Optus
Encyclopedia
SingTel Optus Pty Limited is the second largest telecommunications company in Australia
, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Singapore Telecommunications
. The company primarily trades under the Optus brand, while maintaining several wholly owned subsidiary brands, such as Virgin Mobile Australia
and Boost Mobile
in the mobile telephony market, Uecomm
in the network services market and Alphawest
in the ICT services sector.
To provide services, Optus owns and operates its own network infrastructure, as well as using the services of other network service provider
s, most notably Telstra Wholesale
. It provides services both directly to end users and also acts as a wholesaler to other service providers. Through its OptusNet brand, it provides broadband
, wireless and dial-up internet services.
The company was originally known as Aussat Pty Limited prior to privatisation, when it became Optus Communications Pty Limited. It was later renamed to Cable & Wireless Optus Pty Limited before changing again to its present name.
Retail services are sold to customers via phone, internet or through retail outlets, especially franchise
chains
such as Optus World, Network Communications, Strathfield
, Telechoice, and Allphones
.
Optus also sells mobile services under the brand name Boost Mobile
.
Optus also has a 50% stake in the now defunct OPEL Networks
.
Other wholly owned subsidiaries of note no longer have a significant active role as individual entities. These are as follows:
Reef Networks was formed in 1999 to provide an optical fibre
link between Brisbane
and Cairns. Optus gained exclusive access to this link in 2001, ahead of acquiring the organisation in 2005.
XYZed was established by Optus in 2000 to provide wholesale business-grade DSL
services under an individual brand, but today provides a collection of products only as part of the Optus Wholesale & Satellite division. XYZed established a network of DSLAMs
inside Telstra
telephone exchanges, utilising Unconditioned Local Loop
services to reach end users.
services to remote outback
communities.
With Aussat operating at a loss and with moves to deregulate telecommunications in Australia, the government decided to sell Aussat, coupled with a telecommunications licence. The licence was sold to Optus Communications - a consortium including:
The new telecommunications company was designed to provide competition to then government owned telecommunications company Telecom Australia, now known as Telstra
.
The group began by building an interstate fibre optic cable and a series of exchanges between Optus' interstate network and Telecom
's local network. It also laid fibre optics into major office buildings and industrial areas, and focused on high bandwidth local, (interstate) long distance, and interstate calls for business. In its early years, Optus was only able to offer local and long distance calls to residential customers connected to Telstra's local phone network. Telstra would carry residential to residential calls to Optus' exchanges, and then the calls would be switched to Optus' long distance fibre optic network.
for this, the Australian Federal government sold subscription television licences. Optus, as well as the Seven Network
, businessman Kerry Stokes
and American cable company Cablevision, formed the Optus Vision
consortium. News Corporation
and Telstra created the rival Foxtel
consortium.
Telstra's local phone network did not have the capability to deliver Foxtel pay television to consumers in the early 1990s, so Telstra identified a need to create a broadband network to support this new product.
As Telstra
and Optus could not agree on terms for a joint broadband cable roll out, they laid two competing cable networks, in addition to Telstra's existing copper network, at a combined cost estimated at over A$6bn.
Whilst Telstra focused on creating a broadband network specifically for broadcast, Optus designed their cable network to provide telephony services in addition to broadcast television.
The network was initially used to broadcast Cable TV only. In 1996 the Optus "New Deal" promotion of 20 cent local calls was launched by the Australian Prime Minister
John Howard
making the first local call to an Optus customer supposedly using the new Optus network. This call however was made by the existing Telstra
POTS
network as the new Optus network was not ready for telephony by the advertised launch date. The real activation of Optus telephony services followed later on in 1996.
on 1998-11-17.
During 2001, SingTel
launched a takeover bid for Cable and Wireless Optus which was ultimately successful and the company became known as SingTel Optus Pty Limited.
In the 2003 & 2004 Financial Year, Optus reported a profit of A$440 million. This was an improvement of A$412 million from the previous year. The company has remained profitable since then.
In August 2004 Optus completed a A$227 million takeover of UEComm Ltd.
In July 2005 Optus announced it would acquire Alphawest Ltd. for A$25.9 million. The buyout was completed in November 2005 and Alphawest is now an operating division of Optus Business.
