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Oonagh Reidy

Finally! Vodafone Extend iPhone Warranty

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Vodafone follows the Optus lead and moved to extend phone warranties to 2 years.
This is the mobile providers’ latest bid to sweeten its customers following the fallout from the PR nightmare that ensued following its repeated service interruptions that hit its network late last year.

This was quickly followed by a Privacy Commission investigation into lack of security for Vodafone consumers’ online information. 

“We are also introducing 24-month warranties across all our handsets and mobile broadband modems including Apple iPhones so all now come with additional free protection from the cost of repairing a device for 2 years from the date it’s purchased,” they said in a statement released yesterday. 

This followed warnings by the ACCC that providers could not give shaky guarantees on its devices and the introduction of the Australian Consumer Law on 1 January last which strengthens consumer rights in the grey area of contract terms.
 It also gives them more power to act on recalcitrant retailers. 

In 2010, both Vodafone and Telstra were investigated by the ACCC and pledged to give extended warranties for all phones sold but excluded Apple handsets. 

Many of the phones sold by these carriers are subject to a 24 month line rental contract, which means that if an iPhone breaks during the contract lifetime, the consumer could be left without a handset, whilst still being obliged to pay contractual charges.
 
However, Vodafone previously stated: “Most customers who visit our Service Centres will walk away with either a repaired or refurbished handset of the same model within an hour.”

 

Optus extended its handset warranty program to 24 months covering all current Optus Post-Paid Mobile handsets, including the Apple iPhone 4 in November last.

“Retailers take note – you cannot wipe your hands clean of a faulty product just because the manufacturer’s warranty period has ended, particularly when your product is supplied in conjunction with a lock-in contract that is longer than the manufacturer’s warranty period,” Chairman of the ACCC, Graham Samuel warned in October.
 

Internode Speeds Up Tas Connections Ahead of NBN

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Upload speed now 25 megabits per second.

In a move that aligns broadband speeds in Tasmania with the rest of mainland Australia, Internode’s has improved its service there to an “upload speed of a 25 megabits per second (Mbps) service automatically increases from 2 Mbps to 5  Mbps,” the company said in a statement.

The 50 Mbps service upload speed is five times faster jumping 4 to 20 Mbps as is 100 Mbps, upgraded from 8 to 40 Mbps.  

The new speeds will facilitate improved use of business applications including videoconferencing and facilitate cloud computing when the NBN arrives, say Internode, and is the latest move by Australia’s second largest broadband provider to get up to speed with the national broadband rollout, which is gaining pace.

“A key benefit of these faster upload speeds is that they better support new and emerging applications, such as high definition IP videoconferencing,” says Internode’s Jim Kellett.

“Faster upload speeds also improve the performance of telecommuting via Internet virtual private networks, and support emerging business demands for cloud computing and networked data storage. Even general Internet usage like file downloads may be improved by faster upload speeds.”

In December, Internode’s MD, Simon Hackett voiced strong criticism against the NBN plan, claiming its high density interconnection model, amounted to a cartel between the government, Optus and Telstra.

108-130 points of interconnection (POI) will be established on the NBN in mainland cities and 81 POIs in regional Australia and six in Tasmania, it was announced in December.

The upgrades, which commenced January 8 are to be up and running within the end of this week, say the company.

NBN In Cartel With Telstra And Optus, Claims Internode

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As the NBN plan was announced, the second largest broadband provider claimed it amounts to a cartel between Optus, Telstra and the government.
In a blog posted on Sunday, Internode’s MD, Simon Hackett said he supports the government’s original 14 points of interconnection model,  despite opposition being voiced from the competition regulator, the ACCC, who recommended an increase in the number of connection points, claiming the current number would reducing competition in backhaul markets.

The parties who contested the number to the ACCC included backhaul providers AAPT, Nextgen Networks, Optus, PIPE Networks, Telstra and the Competitive Carriers Coalition (CCC).

Carriers like Optus, VHA and TPG also back a ‘low consolidation’ approach, calling for the establishment of up to 400 or 500 points of connection to the fibre network.

Hackett’s opposition to the low density POI model is based on a belief that it “means that all smaller players will be forced to buy access from their own (generally) capital city based networks, through to each of those 200 POIs, from one of the few players with that existing fibre backbone structure in place.”

“Because there will be very few of the big players, the access pricing to access the NBN POI’s will tend toward cartel behaviour,” he claims.

 

Following the NBN launch plan yesterday, the number of POI is now set to jump eight times its original number, to 120 points nationally.

108-130 POIs will be established in mainland cities and 81 POIs in regional Australia and six in Tasmania, according to the plan announced yesterday.

Lasoo Looks to Mobile Apps for Growth

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Retail comparison site Lasoo is set to overhaul its creative offering account, according to an AdNews report out today.

