Welcome to This Week, the only easy to read FREE weekly summary of the top news stories on wireless communications in Australia and New Zealand. This Week is updated daily with stories drawn from the popular press, regulatory bodies, vendors and operators. To receive a free copy of This Week delivered to your mailbox each Friday, please REGISTER here. You can also visit our archive where you can see stories posted since mid-2003. Our search engine is an easy way to locate a specific topic. For those that want to know more, click through hyperlinks are embedded in each story enabling you to view the source information. Note some of these links may require you to subscribe to the publication that provides the source material.

Australia

Vodafone slipping away from STW

4 July, 2008

Marketing services group STW Communication's tenure on the $30 million Vodafone account is rapidly slipping from its grasp with news that the mobile phone company. is putting the entire account up for tender next week.

Telstra mobile users get police powers

3 July, 2008

Telstra customers will receive the same service telco companies have been providing the law authorities for years — the ability to track people's location by their mobile phone. The new service, called Whereis Everyone, allows users to request a friend's and family's location on a map. It only works, however, on Telstra mobiles.

Federal Government extends regional mobile phone coverage

3 July, 2008

The Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy today announced $8 million worth of funding to enhance mobile phone coverage in rural areas of Australia.

Optus details iPhone plans

3 July, 2008

Optus has announced comprehensive plans for the upcoming 3G iPhone including an option to buy the handset outright on a pre-paid basis. On pre-paid, the 8GB and 16GB models will cost $729 and $849, respectively. Optus is offering $30, $40 $50, $70 and $100 cap plans.

Trujillo disciple to part company

3 July, 2008

TELSTRA'S brand chief and one of Sol Trujillo's American imports, Bill Obermeier, announced yesterday that he would leave the company next month but would stay in the country to work on a digital marketing venture with the French-controlled advertising agency Publicis Mojo.

Telstra billing fix delayed

2 July, 2008

TELSTRA boss Sol Trujillo has failed to meet his June 30 deadline for completing the migration of 5 million users to a new consumer billing system despite claiming less than four months ago that the multi-million-dollar overhaul would be complete.

CommBank throws open $1.3bn telco deal

1 July, 2008

The Commonwealth Bank has confirmed it is seeking a telecommunications supplier for a 10-year deal, possibly worth AU$1.3 billion. CBA has confirmed it has released a request for proposals to renew some of its telecommunications contracts, including voice and data, which is currently handled by Telecom New Zealand subsidiary Gen-i.

Motorola gets new local head

1 July, 2008

MOTOROLA Australia has tapped an internal executive to replace Spiros Nikolakopoulos as country manager.

GRL power for you, mobile chick

1 July, 2008

Crazy John's is too "naff", "blue collar" and "male-skewed" to attract women so its parent has launched a new mobile network, GRLmobile, dubbed "Australia's mobile phone service 4 chicks".

Phone retailers in revolt over Telstra's grab for commission

1 July, 2008

The telecoms giant has been considering what, for retailers, is the armageddon option: removing the so-called trailing commissions that provide the bedrock of the business for their third-party and licenced retailers.

Telstra joins the iPhone club

30 June, 2008

Telstra has announced it will be the third mobile carrier to offer the iPhone when the handset launches in Australia on July 11. In doing so it has become the first carrier to unveil pricing details for the device. Telstra's two-year iPhone plans start at $30 a month with an upfront cost of $279 for the 8GB model and $399 for the 16GB model.

Mobile phone a lifesaver

30 June, 2008

Most of us would dial triple 0 for help in a life and death situation. Now our mobiles can also issue life-saving CPR instructions thanks to a new animated download launched by the Red Cross on Sunday.

New Zealand

Telecom to spend $130m on new IP network

4 July, 2008

Telecom, whose share prices is bobbing around near a 15-year low, said today it plans to spend $130 million on new Internet Protocol (IP) network. It has selected Alcatel-Lucent to build the network. The nationwide network will bring voice, internet and mobile telephony services together onto one integrated technology platform.