On 12 January 2006 Optus acquired the remaining 74.15% of Virgin Mobile Australia for U$22.6 m, giving it 100% ownership
arm began as a joint venture with U.S cable and content provider Excite@Home and was known as Optus@Home from its introduction in 1999 until it was renamed in 2002. ADSL
services were offered from February 2004. ADSL2+
services were provided from December 2005.
was awarded government funding towards the cost of building a regional broadband network. Optus was to be contracted to build the network on behalf of OPEL.
In April 2008, after a change of the Federal Government from Liberal Party of Australia
coalition parties to Australian Labor Party
coalitions, the new government terminated the funding agreement and the project was halted, with its functions to be replaced by the National Broadband Network
.
OptusNet is one of only five ISPs in Australia to provide Cable
internet (the other four are BigPond
, Neighbourhood Cable
, TransACT
and e-wire). In August 2010, OptusNet released an upgrade of its HFC network to the DOCSIS
3.0 standard, which enabled customers to access a maximum theoretical downstream bandwidth of 100 Megabits. OptusNet is also one of the few ISPs in Australia to currently provide ADSL2+
via its own DSLAM
s, which it also resells to other ISPs.
CS&S aligns with Optus' subsidiary Alphawest
to support end-to-end ICT services as whole-of-business, customised and niche requirements across Optus' large business, corporate and government client base.
some customer service
functions to Convergys
, with the outsourcer providing 800 staff operating offshore
in India
, supplementing Optus' 3,000-plus onshore call centre
staff. Some functions have also been supplemented in The Philippines
. Optus also uses 24-7Customer.com for telephone based outsourcing.
In October 2006, Optus announced that it would outsource 100 contracting jobs to a fellow SingTel
subsidiary, IT company NCS
, in Malaysia.
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...
, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Singapore Telecommunications
Singapore Telecommunications
Singapore Telecommunications Limited , commonly abbreviated as SingTel, is a Singaporean telecommunications company, with a combined mobile subscriber base of 416 million customers from its own operations and regional associates in 25 countries at end of June 2011 increased by 19 percent from a...
. The company primarily trades under the Optus brand, while maintaining several wholly owned subsidiary brands, such as Virgin Mobile Australia
Virgin Mobile Australia
Virgin Mobile Australia is a telecommunications company based in Sydney, Australia. They sell through over 3500 retail outlets, including flagship stores in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, as well as via telesales and web-based stores....
and Boost Mobile
Boost Mobile
Boost Mobile is a brand of wireless prepay service run by Sprint Nextel, operating within the Sprint Prepaid Group along with Virgin Mobile USA, Assurance Wireless, and payLo by Virgin Mobile. Boost Mobile uses GSMand iDEN networks...
in the mobile telephony market, Uecomm
Uecomm
Uecomm is a SingTel Optus Group company with its headquarters in Melbourne, Australia.United Energy Ltd formed its United Energy Telecommunications division in 1997...
in the network services market and Alphawest
Alphawest
Alphawest is a SingTel Optus Group company with its headquarters in Sydney, Australia. It has an Australia-wide support organisation which specialises in ICT systems development and provisioning, and the associated managed services.- History :...
in the ICT services sector.
To provide services, Optus owns and operates its own network infrastructure, as well as using the services of other network service provider
Network service provider
A network service provider is a business or organization that sells bandwidth or network access by providing direct backbone access to the Internet and usually access to its network access points...
s, most notably Telstra Wholesale
Telstra
Telstra Corporation Limited is an Australian telecommunications and media company, building and operating telecommunications networks and marketing voice, mobile, internet access and pay television products and services....
. It provides services both directly to end users and also acts as a wholesaler to other service providers. Through its OptusNet brand, it provides broadband
Broadband
The term broadband refers to a telecommunications signal or device of greater bandwidth, in some sense, than another standard or usual signal or device . Different criteria for "broad" have been applied in different contexts and at different times...
, wireless and dial-up internet services.
The company was originally known as Aussat Pty Limited prior to privatisation, when it became Optus Communications Pty Limited. It was later renamed to Cable & Wireless Optus Pty Limited before changing again to its present name.
Overview
Key Optus products and services include:- Fixed TelephonyTelephonyIn telecommunications, telephony encompasses the general use of equipment to provide communication over distances, specifically by connecting telephones to each other....
