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Oonagh Reidy

Vodafone To Unleash New Mobile Plans?

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Vodafone’s mobile plans are to get a makeover, according to sources.

SmartHouse has been told by a company source of the telco’s intentions to overhaul its mobile post-paid plans.

The changes will affect plans with contracted phones, while BYO plans will remain untouched, apparently.

So what will change?

There may ‘possibly be additional call value and data allowance’ on Vodafone post-paid plans, the source indicated.

The telco currently offers a total of eight mobile plans – from $30, $40, $50 to $100.

The news comes just one day after Vodafone changed its Internet data pricing, charging in MB blocks–a move that could push up prices–and are also killing off ‘Infinite’ Facebook and Twitter use for pre-pay users.

So, if our source is correct, then post paid customers may be better off than pre payers, who are now banished from Infinite social networking as of next month.

Vodas drop in data pricing is “largely reflective of the way our customers are using data today” and are a part of its effort to reduce costs as users guzzle data.

 
The charges to data pricing “allow us to invest in a network that will enable the increased access to voice and data our customers are asking for while remaining competitive.”

Vodafone was also ringing their customers this week, quizzing them over their mobile plans and if they were satisfied with existing allowances, possibly as it prepares to make way for its renewed offering.

On the prepay front, the red telco insists its still has some of the best value plans in the market including its $30 cap (500MB and $450 flexible credit), compared to rival Telstra’s $30 plan, as it fought off criticism of its recent changes.



Ugly Truth: Target Boss Jumps Ship As Music, DVD Sales Dive

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Target MD Launa Inman is to step down as the retailing giant comes under increasing trading pressure following earnings nosedive and drooping sales.


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The shock resignation at the top of one of Australia’s biggest retailers after seven years comes as Inman “felt the time was right time to move on,” according to a statement put out by Wesfarmers group today.

However, the Managing Director insists suggestions of poor results pushing her out were off target. 

“There is absolutely no correlation of the results with why I am leaving,” she told various media today. “The timing is right for me and for Target that I now transition out of the business.”

This comes as “erratic trading” forced sales to fall 1.2% to $3.8 billion for the recent financial year, announced in July,  although total sales increased 2.9% to $897 million in Q4, its most recent quarter.

Pre tax earnings also nosedived 27% year-on-year and Inman also forecast trading to continue to be difficult into the first half of the next financial year.
 
The red dot retailer also moved its wares on-line, focusing on children’s apparel, baby and nursery items and selected bathroom ranges with additional categories “to follow”, as well as a revamp of instore format.

Underperforming lines including DVDs and music are also to be reduced due to increasing online competition, with rivals like Apple’s iTunes and JB Hi Fi’s newly announced ‘Now’ offering streamed music instantly from a library of 10 million songs.

But Target has not yet made any music or electronics offering available to buy from their website, proffering consumers catalogue listings and prices only, which is proving to be a big mistake.

Take the Ugly Truth DVD movie starring Katherine Keigl, which selling at Target for a competitive $12.99 – the identical price JB Hi Fi.

 

However, the key difference is the same release is available for online purchase with free delivery from the yellow retailer’s online store, which by the way has over 800K weekly visitors.

The same movie is available for download on iTunes for US$9.99. Thats the real ugly truth for Target’s suffering brick and mortar business.

Read JB Hi Fi Looking At Movie & TV Streaming Here

In a presentation given as part of 2011 results announcement last month, Inman forecast “a challenging & competitive trading environment expected to continue into FY2012.”

She also cited future strategies including “broadening customer offerings: increased use of digital technology (on-line & use of social media); launch of first Urban by Target” and refinement of product presentation in-store” as among her priorities for the year ahead, prior to her resignation.

However, this is not the last stop for Inman, it appears, who is on the lookout for another retail role, however, with a possible move to more upmarket Myer being mooted by media reports today.

”My plans aren’t really set,” she said. ”What I do know that after being at Target for seven years I really don’t want this to be my last stop.

