Telstra
Encyclopedia
Telstra Corporation Limited is an Australian telecommunications and media
company, building and operating telecommunications network
s and marketing voice
, mobile
, internet access
and pay television products and services.
Telstra has a long history in Australia, originating as a government department together with Australia Post
. Relatively recently, Telstra was fully privatised and has been undergoing a change program to become more "sales and marketing lead" under its current CEO, David Thodey.
The federal government's National Broadband Network
agenda, as well as industry changes driven by mass adoption of the internet, are imposing further structural changes upon the company.
(PMG). On 1 July 1975, separate commissions were established by statute to replace the PMG. Responsibility for postal services was transferred to the Australian Postal Commission
(Australia Post
). The Australian Telecommunications Commission (ATC), trading as Telecom Australia, ran domestic telecommunication services.
In 1989 the ATC was reconstituted as the Australian Telecommunications Corporation.
In 1992 the Overseas Telecommunications Commission
, a separate government body established in 1946, was merged with the Australian Telecommunications Corporation into the short-lived Australian and Overseas Telecommunications Corporation (AOTC) which continued trading under the established identities of Telecom and OTC. The AOTC was renamed to Telstra Corporation Limited in 1993. The name "Telstra" is derived from the word Telecommunication Australia (TEL from Telecommunication and STRA from Australia). The corporation then traded under the "Telstra" brand internationally and "Telecom Australia" domestically until uniform branding of "Telstra" was introduced throughout the entire organisation in 1995.
Telstra has faced competition since the early 1990s from Optus
(Australia's 2nd largest communication company) and a number of smaller providers. It retains ownership of the fixed line telephone network, as well as one of two competing pay TV and data cable networks. Other companies offering fixed line services must therefore deal with Telstra, except Optus, Transact and a few others who have installed their own infrastructure.
The Overseas Telecommunications Commission (OTC) was established by an Act of Parliament in August 1946. It inherited facilities and resources from Amalgamated Wireless Australasia Limited
(AWA) and Cable & Wireless
, and was charged with responsibility for all international telecommunications services into, through and out of Australia.
On 1 February 1992 it was merged with Australia’s domestic telecommunications carrier, the Australian Telecommunications Corporation Limited (“Telecom”) to create the Australian and Overseas Telecommunications Corporation Limited (AOTC). The new organisation underwent a corporate identity review and was subsequently renamed Telstra Corporation Limited (“Telstra”) for international business in 1993 and domestic business in 1995.
When first established in 1946, the OTC inherited facilities which had been depleted during World War II and faced rising costs and falling profits. From this tenuous beginning, the organisation was to grow over the years to gain world standing on the international telecommunications stage.
Throughout rapid developments in undersea cable networks, global satellite systems and burgeoning digital technologies, the OTC maintained a keen watch over its services to ensure continued quality. It also maintained and developed its links with maritime services, one of the initial arms of Australia’s international telecommunications network.
In T1, the government sold one third of its shares in Telstra for A$14 billion and publicly listed the company on the Australian Stock Exchange. In 1999, a further 16% of Telstra shares were sold to the public, leaving the Australian government with 51% ownership. In 2006, T3 was announced by the government and was the largest of the three public releases, reducing the Government's ownership of Telstra to 17%. The 17% remainder of Telstra was placed in Australia's Future Fund, which will provide superannuation and pension
s for Australia's public servants. In 2009 the Future Fund sold off another $2.4B worth of shares reducing the government's stake in Telstra to 10.9%.
, Minister for Broadband and Communications, has stated to Telstra that the company can either "break itself up or (the government) will do it for them".
On 12 July 2011 the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) released the findings of its investigation into a mailing list error by Telstra Corporation Limited (Telstra) which resulted in approximately 60,300 Telstra customers’ personal information being sent to other customers. The Australian Privacy Commissioner Timothy Pilgrim said
“Our investigation has confirmed that while Telstra breached the Privacy Act when the personal information of a number of its customers was disclosed to third parties; this incident was caused by a one-off human error. It was not a result of Telstra failing to have reasonable steps in place to protect the personal information of its customers, as required by the Privacy Act”, said Pilgrim.
The government probe determined that Telstra had security measures in place to protect customer personal information involved in mail campaigns. These measures included privacy obligations in agreements with mailing houses, privacy impact assessments, and procedures to ensure staff handle personal information appropriately during mail campaigns.
“In this instance, taking into account the range of measures Telstra has in place for mail campaigns, I consider that the one-off human error that occurred does not mean that Telstra failed to comply with its obligation to take reasonable steps to protect the personal information of its customers. Therefore, I consider that Telstra has not breached this particular aspect of the Privacy Act”, the privacy commissioner said.
The commissioner determined that Telstra had acted "immediately" to prevent further breaches, notify customers, and review its data security practices.
In the report, Pilgrim related that the Australian government is currently considering recommendations from the Australian Law Reform Commission to introduce mandatory data breach notification laws in Australia.
, Telstra embarked upon a transformation agenda to become more sales and service focused.
As part of that, an ambitious customer service agenda was defined.
For the financial year ending June 2011, Telstra saw TIO
complaints drop by 3% to 78,949
/UBank. Telstra Digital's initial purpose is to improve the use of digital channels for customer service.
In March 2011, Telstra Digital launched new mobile phone plans that include electronic bills and payments and levy a $2 charge for paper bills. In April 2011, Telstra Digital relaunched its web homepage design.
In August 2011, Telstra Digital announced expansion of customer service into social media with 24/7 coverage.
In September 2011, Telstra Digital launched a new account services portal to help achieve its goal of managing 35% of Telstra's transactions
In October 2011, Telstra Digital announced a new mobile smartphone optimized version of its website.
In November 2011, Telstra Digital launched an iPhone app on a trial basis as well as a new online mobile phone shop.
In October 2011, Telstra launched a new brand identity and colour scheme.
. In its current form, Telstra intends tol essentially sell its legacy copper network to NBN Co. In October, Telstra’s shareholders approved this deal.
Telstra is Australia's dominant and largest provider of fixed line services. These include home phone, business and other PSTN products. Due to Telstra owning the majority of Australia's copper network, this has allowed them to become the dominant provider of these services.
Telstra outsources a significant portion of network installation and maintenance to private contractors and joint ventures, such as ABB Communications
and STCJV (Siemens Thiess Communications Joint Venture).
Telstra also owns and maintains the majority of Australia's public telephones
. In 2006, Telstra announced it would remove many of the phones citing unprofitably due to vandalism
and the increasing take-up and use of mobile telephones.
Telstra Mobile is Australia's largest mobile telephone service providers, in terms of both subscriptions and coverage. Telstra operates Australia's largest GSM
and 3G
UMTS
(branded as Next G
) mobile telephony networks in Australia, as well as holding a 50% stake in the 3GIS Ltd 2100 MHz UMTS network infrastructure, shared with Hutchison (Three). As of September 2007, Telstra had an estimated 9.3M mobile subscribers . Telstra Mobile services are available in post-paid and prepaid payment types, known as Telstra Pre-Paid (formerly communic8 Pre-Paid).
Telstra's GSM network was the first digital mobile network in Australia. It was launched in April 1993 on the 900 MHz band as "Telstra MobileNet Digital". The GSM network has carried the majority of Telstra's mobile subscribers for the last 10 years and has seen numerous upgrades. 1800 MHz capacity channels were added to the network in the late 1990s as well as GPRS packet data transmission capabilities. As part of the UMTS Next G
deployment, the GSM network was also upgraded to a full EDGE
data transmission capability in 2006 providing data transmission capabilities greater than 40 kbit/s on its GSM network.