Telecom defending 10 year old actions

1 July, 2008

Telecom is facing another court case from 10 years ago when there were limited regulations in the sector. Proceedings began in the High Court yesterday.

You ask the CEO: Dr Allan Freeth, TelstraClear

1 July, 2008

Geekzone readers were asked to submit questions to Dr Allan Freeth CEO TelstraClear and we now publish the answers to those questions.

Vodafone bridges gap between landline and mobile

30 June, 2008

Vodafone has rung up another new phone offer with a phone that is halfway between a mobile and a landline service.

Plus SMS founder issues writ to firm for damages

30 June, 2008

Mobile phone technology company Plus SMS Holdings is being taken to court by its founder Garry Donoghue. Donoghue and chairman Jim Bracknell resigned in September 2006 amid a scandal of incorrect business statements and the launch of an ongoing inquiry by the Securities Commission.

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Upcoming Events

Oceania Com

7-8 July 2008
Sydney

Building profitable, world-class telecoms businesses in the Pacific.

The newest member of the Com World Series, Oceania Com conference and exhibition is designed to gather operators and vendors from Australia, New Zealand and the island nations and territories of the Pacific.

Discuss, debate and gather best practice on:

• Policies to Stimulate Growth, Innovation and Competitiveness
• Operator Growth and Profitability Strategies
• Profitable Deployment of Wireless Broadband Technologies
• Extending the Availability of Broadband Services

Advertising and Marketing Summit

21-22 July 2008
Sydney

The 7th annual summit in this highly successful series of events continues to examine the challenges of Australia’s evolving advertising & marketing landscape.

Join the leading minds who will share their authoritative predictions in vibrant discussion and leading insight in addition to the celebration of exemplary practice, giving you the insights to unlock excellence.

Get the advantage and avoid the rhetoric to the questions you have not considered and the answers you need to have.

For details and registration, please visit: www.acevents.com.au

South East Asia Com

23-24 July 2008
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Harnessing The Opportunity Of Regional Scale By Developing Partnerships And Deploying Strong Value Propositions In Each South East Asian Countries.

SE AsiaCom is the number 1 meeting place for the communications value chain in the region. It gathers thought leaders and purchasing decision makers from across SE Asia and the wider international community to learn, network and to do business

Untapping The Opportunities Of Key South East Asia Markets Including:
Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Brunei, East Timor, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Singapore

For details and registration, please visit: www.comworldseries.com

17th Annual Wireless & Mobile Comms Conference

23-25 July 2008
Melbourne

Raise the security, reliability and responsiveness of your mobile communications to enable your team to make quick, smart decisions and ensure officer and public safety. IWCE in Association with 17th Wireless & Mobile Comms Conference is your unrivalled means of accessing the latest knowledge and meeting the leading professionals within the integrated communications sector.

If you are responsible for planning and implementing your organisation's wireless and mobile communications technology then note 23-25 July in your diary.

By attending the Conference you can learn from practical case studies presented by peers plus draw upon the expertise of international industry practitioners to help solve your wireless and mobile communications issues.

For details and registration, please visit: www.iir.com.au

Submarine Network World

18 - 20 August 2008
Singapore

The amazing race (Submarine Network edition) - Final Destination Australia. In this final segment, key cable owners and operators in Australia and the surrounding regions share with us their perspectives on ‘Impact of increasing competition and the entrance of new players into the market’, ‘Perth to Singapore’ cable project, ‘Project Runway’ and more!

For details and registration, please visit: www.terrapinn.com or email email karin.lee@terrapinn.com

14th India Telecoms International Summit

23 - 25 September 2008
New Delhi, India

Supported and endorsed by the Ministry of Communications & Information Technology, it’s a must-attend summit addressing the strategic, financial and technical challenges facing India’s operators. Delegates will hear:

• What are the latest updates on spectrum availability and allocation?
• What incentives and subsidies are available for operators and technology providers?
• What are the current licensing issues affecting key players?
• What market opportunities exist for new entrants?