”I just felt that after seven years it was time for me to try something different”, the former Telstra Australia Business Woman of the Year ex Officeworks boss declared.

Inman, who steered Target’s integration into the Wesfarmers  following its takeover of the former Coles business in 2007  will remain in her role until a replacement is found, expected to be early 2012, and is confident for Target’s future, nonetheless.

“I feel privileged to have been given the opportunity to lead Target and I am very proud of what the team and I have achieved together during my time as Managing Director,” she said.

“Target has been an incredibly successful retailer for many years.

 

“I am very confident that with the quality of Target’s senior management team and the plans now in place, Target is set up for success.

Hello NBN: Telstra Move Closer To $11B Deal

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Telstra has lodged its revised split framework, meaning the $11bn pay off from NBN is a step closer to its coffers.
The telco’s revised Structural Separation Undertaking (SSU) submitted today to the ACCC, outlines how it intends to break up its retail and wholesale arms during the construction of the $36bn National Broadband Network.

This means the controversial NBN/Telstra deal may be a step closer, where the telco surrenders all its network infrastructure and cables to NBN Co in return for $11 billion fee, if the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) approves the revised plan.

Final approval by the competition watchdog will also mean Telstra can go gung-ho on the NBN and release its general strategy, consumer plans and pricing, which Optus has already done, for the high speed fibre broadband services being rollout out this year and beyond.

The 105-page revised SSU came after multiple rounds of public consultation and criticism from rival telcos.

However, the ACCC has indicated Telstra had adequately responded to the issues raised, CEO David Thodey said today.

The changes made to the revised SSU lodged in December include clarification on the operation of the overarching equivalence commitment, and how wholesale customers access reference prices for services.

Just last week the ACCC set a cap on the wholesale broadband prices Telstra can charge rivals, which, it now appears, the telco are not objecting to, even though it could set the giant back up to $55m in revenue annually.

Telstra believes the new changes made to the SSU since it was first lodged in July do not constitute material change in the context of the proposed deal approved by shareholders in October last.

“I am pleased the ACCC has acknowledged that their concerns have been addressed and I note their commitment to consider the SSU promptly,” Thodey said.

 

Following acceptance of the SSU there is a small number of procedural matters that need to be addressed before the agreements are implemented.

Read the Telstra submission in full here

“The break up means it will cease supplying fixed line carriage services to retail customers in Australia using telecommunications networks over which Telstra is in a position to exercise control” and “will not be in a position to exercise control of a company that supplies fixed line carriage services to retail customers in Australia,” the submission confirmed.

The ACCC confirmed it received the submission today and said it was now moving to finalise its decision on Telstra’s break-up, which it expects to announce “shortly. “

“This further version addresses those drafting issues raised during the recent consultation process that were of concern to the ACCC,” ACCC chairman Rod Sims said.

The competition watchdog does not propose to consult further in relation to the revised undertaking, it said.

Its Bad: Sony Hack Jacko Nicked, Security SCREWED

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Sony’s latest Michael Jackson hack scandal spells serious trouble for the already troubled giant, as experts warn attacks are worsening.


Sony latest hacking revelation is bad.

Sony Music’s entire Michael Jackson back catalogue collection, worth more than $250 million, was stolen by “Internet hackers” last year, it emerged yesterday.

The hackers took more than 50,000 music files, most of which were by the late pop singer by compromising Sony’s security systems.

High profile artists like Jimi Hendrix, Paul Simon, Foo Fighters and Avril Lavigne were also affected.

Sources say there was “a degree of sophistication” associated with the latest attack, according to The Sun.

However, Sony refused to say how many tracks or artists were affected. 

This latest hacking revelation comes despite the giant promising “all” their sites had been secured following a major hack attack on their PlayStation network, which took the Japanese giant weeks to inform its 77 million PSN users, whose accounts and personal data may have been stolen.

And it appears the attack on the Jackson files occurred not long after this but has not been revealed to the public, until now.

Shortly after Jackson’s death, the singer’s estate signed their biggest recording deal in history worth $250m with Sony Music, giving it the rights to sell his whole back catalogue as well as unreleased tracks.