In 1981, Telstra (then Telecom Australia) was the first company to provide mobile telephony services in Australia. The first automated mobile service operated in the major capital cities on 500 MHz using the '007' dialling prefix. This network only provided "car phone" capabilities to subscribers as portable hand-held terminals were not practical at that time. The first cellular system in Australia offering portable hand-held phones was launched by Telstra in 1987 using the AMPS
analogue standard on the 800 MHz band. This network at its peak had over 1 million subscribers, but was mandated by the government to be closed down by the year 2000, partially due to privacy concerns which resulted from the AMPS technology, but also because of arrangements undertaken to secure sufficient interest in the GSM network licenses offered in 1992 to competitors. A license condition placed on Telstra to maintain an equivalent coverage footprint at the time resulted in Telstra deciding to deploy an IS-95 CDMA based network in its place.
Telstra has 7000 Next G Base Stations.
February 2011: Ericsson
wins the LTE contract with Telstra. The LTE
network is being deployed in capital city CBDs and select regional centres throughout 2011. It will operate at 1800Mhz and integrate with a HSPA+ service at 850Mhz. A dual mode (LTE/HSPA+) mobile broadband device has been developed for the network.
Telstra provides internet subscription and various internet services (such as IP networking, email, servers and network hosting) through its range of subsidiaries.
for Telstra within Australia. Telstra sells direct (business-grade) connections to the backbone under the Telstra Internet Direct name and consumer dialup, ADSL, cable modem and satellite connections under the BigPond
brand name.
Telstra acquired the national backbone of AARNet
in 1995 and renamed it to Telstra Internet. Telstra Internet buys long-haul capacity and international transit from REACH Global Services
.
Telstra Wholesale provides products such as Data
, Mobile, Voice
, and other Facilities (including Co-location and Duct Access) to other companies and organisations for re-sale. Telstra Wholesale also provides operational support for its customers, and facilities for international customers such as International Data
Transport and IP
Transport.
Due to Telstra's position as Australia's incumbent telecommunications provider, Telstra Wholesale is the incumbent and dominant wholesaler of ADSL services to other Internet Service Providers. Telstra installed the first DSLAM
s in exchanges prior to 2000, and began wholesaling access in late 2000. Telstra Wholesale has a comprehensive network of ADSL DSLAMs (the largest in Australia) and allows competitors access to each Telstra DSLAM at ADSL1 speeds.
network in Australia. Telstra Cable operates in selected cities and areas of Australia including (Melbourne
, Brisbane
, Canberra
, Sydney
, Perth
, Adelaide
and the Gold Coast
), providing downstream speeds of up to 30 Mbit/s in selected areas. while Melbourne
being the only capital city in Australia with speeds of 100 Mbit/s making it the fastest broadband speed in Australia and among the fastest in the world. The upgrade to 100 Mbit/s was complete in Melbourne
by Christmas 2009, and launched the new DOCSIS 3.0 services on 1 December 2009 before the deadline. Telstra provides internet services for personal and business clients, through its internet service provider
(ISP), BigPond
. BigPond provides internet products over various delivery methods, including ADSL, Cable Internet
, Dialup, Satellite
and Wireless Internet (through the Next G
network).
At the end of the 2007 financial year, BigPond had over two million broadband subscribers. The existing customer base of BigPond Wireless is currently being migrated over to the Next G network, which offers higher speeds and greater coverage.
On 10 November 2006, Telstra made two major changes to their ADSL network. The first was an increase of wholesale ADSL speeds from 1.5 Mbit/s/256 kbit/s to 8 Mbit/s/384 kbit/s. Telstra also released an ADSL2+ broadband service offering download speeds of up to 24 Mbit/s from exchanges where competitors were already offering ADSL2+ services.
On 6 February 2008, Telstra announced that it would activate high-speed ADSL2+ broadband in a further 900 telephone exchanges serving 2.4 million consumers across every state and territory in Australia
. Telstra also claimed that it has received assurances from the Government that it would not be forced to wholesale these services to other providers, and that the move came "after the Government made clear it did not consider a compelling case had been made for regulating third-party access to the service – an assurance sought by Telstra for more than one year."
On 10 June 2008, it was announced that Telstra was in discussions with some wholesale customers in reference to wholesaling ADSL2+ services.
In January 2009 Telstra was ranked top Australian ISP, in terms of performance, by Epitiro.
Telstra is also known for its innovative Facebook application that was released in 2011. This application called "Blurtl" allows the user to leave audio messages on their own walls, essentially allowing the user to make an audio Facebook status.
Telstra launched a range of T[life] concept stores in the early 2000s. These stores were designed based on the Apple Retail Store model (and indeed employed common designers and architects). The T[life] model provided live demonstration handsets, in-store technical support and repairs, teleconferencing, workshops and other concept services.
This rollout has been abandoned in favour of a more unified approach, with all stores being re-branded as Telstra Stores and being equipped with various facilities regardless of ownership and more finely tuned to local requirements.
. Telstra owns 50% of Foxtel in a joint venture with News Corporation
and Consolidated Media Holdings
. Telstra also resell Foxtel's "Digital" to customers in Foxtel's service area (as "Foxtel from Telstra").Telstra offers discounts for Telstra full-service fixed line customers, with internet, pay TV and/or mobile services with Telstra. Such discounts can include free installation and the first month of the best Foxtel package (all channels) for free.
Sensis is Telstra's wholly owned advertising and directories arm. This subsidiary was originally known as Pacific Access (since 1991), before changing its name to Sensis in August 2002. Sensis publishes Australia's White Pages
and Yellow Pages
telephone directories, and in 2004 purchased the Trading Post, a classified advertising periodical. In 2008 management of the Trading Post was transferred to Telstra. In 2009 the printed Trading Post was shut down. Sensis also manages several websites including:
Sensis is responsible for Telstra's telephone directory assistance call centres – including 1223 ("Telstra Directory Assistance"), 12456 ("Call Connect"), 1225 ("International Directories") and 1234 ("1234" information service).
In 2007 Sensis commissioned Amdocs
to develop a customer interaction and database management system dubbed "iGen" to combine the existing GENESIS (also known as POST) system and the company's dozens of other internal customer and account systems into one interface. The new system would combine both Yellow Pages and White Pages directory information on one system.
The original cost of development and implementation was estimated at A$300 million which was funded by Telstra, but a twelve month delay in deployment and lack of user acceptance testing almost doubled the original cost. "iGen" was eventually deployed to mass disapproval from employees who experienced extremely low performance and reduced capabilities from the new system. In November 2009, the entire White Pages directory product reverted to the legacy system, GENESIS, after realisation by Sensis management that iGen was incapable of delivering expected performance.
In 2010 Sensis CEO Bruce Akhurst announced that the Yellow Pages had been switched over to iGen. In a blog posting he stated that they were ahead of the biggest system challenges and that iGen was 'stable' and 'operating effectively'.
. Telstra found a strategy of offering lower rates on some routes and at certain times of day, even though its prices, on average, were higher than its rival's was more likely to prevent consumers from switching. Ultimately, Telstra was able to retain several points of market share it otherwise would have lost.
Telstra's market dominance extends beyond its historical PSTN voice and private data business, into newer markets such as Internet Access, Hosting, and Colocation services. In spite of competition from both foreign and domestic challengers, the former PTT
is perceived to have retained a strong grip on many of the country's most profitable customers.
Optus remains the company's nearest rival for lucrative business networks. However, Telstra supplies almost twice as many customers in the ASX200
with Dedicated Internet Access services.
In March 2008, all 7 judges in the High Court of Australia
, the highest court of appeal in Australia, ruled that Telstra has the right to use the telephone lines, but does not own them.
