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Mobile handsets continue to be the most common way consumers are accessing the internet while the largest volume of data is downloaded over fixed lines, as shown in a new ACCC data report on internet activity. The report, for the period ending 31 December 2018, also provides information on the number of retail services in operation…
Read More New report tracks internet activity on mobile and fixed lines
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Eleven telcos have been hit with formal warnings by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) for failing to tell potential new customers that they do not provide Priority Assistance (PA) services, or failing to name a telco that does. The eleven telcos are Activ8me, Aussie Broadband, Dodo, Exetel, Foxtel, MyRepublic, Skymesh, Southern Phone, Spintel, TPG, and V4 Telecom.…
Read More Telcos warned for not helping vulnerable consumers
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The following is a press release from the Internet Society. A survey conducted in the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia, France and the United Kingdom by Ipsos MORI on behalf of the Internet Society and Consumers International found that 65% of consumers are concerned with the way connected devices collect data. More than half (55%) do not trust…
Read More Concerns Over Privacy and Security Contribute to Consumer Distrust in Connected Devices
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Australian residential consumers and small businesses made 60,998 complaints to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman in the last six months of 2018 (1 July 2018 to 31 December 2018). In this period, complaints about landline, mobile and internet services, decreased by 27.7 per cent compared to the same six month period in 2017. Publishing the Telecommunications…
Read More Phone and internet complaints down between July and December 2018
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A new report released today by Australia’s peak communications consumer organisation, the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN), shows that telco customer service representatives are being encouraged to focus on selling over service, potentially exposing consumers to questionable selling practices. The Spotlight on Telco Commissions and Targets exploratory report was commissioned following a number of…
Read More ACCAN shines a light on telco sales practices in new report
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The Australian Communications Media Authority (ACMA) has formally warned Telstra, Optus and Vodafone for failing to provide information about products and services that may suit the needs of consumers with a disability. Telcos are required to provide this information under telecommunications consumer protection rules. ‘Telecommunications services play a vital role in the lives of all…
Read More Telcos warned about disability information failures
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An Australian Government project to reduce harmful scam activity has released its Terms of Reference. The Scam Technology Project, led by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) with representation from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and the Australian Cyber Security Centre, will explore ways to disrupt scam activity on telco networks. Chair…
Read More Scam project underway
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The Systemic Insight “Sales Practices Driving Consumer Debt”, shares the Telecommunication Industry Ombudsman’s recommendations on how providers could improve their selling practices to reduce consumer financial over-commitment and debt. The report makes practical recommendations in four areas that providers can adopt in selling post-paid plans and devices: Assessing a customer’s actual capacity to pay Training sales…
Read More Systemic Insight Report: Sales Practices Driving Consumer Debt
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Australians’ ever-increasing appetite for data-hungry video services is transforming the communications landscape. This is a key finding of the Australian Communications and Media Authority’s Communications report 2017–18, tabled in federal parliament today. The annual ACMA report examines the current telecommunication and media environment, including the latest in industry innovations and consumer trends. ‘Over 50 per…
Read More Changes to communications landscape accelerating
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A new affordable home broadband product for financially stressed Australians on low incomes should be a key priority for political parties ahead of the 2019 Federal election, according to consumer organisation ACCAN. Australia’s peak body representing telecommunications consumers, ACCAN, is urging the nation’s political parties to consider a proposal for a wholesale broadband concession that…
Read More No Australian Left Offline
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The Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) receives complaints from consumers whose mobile numbers have been stolen by a fraudulent third party. Their new publication, Systemic Spotlight, explores the issue and how the TIO has worked with service providers to improve security and protect consumers. The publication highlights how the systemic investigation power allows The TIO to…
Read More Reducing fraudsters’ theft of mobile numbers
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Fixed-line NBN customers received generally good levels of service during the latest round of ACCC broadband speed tests, but some consumers experienced a dip in speeds. The ACCC’s latest Measuring Broadband Australia report, released today, expands the number of retail service providers (RSPs) to include Dodo, iPrimus and Exetel, enabling the report to cover a…
Read More NBN speeds mostly steady, but improvements needed