Two men who were arrested in May last year in the UK appeared in court last week accused of offences in relation to the Sony hack.

This latest revelation does not bode well for Sony and is having a major negative impact on its business, say web security experts.

“Cyber crime has certainly reached its tipping point around the world,” admits Ty Miller, Chief Technology Officer, Pure Hacking.

“As is the case with Sony and its ongoing issues, these attacks are making a very significant commercial impact.”

“It is no longer optional for organisations to ignore security requirements and prepare their organisation for a new operating environment where they may be under constant attack,” Miller warns.

So what does this mean for web security as more and more big names are being attacked? Internet security experts McAfee Labs predict the “true” Anonymous hacking group will either reinvent itself, or die out while others are also predicting hacktivism on companies, public figures and politicians is on the rise.

 

Organisations need to understand the risk profile that they have by regularly performing penetration testing, which allows them to mitigate their vulnerabilities before a security incident occurs, says Miller.

Companies should proactively protect their corporate data through the use of Data Loss Prevention (DLP) systems. If not, they are accepting a needlessly large level of risk.

Miller also says there has been a tripling of data attacks in its Australian client’s already this year. “And we don’t expect this to diminish,” he warns.

“Organisations also need to monitor attacks by implementing Web Application Firewalls and Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) systems to detect ongoing attacks.”

Asus Infinity Tab: Full-HD …And Beyond

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Infinity HD and beyond: Asus launch new Transformer – the first full HD tab.


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The 10.1″ tablet boasts same viewing experience as a large screen TV with 1920 _ 1200 resolution Full High Definition Super IPS+ display – the first Android tab to do so.

New iPad released earlier this year has 1080p HD video and better res of 2048 x 1536 on its 9.7″ Retina display, but Asus Infinity is the world first Android to have full HD most other ‘Droid tabs having around 1280×800 res.

Asus Transformer Infinity boasts full 1080p HD video recording and playback meaning all your shots will be top notch quality.

And for multimedia fans, it features SonicMaster audio technology for excellent speaker quality and large resonance chambers and runs Android Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0 OS for all the usual Google apps inbuilt.

Infinity will be upgraded to Android’s new Jelly Bean when it is released.

The trick with Asus Transformer tablets are they comes with a removeable mobile dock with a keyboard, meaning it literally transforms into a notebook device instantly, so is good for work use also.

Asus new Transformer also has a super-bright 600nits Super IPS+ mode good for outdoor use and the fastest NVIDIA Tegra 3 Quad-core CPU running at 1.6 GHz (WiFi model).

The 3G version comes with Qualcomm Snapdragon Dual-core 1.5Ghz CPU. The processor also easy on power and Infinity promises 14 hours battery life (attached to the dock on 720p playback and power saving mode) and 9 hours without the dock.

Asus has also kitted the Infinity out with 2nd generation Corning Gorilla Glass 2 for better damage resistance and connectivity wise has USB drive, MicroSD card and 8GB of ASUS WebStorage for life.

 

The ultra-slim and light Transformer Pad Infinity is 8.5mm thin and weighs 598g.

Other specs include a full QWERTY keyboard and touchpad, 8MP rear auto-focus camera with LED flash and 2MP front camera allows for video-chats.

However, Full HD doesn’t come cheap and will set you back just under $1000 for 64GB version although a cheaper model is set to come out later this year for around $799. 

Its Live! NBN Hits More Tassies

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Triabunna, Sorrell, and Kingston Beach now connected to high-speed broadband service.


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Almost 4000 more Tassie residents can now receive super fast broadband of “up to” 100 Mbps following the completion of the latest phase of NBN rollout.

The $36bn National Broadband Network is scheduled to hit a total of 12,800 Tas premises in total in the coming weeks, NBN Co said today.

At a ceremony in Launceston today, the NBN fibre broadband was formally switched on in Deloraine, Triabunna, and Sorrell and Kingston Beach near Hobart.