. Instead of following the tender guidelines, Telstra submitted a 12 page letter proposing a $5 billion broadband network covering between 80 and 90 per cent of the Australian population, in particular, only major cities, despite the tender requiring 98 per cent coverage.
Telstra was removed from the National Broadband Network
RFP process on 15 December 2008. According to a spokesman for the Communications Minister, Stephen Conroy
, "The expert panel has determined that Telstra’s submission to the national broadband network is not compliant. They are out of the process now."
Telstra has announced that it will raise speeds on its existing Next G network and HFC "cable" network so that they both offer higher speeds than the RFP for the NBN requires.
Following Telstra's exclusion from the National Broadband Network bidding process Telstra's share price suffered the biggest one day percentage fall in its history.
On 19 June 2010, Telstra came to a non-binding agreement with the Australian government to participate in the National Broadband Network. In exchange for A$ 11 billion, Telstra is required to de-commission its copper and HFC broadband networks and transfer all customers to the NBN once it is completed.
as Chief Information Officer saw Vish Padmanabhan demoted to his previous role of deputy CIO. On 6 February 2007, Balfour left the company, 10 months after she had joined the company following 14 years with Qantas
.
On the ABC
's (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) documentary program Four Corners, Telstra's COO Greg Winn was revealed to have stated "We run an absolute dictatorship and that’s what’s going to drive this transformation and deliver results... If you can’t get the people to go there and you try once and you try twice... then you just shoot ‘em and get them out of the way..."
Research has shown the deregulation of the Australian telecommunications industry has changed employment relations (ER) at Telstra. Between 1992 and 2009 Telstra's ER strategies included large-scale downsizing and outsourcing. It moved dramatically toward unitarist (anti-union) ER approaches, with a shift away from collective bargaining toward individual employment contracts.
In May 2009, Solomon Trujillo
stood down as Chief Executive Officer to return to the United States
. David Thodey
took over the role.
made a joint venture to establish Wireless Wi-Fi Hotspots in restaurants around Australia so Nintendo DS
users could connect to the internet to view HTTP/HTTPS pages on Nintendo's Nintendo DS Browser
and Nintendo DS games that was Nintendo WFC enabled.
to the Telstra Dome in Melbourne
, but lost these rights to Etihad Airways
, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, from 1 March 2009 onwards. Telstra is also the naming rights sponsor of the National Rugby League
Premiership. Telstra is also the principal sponsor of Swimming Australia
. They also sponsored Minardi
for the 2002 F1
season and Rally Australia up to 2006.
) for the TelstraClear Pacific events centre in Manukau City, New Zealand
.
(NATSIAA) which has become known as the Telstra Award. Notable past winners include Vaxine, APS Plastics, and eWAY
.
website
; the website lets users upload video content, which is sold to mobile users for A$1, the money is divided between the uploader and Telstra, each receiving 50 per cent. The website was shutdown in ; after a media backlash over uploaded semi-pornographic videos.
Electronic media
Electronic media are media that use electronics or electromechanical energy for the end-user to access the content. This is in contrast to static media , which today are most often created electronically, but don't require electronics to be accessed by the end-user in the printed form...
company, building and operating telecommunications network
Telecommunications network
A telecommunications network is a collection of terminals, links and nodes which connect together to enable telecommunication between users of the terminals. Networks may use circuit switching or message switching. Each terminal in the network must have a unique address so messages or connections...
s and marketing voice
Telephony
In telecommunications, telephony encompasses the general use of equipment to provide communication over distances, specifically by connecting telephones to each other....
, mobile
Mobile phone
A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
, internet access
Internet access
Many technologies and service plans for Internet access allow customers to connect to the Internet.Consumer use first became popular through dial-up connections in the 20th century....
and pay television products and services.
Telstra has a long history in Australia, originating as a government department together with Australia Post
Australia Post
Australia Post is the trading name of the Australian Government-owned Australian Postal Corporation .-History:...
. Relatively recently, Telstra was fully privatised and has been undergoing a change program to become more "sales and marketing lead" under its current CEO, David Thodey.
The federal government's National Broadband Network
National Broadband Network
The National Broadband Network is a national wholesale-only, open-access data network under development in Australia. Up to one gigabit per second connections are sold to retail service providers , who then sell Internet access and other services to consumers...
agenda, as well as industry changes driven by mass adoption of the internet, are imposing further structural changes upon the company.
History
Australian telecommunications services were originally controlled by the Postmaster-General's DepartmentPostmaster-General's Department
The Postmaster-General's Department was created at Federation in 1901 to control all postal services within Australia. Its minister was the Postmaster-General. In mid-1975 it was disaggregated into the Australian Telecommunications Commission and the Australian Postal Commission...
(PMG). On 1 July 1975, separate commissions were established by statute to replace the PMG. Responsibility for postal services was transferred to the Australian Postal Commission
Australia Post
Australia Post is the trading name of the Australian Government-owned Australian Postal Corporation .-History:...
(Australia Post
Australia Post
Australia Post is the trading name of the Australian Government-owned Australian Postal Corporation .-History:...
). The Australian Telecommunications Commission (ATC), trading as Telecom Australia, ran domestic telecommunication services.
In 1989 the ATC was reconstituted as the Australian Telecommunications Corporation.
In 1992 the Overseas Telecommunications Commission
Overseas Telecommunications Commission
The Overseas Telecommunications Commission was established by an Act of Parliament in August 1946. It inherited facilities and resources from Amalgamated Wireless Australasia Limited and Cable & Wireless, and was charged with responsibility for all international telecommunications services into,...
, a separate government body established in 1946, was merged with the Australian Telecommunications Corporation into the short-lived Australian and Overseas Telecommunications Corporation (AOTC) which continued trading under the established identities of Telecom and OTC. The AOTC was renamed to Telstra Corporation Limited in 1993. The name "Telstra" is derived from the word Telecommunication Australia (TEL from Telecommunication and STRA from Australia). The corporation then traded under the "Telstra" brand internationally and "Telecom Australia" domestically until uniform branding of "Telstra" was introduced throughout the entire organisation in 1995.
Telstra has faced competition since the early 1990s from Optus
Optus
SingTel Optus Pty Limited is the second largest telecommunications company in Australia, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Singapore Telecommunications...
(Australia's 2nd largest communication company) and a number of smaller providers. It retains ownership of the fixed line telephone network, as well as one of two competing pay TV and data cable networks. Other companies offering fixed line services must therefore deal with Telstra, except Optus, Transact and a few others who have installed their own infrastructure.
Overseas Telecommunications Commission
Amalgamated Wireless Australasia Limited
Amalgamated Wireless Ltd . Throughout most of the 20th century AWA was Australia's largest and most prominent electronics organisation, undertaking development, manufacture and distribution of radio, telecommunications, television and audio equipment as well as broadcasting services.After the...
(AWA) and Cable & Wireless
Cable & Wireless
Cable & Wireless Worldwide PLC is a global telecommunications company headquartered in Bracknell, United Kingdom. Cable & Wireless specialises in providing communication networks and services to large corporates, governments, carrier customers and resellers...
, and was charged with responsibility for all international telecommunications services into, through and out of Australia.
On 1 February 1992 it was merged with Australia’s domestic telecommunications carrier, the Australian Telecommunications Corporation Limited (“Telecom”) to create the Australian and Overseas Telecommunications Corporation Limited (AOTC). The new organisation underwent a corporate identity review and was subsequently renamed Telstra Corporation Limited (“Telstra”) for international business in 1993 and domestic business in 1995.
When first established in 1946, the OTC inherited facilities which had been depleted during World War II and faced rising costs and falling profits. From this tenuous beginning, the organisation was to grow over the years to gain world standing on the international telecommunications stage.
