next century and beyond. On December 17, 1903, the Wright brothers took flight in their flying machine.

The dream to touch the sky was a dream no longer, and it was only a matter of time until the President of the United States grasped the import of the development. Nearly a decade after the Wright brothers took the first flight in human history, former President Theodore Roosevelt became the first President to ever fly.

At the time, Roosevelt had been out of office for over a year. At a county fair in St. Louis, Missouri in 1910, President Roosevelt was flown over the crowd. Although a rather inconspicuous occasion, this would be the historic first for presidential air travel. The brief trip was made in a Wright Flyer by Archibald Hoxsey, who himself worked for the Wright Brothers. The Wright Flyer is the comparatively primitive airplane the Wright Brothers designed to enable air travel. The first airplane was born of the Wright Brothers’ experimentation with gliders, which ultimately led them to attach a propulsion system.

After President Roosevelt’s flight, presidential aviation didn’t really pick up any momentum for over two decades. Although Theodore Roosevelt was the first president to ever take to the sky, it would be his distant cousin, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who would be in office for the birth of presidential air travel as we know it today.

Cars

Nintendo Announces End Of Online Service For 3DS And Wii U Following eShop Shutdown

Published

9 hours ago

October 4, 2023

Francisco Peguero

Nintendo 3DS and Wii U gamers will still be able to play offline games on their devices. Users will also be able to download update data and any software or DLC already purchased from the Nintendo eShop. However, it’s important to note that you cannot simply go and purchase the games you missed out on before the shutdown, as the online store ceased operations in March of this year.

A few services will remain functional after Nintendo completes its general online shutdown. StreetPass, the application that lets users communicate directly between devices, will remain available since it utilizes a local connection.

Additionally, the “Pokemon Bank” and “Poke Transporter” applications will retain their online functionalities. “Pokemon Bank,” made free earlier this year, allows users to store up to 3,000 Pokemon in an online bank. “Poke transporter” is a companion application to “Pokemon Bank” that allows users to transfer Pokemon from Gen 5 games and the Virtual Console versions of Gen 1 and 2 to their online inventory.

Although Nintendo is keeping these applications functional for now, it stated that they “may also end at some point in the future.” Many “Pokemon” fans are urging others to transfer their pocket monsters to the Switch’s “Pokemon Home” before it is too late.