This comes as three Councils in Victoria have rejected NBN Co tower applications in the past few weeks – the latest in Moorabool Shire following objections by locals following visual impact concerns.

The four new sites switched on today cover 3900 premises in addition to the 4000 already live in the test sites of Smithton, Scottsdale and Midway Point.

Rollout to the rest of Oz won’t be complete until 2015.

The activation of the network in George Town and St Helens is to take place in the coming weeks, adding a further 4900 homes and businesses to the NBN footprint.

Chairman of NBN Tasmania, Mr. Greg McCann, said: “Tasmanians were the first in the nation to take advantage of the improved broadband access that the NBN will eventually deliver to every Australian.

“I’m delighted that from today many more will be able to benefit from this essential upgrade to Australia’s decades-old telecommunications infrastructure.”

 

Tasmania will become the first state in Australia to complete NBN rollout. The fibre optic broadband network will cover around 200,000 premises in all.

NBN Co also announced today that it had begun plans to deliver its fixed wireless broadband to around 32,000 premises on the island state not covered by fibre.

Construction in the new sites was carried out by Lend Lease Infrastructure Services working with NBN Co agent Aurora.To get connected to the network, homes in the new rollout locations need to contact one of the internet service providers offering NBN retail packages.

Surprise Retail Sales Lift But CE Dips Again

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An unexpected 1.1 percent boost in April retail trade, according to new figures by the Australian Bureau Statistics.This jump (seasonally adjusted) marks the biggest lift in sales so far this year – and was higher than the forecasted a 0.4 percent increase.

The retail hike, which has been described by one analyst as ‘unexpected’ was attributed to post natural disaster bounce, which afflicted Queensland and Victoria.

“If we look through the volatility of the last couple of months and focus on the underlying trends, it is one that shows retail spending has lifted from its lows but one in which retail spending growth is relatively weak,” said St George chief economist Besa Deda.

The boosted retail sales figure for April followed a dip of 0.3 percent in March and a 1.0 percent rise the previous month. Department stores sales figures also buoyed the overall figure, rising 0.3 percent for April.

The household goods category overall, which includes electronic goods fell -0.1 percent, although seasonally adjusted rose 0.7 percent.

The trend estimate fell by -0.6% for electrical and electronic goods retailing, although after seasonal adjustments rose to -0.4 percent.

This will come as no great surprise to many within the electronics industry which has been plagued by price deflation, heavy discounting and intense competition from online rivals.

Overall, retail in Vic (0.5), Qld (0.5), WA (0.8), NSW (0.2), S A (0.2) N T (1.2) all rose while ACT and Tas witnessed a decline in fortunes.

In trend terms, Australian turnover rose 2.7 percent in April 2011 compared with the same period last year.

The Australian Retailers Association (ARA) said the 1.1 percent boost in April retailing was driven by weather conditions and could also be attributed to consumers having more time to shop over the extended Easter break.

 

ARA Executive Director Russell Zimmerman said department stores had seen a boost in sales for April, but when compared to the same time last year this growth is still below the rate of inflation.

“Department stores and fashion retailers have posted growth compared to March 2011 because of the earlier, colder weather but retailers aren’t expecting this stronger trade to continue,” Zimmerman said.

However, May figures will show how consumers have reacted to new taxes announced in the Budget which may cause shoppers to tighten their belts even further, he added.

“Even though there have been some positive results for April, the modest year- on-year growth is a sign consumers won’t be able to afford any increase to their mortgage repayments if the RBA decides to raise interest rates on Tuesday.

Watch Out Telstra: Internode FAB Fibre Hits

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Internode invades Telstra space launching rival Fibre service

Once the prized domain of Telstra, Internode Fibre to the Home (FTTH) service, known as Reach Fibre Access Broadband, (FAB) will now be available at more than 125 greenfield developments across Australia.

The launch of Internode’s FAB plans will give consumers who could only buy fibre services through Telstra, choice, the iiNet-owned telco said today.

Check out the full greenfield list here:

The new greenfield site spans all seven states.