Throughout rapid developments in undersea cable networks, global satellite systems and burgeoning digital technologies, the OTC maintained a keen watch over its services to ensure continued quality. It also maintained and developed its links with maritime services, one of the initial arms of Australia’s international telecommunications network.
Privatisation
Telstra was privatised in three different stages, informally known as "T1" ($3.30), "T2" ($7.40) and "T3" ($3.60) in 1997, 1999 and 2006 respectively.In T1, the government sold one third of its shares in Telstra for A$14 billion and publicly listed the company on the Australian Stock Exchange. In 1999, a further 16% of Telstra shares were sold to the public, leaving the Australian government with 51% ownership. In 2006, T3 was announced by the government and was the largest of the three public releases, reducing the Government's ownership of Telstra to 17%. The 17% remainder of Telstra was placed in Australia's Future Fund, which will provide superannuation and pension
Pension
In general, a pension is an arrangement to provide people with an income when they are no longer earning a regular income from employment. Pensions should not be confused with severance pay; the former is paid in regular installments, while the latter is paid in one lump sum.The terms retirement...
s for Australia's public servants. In 2009 the Future Fund sold off another $2.4B worth of shares reducing the government's stake in Telstra to 10.9%.
Separation
On 15 September 2009, the Australian Government announced new plans to structurally separate Telstra into two separate entities; a retail and wholesale arm. Senator Stephen ConroyStephen Conroy
Stephen Michael Conroy is an Australian politician and the current Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy in the Gillard Ministry...
, Minister for Broadband and Communications, has stated to Telstra that the company can either "break itself up or (the government) will do it for them".
On 12 July 2011 the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) released the findings of its investigation into a mailing list error by Telstra Corporation Limited (Telstra) which resulted in approximately 60,300 Telstra customers’ personal information being sent to other customers. The Australian Privacy Commissioner Timothy Pilgrim said
“Our investigation has confirmed that while Telstra breached the Privacy Act when the personal information of a number of its customers was disclosed to third parties; this incident was caused by a one-off human error. It was not a result of Telstra failing to have reasonable steps in place to protect the personal information of its customers, as required by the Privacy Act”, said Pilgrim.
The government probe determined that Telstra had security measures in place to protect customer personal information involved in mail campaigns. These measures included privacy obligations in agreements with mailing houses, privacy impact assessments, and procedures to ensure staff handle personal information appropriately during mail campaigns.
“In this instance, taking into account the range of measures Telstra has in place for mail campaigns, I consider that the one-off human error that occurred does not mean that Telstra failed to comply with its obligation to take reasonable steps to protect the personal information of its customers. Therefore, I consider that Telstra has not breached this particular aspect of the Privacy Act”, the privacy commissioner said.
The commissioner determined that Telstra had acted "immediately" to prevent further breaches, notify customers, and review its data security practices.
In the report, Pilgrim related that the Australian government is currently considering recommendations from the Australian Law Reform Commission to introduce mandatory data breach notification laws in Australia.
Strategy and execution 2010 onwards
Under the leadership of David ThodeyDavid Thodey
David Thodey is an Australian businessman who is the current Chief Executive Officer of Telstra after the departure of Solomon Trujillo. He was born in Perth, Western Australia.-Career:...
, Telstra embarked upon a transformation agenda to become more sales and service focused.
As part of that, an ambitious customer service agenda was defined.
Market share recovery
Early in 2010, Telstra announced the creation of a $1b "fighting fund" to be used in a concerted effort to win back market share in key product categories. This effort seems to have paid off with strong sales momentum announced in February 2011.Customer service recovery
As part of its new strategy, Telstra announced that its "goal is for customer service to be fundamental to everything we do".For the financial year ending June 2011, Telstra saw TIO
TIO
TIO may refer to:* Tia and Megumi Oumi, Japanese manga and anime characters* Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman in Australia* Territory Insurance Office, an insurance company in the Northern Territory...
complaints drop by 3% to 78,949
Creation of Telstra Digital
In February 2011, Telstra announced the formation of Telstra Digital under the leadership of Gerd Schenkel who was hired from National Australia BankNational Australia Bank
National Australia Bank is one of the four largest financial institutions in Australia in terms of market capitalisation and customers. NAB is ranked 17th largest bank in the world measured by market capitalisation...
/UBank. Telstra Digital's initial purpose is to improve the use of digital channels for customer service.
In March 2011, Telstra Digital launched new mobile phone plans that include electronic bills and payments and levy a $2 charge for paper bills. In April 2011, Telstra Digital relaunched its web homepage design.
In August 2011, Telstra Digital announced expansion of customer service into social media with 24/7 coverage.
In September 2011, Telstra Digital launched a new account services portal to help achieve its goal of managing 35% of Telstra's transactions
In October 2011, Telstra Digital announced a new mobile smartphone optimized version of its website.
In November 2011, Telstra Digital launched an iPhone app on a trial basis as well as a new online mobile phone shop.
Expansion of retail network
In February 2011, Telstra announced the creation of an additional 100 retail stores within three years.New brand
National Broadband Network
Telstra has been involved in the various form of ideas for a National Broadband NetworkNational Broadband Network
The National Broadband Network is a national wholesale-only, open-access data network under development in Australia. Up to one gigabit per second connections are sold to retail service providers , who then sell Internet access and other services to consumers...
. In its current form, Telstra intends tol essentially sell its legacy copper network to NBN Co. In October, Telstra’s shareholders approved this deal.
Fixed lines and mobile
Telstra outsources a significant portion of network installation and maintenance to private contractors and joint ventures, such as ABB Communications
Asea Brown Boveri
ABB is a Swiss-Swedish multinational corporation headquartered in Zürich, Switzerland, and best known for its robotics. ABB operates mainly in the power and automation technology areas. It ranked 143rd in Forbes Ranking ....
and STCJV (Siemens Thiess Communications Joint Venture).
Telstra also owns and maintains the majority of Australia's public telephones
Payphone
A payphone or pay phone is a public telephone, often located in a phone booth or a privacy hood, with pre-payment by inserting money , a credit or debit card, or a telephone card....
. In 2006, Telstra announced it would remove many of the phones citing unprofitably due to vandalism
Vandalism
Vandalism is the behaviour attributed originally to the Vandals, by the Romans, in respect of culture: ruthless destruction or spoiling of anything beautiful or venerable...
and the increasing take-up and use of mobile telephones.
Telstra Mobile is Australia's largest mobile telephone service providers, in terms of both subscriptions and coverage. Telstra operates Australia's largest GSM
Global System for Mobile Communications
GSM , is a standard set developed by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute to describe technologies for second generation digital cellular networks...
and 3G
3G
3G or 3rd generation mobile telecommunications is a generation of standards for mobile phones and mobile telecommunication services fulfilling the International Mobile Telecommunications-2000 specifications by the International Telecommunication Union...
UMTS
Universal Mobile Telecommunications System
Universal Mobile Telecommunications System is a third generation mobile cellular technology for networks based on the GSM standard. Developed by the 3GPP , UMTS is a component of the International Telecommunications Union IMT-2000 standard set and compares with the CDMA2000 standard set for...
(branded as Next G
Next G
Next G is a third generation mobile telecommunication network operated by Telstra in Australia.-Background:After a review, Telstra announced a plan to upgrade its ageing networks and systems; which includes a new 3G network to replace the then current CDMA mobile network.-Construction:The network...
) mobile telephony networks in Australia, as well as holding a 50% stake in the 3GIS Ltd 2100 MHz UMTS network infrastructure, shared with Hutchison (Three). As of September 2007, Telstra had an estimated 9.3M mobile subscribers . Telstra Mobile services are available in post-paid and prepaid payment types, known as Telstra Pre-Paid (formerly communic8 Pre-Paid).