- Residential and Commercial POTSPlain old telephone servicePlain old telephone service is the voice-grade telephone service that remains the basic form of residential and small business service connection to the telephone network in many parts of the world....
for local and long distance telephony - Commercial VoIP and VoDSL
- Intelligent NetworkIntelligent networkThe Intelligent Network , is the standard network architecture specified in the . It is intended for fixed as well as mobile telecom networks...
applications, such as free callToll-free telephone numberA toll-free, Freecall, Freephone, 800, 0800 or 1-800 number is a special telephone number which is free to the calling party, and instead the telephone carrier charges the called party the cost of the call...
, 1300 and Interactive voice responseInteractive voice responseInteractive voice response is a technology that allows a computer to interact with humans through the use of voice and DTMF keypad inputs....
services
- Residential and Commercial POTS
- Mobile TelephonyMobile phoneA 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...
- GSMGlobal System for Mobile CommunicationsGSM , is a standard set developed by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute to describe technologies for second generation digital cellular networks...
/GPRSGeneral Packet Radio ServiceGeneral packet radio service is a packet oriented mobile data service on the 2G and 3G cellular communication system's global system for mobile communications . GPRS was originally standardized by European Telecommunications Standards Institute in response to the earlier CDPD and i-mode...
ultising the 850mhz frequency covering 97% of the population - 3G3G3G 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...
/HSPAHigh Speed Packet AccessHigh Speed Packet Access is an amalgamation of two mobile telephony protocols, High Speed Downlink Packet Access and High Speed Uplink Packet Access , that extends and improves the performance of existing WCDMA protocols...
provided by 2100mhz for large regional centres and metropolitan and 900mhz for regional as well as metropolitan coverage. The dual frequencies covers 97% (97.3% with the use of an external antenna) of the population - Satellite TelephonySatellite phoneA satellite telephone, satellite phone, or satphone is a type of mobile phone that connects to orbiting satellites instead of terrestrial cell sites...
covering all of Australia.
- GSM
- Internet AccessInternet service providerAn 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...
- Residential Dial-Up InternetDial-up accessDial-up Internet access is a form of Internet access that uses the facilities of the public switched telephone network to establish a dialled connection to an Internet service provider via telephone lines...
in all states - Residential Broadband Internet (via cableCable modemA 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...
and DSLDigital Subscriber LineDigital subscriber line is a family of technologies that provides digital data transmission over the wires of a local telephone network. DSL originally stood for digital subscriber loop. In telecommunications marketing, the term DSL is widely understood to mean Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line ,...
) in all states (except the Northern TerritoryNorthern TerritoryThe Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
). - Satellite InternetSatellite Internet accessSatellite Internet access is Internet access provided through satellites. The service can be provided to users world-wide through low Earth orbit satellites. Geostationary satellites can offer higher data speeds, but their signals can not reach some polar regions of the world...
- Commercial and Wholesale internet access
- Secure Gateway services for Federal Government departments
- Residential Dial-Up Internet
- Cable TelevisionCable televisionCable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
- Optus TelevisionOptus TelevisionOptus Television is the cable television division of Australian telecommunications company Optus.-History:Its immediate predecessor was Optus Vision, a joint venture between, Optus and Continental Cablevision with small shareholdings by media companies Publishing and Broadcasting Limited and Seven...
service provided in SydneySydneySydney 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...
, MelbourneMelbourneMelbourne 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...
& BrisbaneBrisbaneBrisbane 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...
, including Foxtel DigitalFoxtelFoxtel 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....
- Optus Television
- Leased LinesLeased lineA leased line is a service contract between a provider and a customer, whereby the provider agrees to deliver a symmetric telecommunications line connecting two or more locations in exchange for a monthly rent . It is sometimes known as a 'Private Circuit' or 'Data Line' in the UK or as CDN in Italy...
- Data TransmissionNetwork service providerA network service provider is a business or organization that sells bandwidth or network access by providing direct backbone access to the Internet and usually access to its network access points...