The self proclaimed “leading pre shopping website” which features catalogues and price comparisons from the likes of Dick Smith,Myer, Big W and mobile computing e-store MLN, as well as brands including Panasonic, and Officeworks,  is reviewing its account, worth over $7 million, as the growth in online retail rockets.

The site generally does not allow purchases to be made on its online turf, instead it redirects browsers to the retailer’s site for purchase.

Whoever bags the lucrative deal will be responsible for the creation of mobile apps on other platforms including Androids, which are now seen as a critical ingredient to the e-commerce marketing mix.

It was among the first to launch a retail application for the Apple iPad in May last.

Sydney-based Lasoo is said to have approached five agencies, with a decision is said to be announced in the near future although mystery surrounds who the winner will be.

The company have been without an agency of record for more than a year and worked with ad agency Twenty20 in a creative capacity from launch in 2007.  

 

The website scores 1.1 to 1.2 million visits a month and more page views than any other shopping site, according to Lasoo MD, Paul Marshall.

Retailers currently pay for the listings, although Marshall earmarked this to be changed to a performance-based operation with payments for each interaction, earlier this year.

JB Hi-Fi, Harvey Norman Vulnerable From Online Trading, Warns Analyst

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Retailers including JB Hi-Fi and Harvey Norman are set to make major financial losses as the growth of online rivals continues, warns Morgan Stanley.The ASX listed electronic giants are vulnerable to major market share as growth in online shopping gains pace together with the continued unprecedented strength of the Aussie dollar, which makes international goods purchased online much cheaper, says analysts at Morgan Stanley.
 
“We estimate that if by full-year 2015 Australian online retail penetration reaches the current US level, then internet retailing could take 22 per cent of the incremental growth in Australian retail sales,” said analyst Thomas Kierath, in an interview with the Australian. 

Internet-based retailers will also pose a major threat to small retailers, according to Ed Prendergast of Pengana Capital, although, forecasts elsewhere from IBISWorld suggest only modest growth in online retailers’ market share in the next five years.

Earlier this week, Smarthouse.com reported on how Harvey Norman Chairman, Gerry Harvey, confirmed he was planning to start selling into Australia from web sites operated from Southern China, hot on the heels of an earlier announcement by retailer Myer some days previously.

“I spoke to our online man this morning, and I said why can’t we do that? And he said there is no reason we can’t do that at all,’ said Gerry Harvey.

This follows frustration expressed by both organisations with the tax-free and duty-free prices offered by overseas competitors and inaction by the federal government.

IP Competition Heats Up With Internode 3G Plan

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NodeMobile triples its memory allowance on all 3G plans as the competition for customers intensifies, ahead of NBN changeover.

The company has also sweetened the deal by giving all subscribers of NodeMobile, its 3G wireless broadband service delivered through the Optus network, an automatic quota boost on their previous plans or a free upgrade.

If users exceed their allowed limits, a further 500 megabytes can be purchased for $19.95 on its 3G Data Blocks. Other sweeteners include a price cut for their Huawei E1762 modem.

The new pricing structure ranges from 1.5GB for $19.95 to 18GB for $79.95, with five data options available at a connection speed of 64kbps.  

When the service was first launched in 2009, their base 250 MB plan was priced at $14.95 a month and a 3 MB plan for $39.95.

The changes to data quotas were made following increasing customer demand, which “better reflects how people are using their 3G broadband plans in the real world,” said Internode product manager Jim Kellett .

“Many customers upgraded to multi-gigabyte 3G plans after finding that a 500MB plan did not meet their needs.”  

Previously the maximum available plan was 6 GB per month.

Interconnecter capacity between Internode and Optus networks has also been improved fourfold, improving performance during peak times, which is a common user complaint, says the company.

The Optus ‘Yes’ plan is still more competitively priced, however, charging $29.95 for 4GB and up to 120GB anytime mobile broadband for $49.95, although NodeMobile’s service is far better value than the current offering by Big Pond, which starts at for just  0.4 GB for $29.95.

10GB is currently the maximum allowance available on Virgin’s mobile internet service.

Government Acts To Quell Harvey Norman Call

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Days after retail giants Myer and Harvey Norman call on the Federal government to impose a 10 percent GST on online goods, Minister for Digital Economy, Stephen Conroy, has come out with advice for businesses moving online.

Launching the new website www.digitalbusiness.gov.au, which provides guidance for businesses seeking to establish greater online presence, it’s a clear pointer for the online direction in which retail trade is going.

“More and more Australians are turning to the internet to find information and it is important that small businesses and community organisations understand how to reach these people,” Senator Conroy admitted.

Consumer choice and ability to buy online will be further enhanced with the advent of the national broadband network, meaning businesses need to up their game, the minister conceded.