Telstra's GSM network was the first digital mobile network in Australia. It was launched in April 1993 on the 900 MHz band as "Telstra MobileNet Digital". The GSM network has carried the majority of Telstra's mobile subscribers for the last 10 years and has seen numerous upgrades. 1800 MHz capacity channels were added to the network in the late 1990s as well as GPRS packet data transmission capabilities. As part of the UMTS Next G
Next G
Next G is a third generation mobile telecommunication network operated by Telstra in Australia.-Background:After a review, Telstra announced a plan to upgrade its ageing networks and systems; which includes a new 3G network to replace the then current CDMA mobile network.-Construction:The network...
deployment, the GSM network was also upgraded to a full EDGE
Edge
- Aviation :* Leading edge, a line connecting the forward-most points of a wing's profile* Trailing edge, the rear edge of the wing* Zivko Edge 540, an aerobatic aircraft- Mathematics, science and technology :...
data transmission capability in 2006 providing data transmission capabilities greater than 40 kbit/s on its GSM network.
In 1981, Telstra (then Telecom Australia) was the first company to provide mobile telephony services in Australia. The first automated mobile service operated in the major capital cities on 500 MHz using the '007' dialling prefix. This network only provided "car phone" capabilities to subscribers as portable hand-held terminals were not practical at that time. The first cellular system in Australia offering portable hand-held phones was launched by Telstra in 1987 using the AMPS
Advanced Mobile Phone System
Advanced Mobile Phone System was an analog mobile phone system standard developed by Bell Labs, and officially introduced in the Americas in 1983, Israel in 1986, and Australia in 1987. It was the primary analog mobile phone system in North America through the 1980s and into the 2000s...
analogue standard on the 800 MHz band. This network at its peak had over 1 million subscribers, but was mandated by the government to be closed down by the year 2000, partially due to privacy concerns which resulted from the AMPS technology, but also because of arrangements undertaken to secure sufficient interest in the GSM network licenses offered in 1992 to competitors. A license condition placed on Telstra to maintain an equivalent coverage footprint at the time resulted in Telstra deciding to deploy an IS-95 CDMA based network in its place.
Telstra has 7000 Next G Base Stations.
Mobile networks
The following is a list of known active mobile networks used by Telstra:| Frequency | Protocol | Class | | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 900 MHz | GSM/EDGE | 2G | EDGE data capabilities are available on 100% of the GSM networks used |
| 1800 MHz | GSM/EDGE | 2G | Used in areas requiring extra capacity. |
| 850 MHz | UMTS/WCDMA/HSPA/HSPA+ | 3G | Telstra Next G Next G Next G is a third generation mobile telecommunication network operated by Telstra in Australia.-Background:After a review, Telstra announced a plan to upgrade its ageing networks and systems; which includes a new 3G network to replace the then current CDMA mobile network.-Construction:The network... 3G network covering 99% of the Australian population |
| 2100 MHz | UMTS/WCDMA/HSPA | 3G | 3GIS network in 50/50 partnership with Vodafone Hutchison Australia Vodafone Hutchison Australia Vodafone Hutchison Australia ' is a mobile telecommunications company that operates the Vodafone, '3' and Crazy John's brands in Australia... , covers capital cities (Telstra is ending this partnership on 1 January 2012 or later - at which point all 3G customers will be required to utilise Telstra's Next G Network) |
| 1800 MHz | LTE | 3G | Current LTE 3GPP Long Term Evolution 3GPP Long Term Evolution, usually referred to as LTE, is a standard for wireless communication of high-speed data for mobile phones and data terminals. It is based on the GSM/EDGE and UMTS/HSPA network technologies, increasing the capacity and speed using new modulation techniques... roll-out in major capital cities. Most of the GSM1800 is being shut down in areas in preperation |
February 2011: Ericsson
Ericsson
Ericsson , one of Sweden's largest companies, is a provider of telecommunication and data communication systems, and related services, covering a range of technologies, including especially mobile networks...
wins the LTE contract with Telstra. The LTE
3GPP Long Term Evolution
3GPP Long Term Evolution, usually referred to as LTE, is a standard for wireless communication of high-speed data for mobile phones and data terminals. It is based on the GSM/EDGE and UMTS/HSPA network technologies, increasing the capacity and speed using new modulation techniques...
network is being deployed in capital city CBDs and select regional centres throughout 2011. It will operate at 1800Mhz and integrate with a HSPA+ service at 850Mhz. A dual mode (LTE/HSPA+) mobile broadband device has been developed for the network.
Internet
- Telstra Internet Direct provides internet subscription, services (including IP networking and email) to businesses, government and enterprise. Telstra Internet Direct is mainly focused on business customers and does not sell its products to residential customers unless they have an ABN (Australian Business Number)
- Telstra BigPondBigPondBigPond is an Australian Internet service provider and is a product of Telstra. BigPond is Australia's largest ISP and based in Melbourne.- Internet :...
provides internet subscription (CableCableA cable is two or more wires running side by side and bonded, twisted or braided together to form a single assembly. In mechanics cables, otherwise known as wire ropes, are used for lifting, hauling and towing or conveying force through tension. In electrical engineering cables are used to carry...
, ADSL, WirelessWirelessWireless telecommunications is the transfer of information between two or more points that are not physically connected. Distances can be short, such as a few meters for television remote control, or as far as thousands or even millions of kilometers for deep-space radio communications...
and Dialup) for residential customers as well as small business. BigPond is Australia's largest internet service provider with over two million subscribers. - Telstra Wholesale resells or leases telecommunications products (including dial-in ports, exchange space, and ADSL DSLAM ports) to other companies for the purpose of resale at a fee.
Telstra Internet
Telstra Internet is the national internet backboneBackbone
Backbone may refer to:* Vertebral column, of a vertebrate organism* Backbone chain, in polymer chemistry, the framework of the molecule* Backbone Entertainment, a video game development company* Backbone network, the top level of a hierarchical network...
for Telstra within Australia. Telstra sells direct (business-grade) connections to the backbone under the Telstra Internet Direct name and consumer dialup, ADSL, cable modem and satellite connections under the BigPond
BigPond
BigPond is an Australian Internet service provider and is a product of Telstra. BigPond is Australia's largest ISP and based in Melbourne.- Internet :...
brand name.
Telstra acquired the national backbone of AARNet
AARNet
AARNet or Australian Academic and Research Network offers Internet services to the Australian education and research communities and their research partners.AARNet is a not-for-profit company limited by shares...
in 1995 and renamed it to Telstra Internet. Telstra Internet buys long-haul capacity and international transit from REACH Global Services
Reach Global Services
Reach Global Services Ltd. is a subsidiary of Telstra International. Reach, headquartered in Hong Kong, has interests in more than 40 submarine cables and international satellite systems, mainly servicing the Asia Pacific area...
.
Wholesale
Data (computing)
In computer science, data is information in a form suitable for use with a computer. Data is often distinguished from programs. A program is a sequence of instructions that detail a task for the computer to perform...
, Mobile, Voice
Voice
Voice may refer to:* Human voice* Voice control or voice activation* Writer's voice* Voice acting* Voice vote* Voice message-In film:* Voice , a 2005 South Korean film* The Voice , a 2010 Turkish horror film directed by Ümit Ünal...
, and other Facilities (including Co-location and Duct Access) to other companies and organisations for re-sale. Telstra Wholesale also provides operational support for its customers, and facilities for international customers such as International Data
Data
The term data refers to qualitative or quantitative attributes of a variable or set of variables. Data are typically the results of measurements and can be the basis of graphs, images, or observations of a set of variables. Data are often viewed as the lowest level of abstraction from which...