Retail services are sold to customers via phone, internet or through retail outlets, especially franchise
Franchising
Franchising is the practice of using another firm's successful business model. The word 'franchise' is of anglo-French derivation - from franc- meaning free, and is used both as a noun and as a verb....
chains
Chain store
Chain stores are retail outlets that share a brand and central management, and usually have standardized business methods and practices. These characteristics also apply to chain restaurants and some service-oriented chain businesses. In retail, dining and many service categories, chain businesses...
such as Optus World, Network Communications, Strathfield
Strathfield (retailer)
Strathfield is an Australian retailer that sells car stereos, car alarms, home entertainment, small office/home office items & mobile devices . It had 87 stores in all mainland states and territories in March 2005....
, Telechoice, and Allphones
Allphones
Allphones is an Australian based company which begun in Mile End, South Australia in 1989. Allphones entered NSW in 2001 there are now over 170 stores in Australia, making it Australia’s largest independent Mobile Phone Retailer....
.
Subsidiaries
A number of notable wholly owned subsidiaries operate in Australia as part of the SingTel Optus group. These are:- Information Technology & Network Services
- AlphawestAlphawestAlphawest is a SingTel Optus Group company with its headquarters in Sydney, Australia. It has an Australia-wide support organisation which specialises in ICT systems development and provisioning, and the associated managed services.- History :...
- UecommUecommUecomm is a SingTel Optus Group company with its headquarters in Melbourne, Australia.United Energy Ltd formed its United Energy Telecommunications division in 1997...
- Alphawest
- Mobile Telephony
- SIMplusSimplusSimplus is a brand name of one of pay-as-you-go services offered by a Polish GSM/UMTS provider - Polkomtel. The brand was introduced in 1999 as the first PAYG service in Poland....
- Virgin Mobile AustraliaVirgin Mobile AustraliaVirgin Mobile Australia is a telecommunications company based in Sydney, Australia. They sell through over 3500 retail outlets, including flagship stores in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, as well as via telesales and web-based stores....
- SIMplus
Optus also sells mobile services under the brand name Boost Mobile
Boost Mobile
Boost Mobile is a brand of wireless prepay service run by Sprint Nextel, operating within the Sprint Prepaid Group along with Virgin Mobile USA, Assurance Wireless, and payLo by Virgin Mobile. Boost Mobile uses GSMand iDEN networks...
.
Optus also has a 50% stake in the now defunct OPEL Networks
OPEL Networks
OPEL Networks Pty Limited was a telecommunications provider that was to establish wholesale broadband services in regional areas of Australia in the form of WiMAX and ADSL2+ via a network of DSLAMs. The network was also to include terrestrial and undersea backhaul...
.
Other wholly owned subsidiaries of note no longer have a significant active role as individual entities. These are as follows:
Reef Networks was formed in 1999 to provide an optical fibre
Optical fiber
An optical fiber is a flexible, transparent fiber made of a pure glass not much wider than a human hair. It functions as a waveguide, or "light pipe", to transmit light between the two ends of the fiber. The field of applied science and engineering concerned with the design and application of...
link between 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...
and Cairns. Optus gained exclusive access to this link in 2001, ahead of acquiring the organisation in 2005.
XYZed was established by Optus in 2000 to provide wholesale business-grade DSL
Digital Subscriber Line
Digital subscriber line is a family of technologies that provides digital data transmission over the wires of a local telephone network. DSL originally stood for digital subscriber loop. In telecommunications marketing, the term DSL is widely understood to mean Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line ,...
services under an individual brand, but today provides a collection of products only as part of the Optus Wholesale & Satellite division. XYZed established a network of DSLAMs
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...
inside Telstra
Telstra
Telstra Corporation Limited is an Australian telecommunications and media company, building and operating telecommunications networks and marketing voice, mobile, internet access and pay television products and services....
telephone exchanges, utilising Unconditioned Local Loop
Local loop unbundling
Local loop unbundling is the regulatory process of allowing multiple telecommunications operators to use connections from the telephone exchange to the customer's premises...
services to reach end users.
AUSSAT and Deregulation
Optus can trace its beginnings back to the formation of the Government-owned AUSSAT Pty Limited in 1981. In 1982, Aussat selected the Hughes 376 for their initial satellites, with the first, AUSSAT A1, launched in August 1985. AUSSAT satellites were used for both military and civilian satellite communications, and delivering televisionTelevision
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
services to remote outback
Outback
The Outback is the vast, remote, arid area of Australia, term colloquially can refer to any lands outside the main urban areas. The term "the outback" is generally used to refer to locations that are comparatively more remote than those areas named "the bush".-Overview:The outback is home to a...
communities.