Reach FAB plans are available on a monthly contract, with a $99 setup fee, although this is discarded if you sign up to a 24 month plan.

Plans with a data allocation of 30GB at 30/1Mbps start at $49 ($39 bundled), with 75GB at $69, while higher tiers boast speeds of 100/5 Mbps and cost up to $109 for 205GB.

The Reach FAB service must be purchased with an associated landline phone service – either Internode’s NodeLine, or a service from a third party provider.

The minimum price for an Internode Reach FAB service is $138.95, comprising of the once-only $99 setup fee, plus one month’s rental for the Reach FAB Mid 30 plan when bundled with a NodeLine landline telephone service, which starts from $29.95.

 

Internode’s optional Power Packs (an extra $10 a month) or a Business Pack (an extra $30 a month) can also be added on to suit needs.

“Previously residents could only buy their (FTTH) service through Telstra. Now they have more choice when it comes to choosing their broadband provider,” says Internode Product Manager, Jim Kellett.

But Telstra still has some involvement with the rival service. Internode’s new service will be connected via Telstra ‘Velocity’ fibre, following an agreement between the ISP and Telstra Wholesale.

$20,000 4K TV: What’s The Point?

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“Negligible”: Next gen 4K TV may look nice but wont sell, say analysts.


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AS LG gets ready to launch the first 4K Smart TV in OZ this month, new figures suggest the emerging Ultra Hi-Def 4K LCD technology (3,840 by 2,160) or almost 4000 pixels, will fail to make a dent in LCD market.

4K televisions sport a pixel format four times that of a typical high-definition set (1,920 by 1,080) but is said to have unbelievable depth and screen clarity.

But demand for ultra-high-definition 4K TVs will remain “negligible for the foreseeable future, with shipments never accounting for more than 1% of the global display (LCD) TV market during the next five years” analysts iHS said today.

Just 4,000 of the high end 4K TVs are to be shipped this year, although this will rise to 2.1 million in 2017, just 0.8%.

And that’s at its peak in five years, when 4K tech is far more commonplace.

LG is to unveil the very first 84″ UD TV to Australia next Tuesday and would not be drawn on expected demand here when contacted by Channel News, saying it will reveal all next week.

The LG mammoth TV is rumoured to costs around the $20K mark, although this won’t be confirmed until next week’s launch.

However, 4K is available in other markets including Asia. Sony announced an 84-inch 4K LCD-TV priced at $25,000 in Japan and Toshiba is selling a 55-inch model priced at a more reasonable $10,000.

Chinese brands Hisense and Konka are also jumping on the 4K bandwagon, although Samsung are backing OLED technology instead, saying the amount of content on 4K is too little.

But maybe they shouldn’t bother.

IHS believes that neither consumers nor TV brands will have the interest required to make the 4K LCD-TV market successful.

This anaemic demand for 4K is despite some several “high profile” launches by big names, analysts note.

Several consumers CN spoke to that own a HD TV already said they would not spend $20K on a TV.

“No amount of money I had would justify buying that” one TV user said in an emailed comment.

“Does this TV happen to be made of gold nuggets?” another quipped.

“If you have a television that is 60-inches or larger and are watching video that has a 3,840 by 2,160 resolution, then a 4K television makes sense,” said Tom Morrod, director, TV systems IHS.

But a very limited amount of content is available at 4K resolution, high prices and other issues, are among the issues with  the new technology and “for most people, 1,080p HD resolution is good enough,” IHS notes.

The market for super-sized, +60″ sets is only 1.5% of total TV shipments in 2012.

 

The 4K sets are just filling the gap at the high-end TV market until the arrival of the next-generation active-matrix organic light-emitting diodes televisions (AMOLED TVs) arrive, says Morrod.

“Japanese brands are offering 4K product because they need to have a competitive alternative to the AMOLED TVs being sold by their rivals in South Korea, Samsung and LG Electronics. “

South Korean companies are having difficulties producing AMOLED panels, saying they will need two more years to achieve competitive volume and pricing, thus are flogging 4K until then.