Transport and IP
Intellectual property
Intellectual property is a term referring to a number of distinct types of creations of the mind for which a set of exclusive rights are recognized—and the corresponding fields of law...
Transport.
Due to Telstra's position as Australia's incumbent telecommunications provider, Telstra Wholesale is the incumbent and dominant wholesaler of ADSL services to other Internet Service Providers. Telstra installed the first DSLAM
Digital subscriber line access multiplexer
A digital subscriber line access multiplexer is a network device, located in the telephone exchanges of the telecommunications operators. It connects multiple customer digital subscriber line interfaces to a high-speed digital communications channel using multiplexing techniques...
s in exchanges prior to 2000, and began wholesaling access in late 2000. Telstra Wholesale has a comprehensive network of ADSL DSLAMs (the largest in Australia) and allows competitors access to each Telstra DSLAM at ADSL1 speeds.
BigPond
Telstra owns and operates the largest cable internetCable modem
A cable modem is a type of network bridge and modem that provides bi-directional data communication via radio frequency channels on a HFC and RFoG infrastructure. Cable modems are primarily used to deliver broadband Internet access in the form of cable Internet, taking advantage of the high...
network in Australia. Telstra Cable operates in selected cities and areas of Australia including (Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
, Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
, Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
and the Gold Coast
Gold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...
), providing downstream speeds of up to 30 Mbit/s in selected areas. while Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
being the only capital city in Australia with speeds of 100 Mbit/s making it the fastest broadband speed in Australia and among the fastest in the world. The upgrade to 100 Mbit/s was complete in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
by Christmas 2009, and launched the new DOCSIS 3.0 services on 1 December 2009 before the deadline. Telstra provides internet services for personal and business clients, through its internet service provider
Internet service provider
An Internet service provider is a company that provides access to the Internet. Access ISPs directly connect customers to the Internet using copper wires, wireless or fiber-optic connections. Hosting ISPs lease server space for smaller businesses and host other people servers...
(ISP), BigPond
BigPond
BigPond is an Australian Internet service provider and is a product of Telstra. BigPond is Australia's largest ISP and based in Melbourne.- Internet :...
. BigPond provides internet products over various delivery methods, including ADSL, Cable Internet
Cable internet
In telecommunications, cable Internet access, often shortened to cable Internet or simply cable, is a form of broadband Internet access that uses the cable television infrastructure. Like digital subscriber line and fiber to the premises services, cable Internet access provides network edge...
, Dialup, Satellite
Satellite
In the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an object which has been placed into orbit by human endeavour. Such objects are sometimes called artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites such as the Moon....
and Wireless Internet (through the Next G
Next G
Next G is a third generation mobile telecommunication network operated by Telstra in Australia.-Background:After a review, Telstra announced a plan to upgrade its ageing networks and systems; which includes a new 3G network to replace the then current CDMA mobile network.-Construction:The network...
network).
At the end of the 2007 financial year, BigPond had over two million broadband subscribers. The existing customer base of BigPond Wireless is currently being migrated over to the Next G network, which offers higher speeds and greater coverage.
On 10 November 2006, Telstra made two major changes to their ADSL network. The first was an increase of wholesale ADSL speeds from 1.5 Mbit/s/256 kbit/s to 8 Mbit/s/384 kbit/s. Telstra also released an ADSL2+ broadband service offering download speeds of up to 24 Mbit/s from exchanges where competitors were already offering ADSL2+ services.
On 6 February 2008, Telstra announced that it would activate high-speed ADSL2+ broadband in a further 900 telephone exchanges serving 2.4 million consumers across every state and territory in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Telstra also claimed that it has received assurances from the Government that it would not be forced to wholesale these services to other providers, and that the move came "after the Government made clear it did not consider a compelling case had been made for regulating third-party access to the service – an assurance sought by Telstra for more than one year."
On 10 June 2008, it was announced that Telstra was in discussions with some wholesale customers in reference to wholesaling ADSL2+ services.
In January 2009 Telstra was ranked top Australian ISP, in terms of performance, by Epitiro.
Telstra is also known for its innovative Facebook application that was released in 2011. This application called "Blurtl" allows the user to leave audio messages on their own walls, essentially allowing the user to make an audio Facebook status.
Shops
Telstra owns and operates a series of retail stores known as Telstra Stores. Some are directly owned and operated by the Telstra Corporation – others are individually-operated franchises (which usually offer less services and facilities). Telstra has come under criticism for failing to provide clear differentiation between full service stores and franchises.Telstra launched a range of T[life] concept stores in the early 2000s. These stores were designed based on the Apple Retail Store model (and indeed employed common designers and architects). The T[life] model provided live demonstration handsets, in-store technical support and repairs, teleconferencing, workshops and other concept services.
This rollout has been abandoned in favour of a more unified approach, with all stores being re-branded as Telstra Stores and being equipped with various facilities regardless of ownership and more finely tuned to local requirements.
Subscription television
Telstra's Hybrid Fibre Coax (HFC) (commonly referred to as "cable") network is one of the delivery systems used by the Australian Subscription Television provider FoxtelFoxtel
Foxtel is an Australian pay television company, operating cable, direct broadcast satellite television and IPTV services. It was formed in 1995 through a joint venture established between Telstra and News Corporation....
. Telstra owns 50% of Foxtel in a joint venture with News Corporation
News Corporation
News Corporation or News Corp. is an American multinational media conglomerate. It is the world's second-largest media conglomerate as of 2011 in terms of revenue, and the world's third largest in entertainment as of 2009, although the BBC remains the world's largest broadcaster...
and Consolidated Media Holdings
Consolidated Media Holdings
Consolidated Media Holdings is an Australia investment company focused on subscription television.-About CMH:Consolidated Media Holdings is a publicly listed Australian company...
. Telstra also resell Foxtel's "Digital" to customers in Foxtel's service area (as "Foxtel from Telstra").Telstra offers discounts for Telstra full-service fixed line customers, with internet, pay TV and/or mobile services with Telstra. Such discounts can include free installation and the first month of the best Foxtel package (all channels) for free.
Directories and advertising (Sensis)
Telephone directory
A telephone directory is a listing of telephone subscribers in a geographical area or subscribers to services provided by the organization that publishes the directory...
and Yellow Pages
Yellow Pages
Yellow Pages refers to a telephone directory of businesses, organized by category, rather than alphabetically by business name and in which advertising is sold. As the name suggests, such directories were originally printed on yellow paper, as opposed to white pages for non-commercial listings...
telephone directories, and in 2004 purchased the Trading Post, a classified advertising periodical. In 2008 management of the Trading Post was transferred to Telstra. In 2009 the printed Trading Post was shut down. Sensis also manages several websites including:
- Yellow Pages Online: an online version of the print directory
- White Pages Online: an online version of the print directory
- Yellow Advertiser: dedicated online resources for Yellow advertisers
- Sensis.com.au: an Australian search engine
- WhereIs.com: online maps and street directories
- CitySearch: city-based lifestyle and entertainment guide
- GoStay: online accommodation booking
- Home at Yellow: a home improvement website
- SouFun: a China-based property website
Sensis is responsible for Telstra's telephone directory assistance call centres – including 1223 ("Telstra Directory Assistance"), 12456 ("Call Connect"), 1225 ("International Directories") and 1234 ("1234" information service).
In 2007 Sensis commissioned Amdocs
Amdocs
Amdocs Limited is a provider of software and services for billing, customer relationship management , operations support systems...
to develop a customer interaction and database management system dubbed "iGen" to combine the existing GENESIS (also known as POST) system and the company's dozens of other internal customer and account systems into one interface. The new system would combine both Yellow Pages and White Pages directory information on one system.