With Aussat operating at a loss and with moves to deregulate telecommunications in Australia, the government decided to sell Aussat, coupled with a telecommunications licence. The licence was sold to Optus Communications - a consortium including:
- logistics firm Mayne Nickless (24.99%);
- UKUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
telecommunications company Cable & WirelessCable & WirelessCable & 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...
(24.50%); - USUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
telecommunications company BellSouthBellSouthBellSouth Corporation is an American telecommunications holding company based in Atlanta, Georgia. BellSouth was one of the seven original Regional Bell Operating Companies after the U.S...
(24.50%); - AIDC Limited (10.00%);
- insurance and investment company AMPAMP LimitedAMP Limited is an Australian financial corporation. It operates primarily in Australia and New Zealand. AMP formed in 1849 as the Australian Mutual Provident Society, a non-profit life insurance company. In 1998 it was demutualised and listed on the Australian and New Zealand stock exchanges...
(10.00%); and - insurance and investment company National Mutual (6.02%).
The new telecommunications company was designed to provide competition to then government owned telecommunications company Telecom Australia, now known as Telstra
Telstra
Telstra Corporation Limited is an Australian telecommunications and media company, building and operating telecommunications networks and marketing voice, mobile, internet access and pay television products and services....
.
Early History
After privatisation, AUSSAT became Optus and its first offering to the general public was to offer long distance calls at cheaper rates than that of its competitor Telstra. The long distance calling rates on offer were initially available by consumers dialing 1 before the area code and phone number. Following this, a ballot process was conducted by then regulator AUSTEL, with customers choosing their default long distance carrier. Customers who made no choice or refused to respond to the mailout campaign automatically remained as a Telstra long distance customer. Customers who remained with Telstra could dial the override code of 1456 before the area code and phone number to manually select Optus as the carrier for that single call. Since 1 July 1997, consumers have the choice of preselecting their preferred long distance carrier or dialling the override code before dialing a telephone number.The group began by building an interstate fibre optic cable and a series of exchanges between Optus' interstate network and Telecom
Telstra
Telstra Corporation Limited is an Australian telecommunications and media company, building and operating telecommunications networks and marketing voice, mobile, internet access and pay television products and services....
's local network. It also laid fibre optics into major office buildings and industrial areas, and focused on high bandwidth local, (interstate) long distance, and interstate calls for business. In its early years, Optus was only able to offer local and long distance calls to residential customers connected to Telstra's local phone network. Telstra would carry residential to residential calls to Optus' exchanges, and then the calls would be switched to Optus' long distance fibre optic network.
The Hybrid Fibre-Coax Rollout
These practices meant that Optus was (and still is) the single largest customer of their competitor, Telstra. To become competitive Optus would need to lay its own local phone network. To provide a killer applicationKiller application
A killer application , in the jargon of marketing teams, has been used to refer to any computer program that is so necessary or desirable that it proves the core value of some larger technology, such as computer hardware, gaming console, software, or an operating system...
for this, the Australian Federal government sold subscription television licences. Optus, as well as the Seven Network
Seven Network
The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
, businessman Kerry Stokes
Kerry Stokes
Kerry Matthew Stokes AC is an Australian businessman. He holds business interests in a diverse range of industries including electronic and print media, property, mining, and construction equipment. He is most widely known as the chairman of the Seven Network, one of the largest broadcasting...
and American cable company Cablevision, formed the Optus Vision
Optus Television
Optus Television is the cable television division of Australian telecommunications company Optus.-History:Its immediate predecessor was Optus Vision, a joint venture between, Optus and Continental Cablevision with small shareholdings by media companies Publishing and Broadcasting Limited and Seven...
consortium. 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 Telstra created the rival Foxtel
Foxtel
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....
consortium.
Telstra's local phone network did not have the capability to deliver Foxtel pay television to consumers in the early 1990s, so Telstra identified a need to create a broadband network to support this new product.
