Amcom bags $20m NT govt deal

Telecommunications provider Amcom has scored a $20 million contract to provide telecommunications services to the Northern Territory Government over a five-year period.

The agreement would see Amcom extending its existing fibre networks in both Darwin and Alice Springs to provide data services to government agencies and schools, according to the company. It said its estimated capital expenditure would be 'in the order of $10 million' and that it expected to complete the project by September.

'This is a beachhead contract of significant value and provides us with expanded infrastructure and scale to capture further organic opportunities in Darwin and Alice Springs,' Amcom CEO Clive Stein said in a statement.

The contract would also see the provider establish an office in Darwin and would also allow the company to provide new services to business customers, the company said.

Diamond Communications — a subsidiary of Ausdrill — had been appointed as lead contractor for the project.

Optus buys spectrum to increase wireless capacity

Optus buys spectrum to up capacity: "
Australia's second-largest telco Optus has agreed to buy additional spectrum licences for 10MHz of paired spectrum in the 2100MHz band from Qualcomm subsidiary 3G Investments.

In a statement issued today, Optus managing director of products and delivery Andrew Buay said the telco would use the additional 3G spectrum to 'support retail and wholesale customer demand' for Optus' range of data services. The deal is subject to approval by the Foreign Investment Review Board and the national competition regulator.

Buay said there was an "explosive growth" in demand for mobile data services — in the 12 months to September 2009, the number of Optus 3G services increased 43 per cent from 2.16 million to 3.08 million, including Optus mobile broadband customers, whose numbers jumped more than 240 per cent to 688,000.

The purchase exhausted all available 2100MHz spectrum on the secondary trading market that supported the expansion of mobile broadband services, said Buay.

Hence, he said, it was important that the Federal Government finalise a number of decisions about spectrum:

• The allocation of spectrum freed up by the switch to digital TV
• The allocation of 2.5GHz spectrum for mobile services
• Greater certainty regarding the cost and timing of the renewal of expiring 3G spectrum licences

Google to enlist NSA to help it ward off cyberattacks

Washington Post: Google to enlist NSA to help it ward off cyberattacks
The world's largest Internet search company and the world's most powerful electronic surveillance organization are teaming up in the name of cybersecurity.

Google Partners With The NSA To Fight Cyberattacks

Google Partners With The NSA To Fight Cyberattacks
http://politics.theatlantic.com/2010/02/google_partners_with_the_nsa_to_fight_cyberattacks.php

Google and the NSA: Necessary Allies

Google and the NSA: Necessary Allies

Google Asks NSA to Help Secure Its Network

Google Asks NSA to Help Secure Its Network: "Google's call to the NSA to investigate its recent breach and help secure its network is raising concerns."

Business Spectator - NBN at the heart of our digital economy - Blog - Paul Budde

Business Spectator - NBN at the heart of our digital economy - Blog - Paul Budde