“The rollout of the National Broadband Network (NBN) will also deliver every home and business with affordable high speed broadband and it’s crucial for people to have the skills to take advantage of it,” he said.

The new site is replacing the two previous online guidelines, e-businessguide.gov.au, first introduced in 2004 and e-strategyguide.gov.au, in place since 2006, and gives companies lessons on e-commerce, enhancing productivity on the web and digital business.

Microsoft To Protect Consumers From Online Tracking

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Internet users could be put back in the driving seat if Microsoft goes ahead with plans to ditch online web tracking and information sharing.
According to an announcement just made by the software giant, they are planning to launch to a new version of their Internet Explorer 9 browser, allowing browsers to evade online tracking by companies who use this information to sell to advertisers.

“We believe that the combination of consumer opt-in, an open platform for publishing of Tracking Protection Lists (TPLs), and the underlying technology mechanism for Tracking Protection offer new options and a good balance between empowering consumers and online industry needs,” Microsoft said.

The proposed tracking protection lists will be also updated regularly with new Web addresses to block, according to Microsoft.

Anti tracking will allow users to opt out of such online monitoring conducted by privacy groups and other firms who identify the online addresses that tracking companies operate from.

If this goes ahead the multi-billion dollar advertising industry built on the back of browser tracking could be dealt a huge blow, in particular the likes of Google, and Yahoo who spawned the concept, if other companies follow suit and users embrace the tool.

 

This announcement by Microsoft also comes after the US congress met last Thursday to debate if legislation to create a “Do Not Track Me” mechanism is needed to protect consumer’s privacy online.

90 percent of US consumers polled said they desired more protection, especially in light of recent revelations that Google Street views were tracking information from home Wi-Fi networks.

“Privacy remains a key topic and. ..finding the right balance of investments by both companies and the advertising industry that will provide meaningful choice, control and protection for the consumer’s information and that contribute to growing consumer trust,” said Microsoft Chief Privacy Strategist Peter Cullen.

In 2008 Microsoft had considered ‘InPrivate Subscriptions’ for its Internet Explorer 8.

Optus To Pick IPTV Partner

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Telecoms giant about to consolidate its ‘quadruple play’ strategy as it mulls over its IPTV provider.Five companies including Fetch TV, Nine Entertainment company (which includes the Nine Network) and Hybrid  television Services, which is partly owned by Channel Seven, are currently pitching their internet pay TV services to Optus, according to a report in The Australian yesterday.

Fetch are hotly tipped as the favourite to provide the pay-TV services, which would offer ready-to-go digital set-top box and PVR, as well as other pay as you go channels and movies, for an optimum fee of around $30 a month after an initial $99 join-up cost.

Additional  pay as you go TV channels, teamed with interactive apps and video services are also part of the hybrid offering by the company, which is partly owned by Astro All Asia Networks, one of Asia’s leading pay TV providers, according to the newspaper.

The TiVo set top box offered by Hybrid TV, which is selling for $499 and recently reduced from $699, would prove an expensive alternative to Fetch’s price friendly offering, which it already provides to other broadband companies including iiNet and Internode.

The other extra being offered by the company its Caspa internet TV, a video and music on demand system earmarked for integration into Samsung TV devices by next year.

Caspa’s promised free pay per view movies and additional TV channels by the close of this year and their $200 price reduction for their set top box is a clear move to gain market share from subscription services like Telstra’s T-Box and Fetch TV.

 

The other three other competitors in the running for the deal with Optus, which are said to include Hulu and Nine Entertainment will complete Optus ‘quadruple play’ strategy, streaming their services for mobile and voice with their  broadband and IPTV services.

Foxtel denied they were in talks with the company.

Optus are set to finalise their decision by early next year.

BlackBerry Outstrips Apple iOS

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Android, BlackBerry users outstrips iOS in mobile internet usage for the very first time.
Good news for Google has emerged with news that its Android system has almost tripled its mobile internet market share in the past year in the US, jumping from 8.2 percent to 23.8 percent, while BlackBerry’s OS also celebrated a similar rise at 34.3 percent, surpassing Apple for the first time ever.

Usage of Apple’s iOS has fallen to 33 percent from a high of 51.9 percent over the same period last November.

“These figures suggest that developers should not be developing solely for the iPhone to the exclusion of BlackBerry and Android,” according to Aodhan Cullen, CEO of StatCounter, who revealed the results.

Regarding Microsoft’s latest attempt to gain ground in the rapidly evolving mobile internet market with the introduction of the Windows Phone 7 device, it has yet to make inroads in terms of usage but would be very interesting to observe over the next year, he conceded.

“This data demonstrates that there is a battle royal already going on in the Smartphone market for the consumer and business internet user,” he said.

“You can never underestimate Microsoft but it looks to have its work cut out.”