$30m set aside for 5G trials

The federal government is setting aside $30m for business to develop and trial 5G applications.

(FILES) In this file photo taken on January 28, 2020 the Microsoft logo is seen at the International Cybersecurity Forum (FIC) in Lille (Photo by DENIS CHARLET / AFP)

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Chris Griffith 12.50pm: $30m set aside for 5G trials

The Morrison government will spend $30m to trial 5G use across different industries in a program to accelerate digital transformation.

5G is more than a replacement for 4G calling and LTE; organisations can create purpose built private 5G networks that offer extremely fast communications between people and machinery. The government says it plans to invest in 5G commercial trials in industries such as agriculture, mining, logistics and manufacturing.

Businesses will be able to apply for grants and successful recipients will develop and test 5G applications, services and products to demonstrate the commercial incentive for businesses to adopt 5G solutions.

A 5G network cellphone tower. Picture: AFP

Communications minister Paul Fletcher says the investment will demonstrate “the productivity boosting applications of 5G”.

“Spectrum is a critical component in the rollout of 5G,” says Mr Fletcher. “These investments will make the allocation of spectrum more efficient and reduce red tape, so that Australians can experience the benefits of 5G sooner.”

The government has also put aside $1.8m over two years for allocating more efficient spectrum and $5.3m for updating the digital spectrum licence system.

The government is also providing $7.1m to the Australian Communications Media Authority to conduct auctions of radio frequency spectrum. Auctioning of spectrum was due to take place this year but has been delayed because of the pandemic.

The government’s 26GHz spectrum auction is now due in March next year. 3.6GHz spectrum already is used for 5G.

David Swan 11.20am: Telstra takes on NBN with Home 5G

Telstra is moving to nab market share away from the NBN, launching a Home 5G offering that it says can achieve speeds of up to 300Mbps, up to 200 Mbps faster than typical high-speed NBN plans.

The telco, which has been publicly critical of NBN’s pricing model for years, said that the plans would be a “targeted, invitiation-only launch at first to eligible customers to ensure we have the right service available for those who need it.”

The first Home 5G plan will kick off Wednesday, and will include 500GB of data per month, a free 5G modem and download speeds of between 50Mbps and 300Mbps.

Although invite-only at first, the plan will become more widely available over the next 12 months.

“Our starting principle is to offer the right internet connection to deliver the best experience for our customers based on their data needs, location, and what technology is available” Telstra executive Michele Gara said. “In that spirit, we’ve also been working to improve our peak evening NBN speeds and the plans on offer too.

“Connecting to the internet at home has typically been a wired affair. With our 5G network – built for speed and already available in over 1000 suburbs and 53 cities and towns around the nation – we now have another way of delivering fast and reliable internet to your home.”

Telstra also said it would resume selling its 100 Mbps plans for fibre-to-the-curb NBN customers, and ‘selected existing customers’ on fibre-to-the-node and fibre-to-the-basement.

The telco earlier this year said it would no longer sell those plans because it couldn’t guarantee speeds.

“We’ve upgraded our systems and set up processes that put customers first, and we’re now confident we can provide a better all-round experience for Aussies,” Ms Gara said.

“ If a customer on FTTN, FTTB or FTTC can’t reach the maximum speeds of the Premium Internet plan or Premium Add-on, we’ll let them know and provide them with options in accordance with our regulatory commitments.”

David Swan 10am: Microsoft’s cloud services are down

Thousands of workers globally have been left unable to access their emails in Outlook or other Microsoft services including Teams and OneDrive, with an issue affecting Microsoft’s cloud software.

“We’re investigating an issue affecting access to multiple Microsoft 365 services,” Microsoft said on Twitter.

“We’re working to identify the full impact and will provide more information shortly.”

We're investigating an issue affecting access to multiple Microsoft 365 services. We're working to identify the full impact and will provide more information shortly.

— Microsoft 365 Status (@MSFT365Status) September 28, 2020

We’re rerouting traffic to alternate infrastructure to improve the user experience while we continue to investigate the issue. Please visit https://t.co/AEUj8uAGXl for additional information.

— Microsoft 365 Status (@MSFT365Status) September 28, 2020

Anyone else having trouble with their computer? We’ve been told there is a world wide outage or something with Microsoft exchange, but that was via text message from our ex-IT guy now living in Germany. Anyone here know anything about it?

— Jane Caro (@JaneCaro) September 29, 2020

The issue is ongoing, and Microsoft said attempts to roll back a recent update haven’t worked.

The company has been contacted for further comment.

David Swan 9.30am: Uber wins UK appeal

Uber won an appeal over the revocation of its operating license in the UK capital, securing for now the ride-hailing company’s operations in one of its biggest global markets.

The ruling is a step forward for Uber as the company tries to build trust with regulators after years of tussles in London and elsewhere. Under co-founder Travis Kalanick, who resigned as chief executive in 2017 and left the board late last year, Uber regularly tested the regulatory and legal envelope of countries where it operated in order to speed growth.

The dispute in England stemmed from the refusal by London regulators last November to renew Uber’s license to operate, after finding widespread instances of unauthorised drivers using the app to pick up customers.

Uber said at the time that it had fixed the problem, but London officials said they wanted to make sure there weren’t other software issues. Uber appealed the decision and was allowed to keep its drivers on London’s streets during the process.

On Monday, a London court found that Uber was now “fit and proper” to hold a license, despite some continued breaches, according to the verdict.

In a statement, Uber said it had been granted an 18-month license that made it subject to a bevy of new conditions. “This decision is a recognition of Uber’s commitment to safety,” the company said.

The Wall Street Journal