The original cost of development and implementation was estimated at A$300 million which was funded by Telstra, but a twelve month delay in deployment and lack of user acceptance testing almost doubled the original cost. "iGen" was eventually deployed to mass disapproval from employees who experienced extremely low performance and reduced capabilities from the new system. In November 2009, the entire White Pages directory product reverted to the legacy system, GENESIS, after realisation by Sensis management that iGen was incapable of delivering expected performance.
In 2010 Sensis CEO Bruce Akhurst announced that the Yellow Pages had been switched over to iGen. In a blog posting he stated that they were ahead of the biggest system challenges and that iGen was 'stable' and 'operating effectively'.
Market position and power
When the Australian telecommunications industry was deregulated in the early 1990s, Telstra successfully used a combination of strategies to maintain its market dominance to fend off market newcomer OptusOptus
SingTel Optus Pty Limited is the second largest telecommunications company in Australia, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Singapore Telecommunications...
. Telstra found a strategy of offering lower rates on some routes and at certain times of day, even though its prices, on average, were higher than its rival's was more likely to prevent consumers from switching. Ultimately, Telstra was able to retain several points of market share it otherwise would have lost.
Telstra's market dominance extends beyond its historical PSTN voice and private data business, into newer markets such as Internet Access, Hosting, and Colocation services. In spite of competition from both foreign and domestic challengers, the former PTT
Postal Telegraph and Telephone
A postal, telegraph, and telephone service is a government agency responsible for postal mail, telegraph, and telephone services. Such monopolies existed in many countries, though not in North America or Japan. Many PTTs have been partially or completely privatized in recent years...
is perceived to have retained a strong grip on many of the country's most profitable customers.
Optus remains the company's nearest rival for lucrative business networks. However, Telstra supplies almost twice as many customers in the ASX200
Australian Securities Exchange
The Australian Securities Exchange was created by the merger of the Australian Stock Exchange and the Sydney Futures Exchange in July 2006. It is the primary stock exchange group in Australia....
with Dedicated Internet Access services.
In March 2008, all 7 judges in the High Court of Australia
High Court of Australia
The High Court of Australia is the supreme court in the Australian court hierarchy and the final court of appeal in Australia. It has both original and appellate jurisdiction, has the power of judicial review over laws passed by the Parliament of Australia and the parliaments of the States, and...
, the highest court of appeal in Australia, ruled that Telstra has the right to use the telephone lines, but does not own them.
Fibre-to-the-node (FTTN) and the NBN
On 26 November 2008, Telstra submitted a non-complying tender issued by the federal government to build a National Broadband NetworkNational Broadband Network
The National Broadband Network is a national wholesale-only, open-access data network under development in Australia. Up to one gigabit per second connections are sold to retail service providers , who then sell Internet access and other services to consumers...
. Instead of following the tender guidelines, Telstra submitted a 12 page letter proposing a $5 billion broadband network covering between 80 and 90 per cent of the Australian population, in particular, only major cities, despite the tender requiring 98 per cent coverage.
Telstra was removed from the National Broadband Network
National Broadband Network
The National Broadband Network is a national wholesale-only, open-access data network under development in Australia. Up to one gigabit per second connections are sold to retail service providers , who then sell Internet access and other services to consumers...
RFP process on 15 December 2008. According to a spokesman for the Communications Minister, Stephen Conroy
Stephen Conroy
Stephen Michael Conroy is an Australian politician and the current Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy in the Gillard Ministry...
, "The expert panel has determined that Telstra’s submission to the national broadband network is not compliant. They are out of the process now."
Telstra has announced that it will raise speeds on its existing Next G network and HFC "cable" network so that they both offer higher speeds than the RFP for the NBN requires.
Following Telstra's exclusion from the National Broadband Network bidding process Telstra's share price suffered the biggest one day percentage fall in its history.
On 19 June 2010, Telstra came to a non-binding agreement with the Australian government to participate in the National Broadband Network. In exchange for A$ 11 billion, Telstra is required to de-commission its copper and HFC broadband networks and transfer all customers to the NBN once it is completed.
Management
In April 2006, the appointment of Fiona BalfourFiona Balfour
Fiona Balfour is an Australian businesswoman. She is best known for the changes she made at Qantas during the 1990s, having joined the airline in 1992. In 2006, she was Telstra's high profile appointment as Chief Information Officer...
as Chief Information Officer saw Vish Padmanabhan demoted to his previous role of deputy CIO. On 6 February 2007, Balfour left the company, 10 months after she had joined the company following 14 years with Qantas
Qantas
Qantas Airways Limited is the flag carrier of Australia. The name was originally "QANTAS", an initialism for "Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services". Nicknamed "The Flying Kangaroo", the airline is based in Sydney, with its main hub at Sydney Airport...
.
On the ABC
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
's (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) documentary program Four Corners, Telstra's COO Greg Winn was revealed to have stated "We run an absolute dictatorship and that’s what’s going to drive this transformation and deliver results... If you can’t get the people to go there and you try once and you try twice... then you just shoot ‘em and get them out of the way..."
Research has shown the deregulation of the Australian telecommunications industry has changed employment relations (ER) at Telstra. Between 1992 and 2009 Telstra's ER strategies included large-scale downsizing and outsourcing. It moved dramatically toward unitarist (anti-union) ER approaches, with a shift away from collective bargaining toward individual employment contracts.
In May 2009, Solomon Trujillo
Solomon Trujillo
Solomon Dennis "Sol" Trujillo is an American businessman. He was the chief executive officer of Telstra, Australia's largest telecommunications company...
stood down as Chief Executive Officer to return to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. David Thodey
David Thodey
David Thodey is an Australian businessman who is the current Chief Executive Officer of Telstra after the departure of Solomon Trujillo. He was born in Perth, Western Australia.-Career:...
took over the role.
| Year appointed | CEO |
|---|---|
| 1992 | W. Frank Blount W. Frank Blount William Frank Blount is an American businessman, and currently the chairman and CEO of venture capital firm JI Ventures, Inc. Blount previously served as chairman and CEO of Cypress Communications Inc., and director and CEO of Telstra Corporation Limited in Australia.-Early life and... |
| 1999 | Dr Zygmunt (Ziggy) Edward Switkowski Ziggy Switkowski Dr Zygmunt "Ziggy" Edward Switkowski is a Polish Australian businessman and nuclear physicist.He is most known as the former Chief Executive Officer of Australia's largest telecommunications company Telstra, and for overseeing major aspects of the implementation and planning of its full... |
| 2005 | Solomon Trujillo Solomon Trujillo Solomon Dennis "Sol" Trujillo is an American businessman. He was the chief executive officer of Telstra, Australia's largest telecommunications company... |
| 2009 | David Thodey David Thodey David Thodey is an Australian businessman who is the current Chief Executive Officer of Telstra after the departure of Solomon Trujillo. He was born in Perth, Western Australia.-Career:... |
International expansion
| Year | Name | Type of Ownership | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 |  Telstra Europe |
100% | Telstra has been operating in Europe since 1992. Telstra Europe has a customer base of over 7000 customers, who buy data, voice and complex managed network and hosting services. |
| 2001 |  TelstraClearTelstraClear TelstraClear is New Zealand's second-largest telecommunications company and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Telstra Corporation , with around 400,000 customers.... |
100% | New Zealand New Zealand New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga... 's third largest telecommunications provider after Telecom New Zealand & Vodafone New Zealand. It has its own fibre networks in major cities, is building regional fibre backhaul, has a hybrid fibre-coax network providing phone, internet, & TV services (in Wellington, Christchurch and Kapiti), and resells Telecom New Zealand Telecom New Zealand Telecom New Zealand is a New Zealand-wide communications service provider , providing fixed line telephone services, a mobile network, an internet service provider , a major ICT provider to NZ businesses , and a wholesale network infrastructure provider to other NZ CSPs... 's phone & data services nationwide (including a mobile agreement). The company was formed in 2001 from the merger of subsidiary TelstraSaturn (a 50/50 joint-venture with Austar Austar Austar is an Australian telecommunications company. Its main business activity is Subscription Television but it is also involved with internet access and mobile phones... which had previously acquired ISPs Internet service provider An Internet service provider is a company that provides access to the Internet. Access ISPs directly connect customers to the Internet using copper wires, wireless or fiber-optic connections. Hosting ISPs lease server space for smaller businesses and host other people servers... paradise.net Paradise.net TelstraClear's Paradise.net is a New Zealand ISP offering dial-up and high-speed internet. It is the second largest ISP in New Zealand , and a competitor of Xtra, an ISP owned by Telecom.... and NetLink) and the telco Clear Communications purchased from BT Group plc. |
| 2003 |  ReachReach Global Services Reach Global Services Ltd. is a subsidiary of Telstra International. Reach, headquartered in Hong Kong, has interests in more than 40 submarine cables and international satellite systems, mainly servicing the Asia Pacific area... Asian undersea cable |
50% venture, with Pacific Century Cyberworks | This partnership was created during the late 1990s telecommunications boom – it struggled and had its book value downgraded to zero by Telstra in February 2003. Reach's debt was renegotiated in 2004 and it was restructured to operate mainly as a vehicle for its owners' international requirements. |
| 2005 |  Adstream Australia |
58% | In early 2006 Telstra offers $20 million cash to increase its total stake from 33 to 58 per cent. |
| 2006 |  SouFun |
51% | SouFun is integrated into the Sensis business and provide Telstra with an entry point into China. |
| 2006 | New World Mobility New World Mobility New World Mobility is a mobile communications brand name in Hong Kong. It was launched in 1997 and previously parented by New World PCS Limited... |
76.4% | The largest mobile operator in Hong Kong with 34% of the market in 2006. Telstra originally acquired 60% of CSL (the former Hong Kong Telecom's mobile arm) from Pacific Century Cyberworks, then the remaining 40%, before merging it with New World Mobility. |
| 2008 |  Telstra Endeavour |
100% | Communications cable linking Sydney Sydney Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people... and Hawaii Hawaii Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of... . The cable went live in October 2008, with a capacity of 1.28 terabits per second in the future (currently at 80 gigabits per second.) |
| 2008 | Norstar Media |
controlling stakes | Telstra acquired controlling stakes in the two businesses, Norstar Media and Autohome/PCPop, for an undisclosed amount. |
| 2008 | Autohome/PCPop |
controlling stakes | See above |
| 2011 | iVision |
100% | Integrated video conferencing solutions |
| 2011 |  TelepresenceTelepresence Telepresence refers to a set of technologies which allow a person to feel as if they were present, to give the appearance of being present, or to have an effect, via telerobotics, at a place other than their true location.... |
Joint Venture with tata group Tata Group Tata Group is an Indian multinational conglomerate company headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. Tata Group is one of the largest companies in India by market capitalization and revenue. It has interests in communications and information technology, engineering, materials, services, energy,... |
Telstra expands global telepresence Telepresence Telepresence refers to a set of technologies which allow a person to feel as if they were present, to give the appearance of being present, or to have an effect, via telerobotics, at a place other than their true location.... reach with partner Tata Communications |
| 2011 | Telstra Telecommunications Private Limited |
Joint venture with Microland Microland Microland is an IT infrastructure services provider, offering services across Infrastructure Management, Infrastructure Modernization, Process Maturity Services, Assurance and Compliance, Technical Support, Cloud Computing, Virtualization, Collaboration and Mobility.... |
Licence for long distance and ISP data serivces |
Australia
Telstra and Nintendo AustraliaNintendo Australia
Nintendo Australia Pty. Ltd. established in 1994, located in Victoria is Australia's local head office, sales, licensing and distribution centre for products and other Intellectual Properties created by Nintendo Co., Ltd of Kyoto, Japan and is owned by Nintendo Co., Ltd in Japan. Prior distribution...
made a joint venture to establish Wireless Wi-Fi Hotspots in restaurants around Australia so Nintendo DS
Nintendo DSi
The is a handheld game system created by Nintendo and launched in 2008 and 2009 in Japan, North America, PAL territories, and other regions. It is the third iteration of the Nintendo DS, and its primary market rival is Sony's PlayStation Portable...
users could connect to the internet to view HTTP/HTTPS pages on Nintendo's Nintendo DS Browser
Nintendo DS Browser
The Nintendo DS Browser is a version of the Opera web browser for use on the Nintendo DS, developed by Opera Software and Nintendo. The Nintendo DS Browser comes in separate versions for the Nintendo DS and the Nintendo DS Lite; this is due to differing physical size requirements for the memory...
and Nintendo DS games that was Nintendo WFC enabled.
Sport
Telstra had naming rightsNaming rights
In the private sector, naming rights are a financial transaction whereby a corporation or other entity purchases the right to name a facility, typically for a defined period of time. For properties like a multi-purpose arena, performing arts venue or an athletic field, the term ranges from three...
to the Telstra Dome in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, but lost these rights to Etihad Airways
Etihad Airways
Etihad Airways is the flag carrier of the United Arab Emirates. Established in July 2003 and based at Abu Dhabi International Airport, Etihad commenced operations in November 2003....
, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, from 1 March 2009 onwards. Telstra is also the naming rights sponsor of the National Rugby League
National Rugby League
The National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
Premiership. Telstra is also the principal sponsor of Swimming Australia
Swimming Australia
Swimming Australia is the peak governing body for competitive swimming in Australia. The body currently has approximately 90,000 registered members nationally in 1100 clubs across the country, which includes swimmers, coaches, officials, administrators and volunteers...
. They also sponsored Minardi
Minardi
Minardi was an automobile racing team and constructor founded in 1979 by Giancarlo Minardi. It competed in the Formula One World Championship from 1985 until 2005 with little success, nevertheless acquiring a loyal following of fans...
for the 2002 F1
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
season and Rally Australia up to 2006.
New Zealand
Telstra also has the naming rights (under TelstraClearTelstraClear
TelstraClear is New Zealand's second-largest telecommunications company and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Telstra Corporation , with around 400,000 customers....
) for the TelstraClear Pacific events centre in Manukau City, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.
Awards
Telstra sponsors numerous awards around Australia, including the Australian Business of the Year award, the MYOB Small Business Award, and the National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art AwardNational Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award
The National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award is one of the most prestigious art awards in Australia. Established in 1984 by the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, and awarded annually, it is sponsored by Telstra, so is commonly known as the Telstra Award.Prize-winners...
(NATSIAA) which has become known as the Telstra Award. Notable past winners include Vaxine, APS Plastics, and eWAY
EWAY
The EWAY is a light rail or bus system proposed for East Belfast, Northern Ireland.In January 2007, then Regional Development Minister in Northern Ireland, David Cairns, announced that engineering consultants WS Atkins PLC were to undertake economic feasibility studies on rapid transit proposals...
.
WotNext
Telstra, in , launched WotNext, a video-publishingVideo hosting service
A video hosting service allows individuals to upload video clips to an Internet website. The video host will then store the video on its server, and show the individual different types of code to allow others to view this video...
website
Website
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
; the website lets users upload video content, which is sold to mobile users for A$1, the money is divided between the uploader and Telstra, each receiving 50 per cent. The website was shutdown in ; after a media backlash over uploaded semi-pornographic videos.