As Telstra
Telstra
Telstra Corporation Limited is an Australian telecommunications and media company, building and operating telecommunications networks and marketing voice, mobile, internet access and pay television products and services....
and Optus could not agree on terms for a joint broadband cable roll out, they laid two competing cable networks, in addition to Telstra's existing copper network, at a combined cost estimated at over A$6bn.
Whilst Telstra focused on creating a broadband network specifically for broadcast, Optus designed their cable network to provide telephony services in addition to broadcast television.
The network was initially used to broadcast Cable TV only. In 1996 the Optus "New Deal" promotion of 20 cent local calls was launched by the Australian Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
John Howard
John Howard
John Winston Howard AC, SSI, was the 25th Prime Minister of Australia, from 11 March 1996 to 3 December 2007. He was the second-longest serving Australian Prime Minister after Sir Robert Menzies....
making the first local call to an Optus customer supposedly using the new Optus network. This call however was made by the existing Telstra
Telstra
Telstra Corporation Limited is an Australian telecommunications and media company, building and operating telecommunications networks and marketing voice, mobile, internet access and pay television products and services....
POTS
Plain old telephone service
Plain old telephone service is the voice-grade telephone service that remains the basic form of residential and small business service connection to the telephone network in many parts of the world....
network as the new Optus network was not ready for telephony by the advertised launch date. The real activation of Optus telephony services followed later on in 1996.
Takeovers
24.5% stakeholder Cable and Wireless bought out Bell South's equal 24.5% shareholding in July 1997. The company returned to profitability in 1998 and changed its name to Cable and Wireless Optus Pty Limited. Government relaxation of foreign ownership restrictions paved the way for the company to be floated - with Cable and Wireless increasing its holding to 52.5%) - and listed on the Australian Stock ExchangeAustralian Stock 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....
on 1998-11-17.
During 2001, SingTel
Singapore Telecommunications
Singapore Telecommunications Limited , commonly abbreviated as SingTel, is a Singaporean telecommunications company, with a combined mobile subscriber base of 416 million customers from its own operations and regional associates in 25 countries at end of June 2011 increased by 19 percent from a...
launched a takeover bid for Cable and Wireless Optus which was ultimately successful and the company became known as SingTel Optus Pty Limited.
In the 2003 & 2004 Financial Year, Optus reported a profit of A$440 million. This was an improvement of A$412 million from the previous year. The company has remained profitable since then.
In August 2004 Optus completed a A$227 million takeover of UEComm Ltd.
In July 2005 Optus announced it would acquire Alphawest Ltd. for A$25.9 million. The buyout was completed in November 2005 and Alphawest is now an operating division of Optus Business.
On 12 January 2006 Optus acquired the remaining 74.15% of Virgin Mobile Australia for U$22.6 m, giving it 100% ownership
OptusNet
Optus Communications offered its first business-focused internet products in 1998 under the OptusNet product family, offering in-house developed dial-up and high-speed services. Optus purchased one of Australia's pioneer ISPs, Microplex, in 1998 to provide consumer dial-up internet services. Separate to this, under the Optus Vision brand, a cable broadbandCable 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...
arm began as a joint venture with U.S cable and content provider Excite@Home and was known as Optus@Home from its introduction in 1999 until it was renamed in 2002. ADSL
Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line
Asymmetric digital subscriber line is a type of digital subscriber line technology, a data communications technology that enables faster data transmission over copper telephone lines than a conventional voiceband modem can provide. It does this by utilizing frequencies that are not used by a voice...
services were offered from February 2004. ADSL2+
ITU G.992.5
ITU G.992.5 is an ITU standard, also referred to as ADSL2+ or ADSL2Plus. Commercially it is notable for its maximum theoretical download speed of 24 Mbit/s.-Technical information:...
services were provided from December 2005.
OPEL Networks
In June 2007, joint venture subsidiary OPEL NetworksOPEL Networks
OPEL Networks Pty Limited was a telecommunications provider that was to establish wholesale broadband services in regional areas of Australia in the form of WiMAX and ADSL2+ via a network of DSLAMs. The network was also to include terrestrial and undersea backhaul...
was awarded government funding towards the cost of building a regional broadband network. Optus was to be contracted to build the network on behalf of OPEL.
In April 2008, after a change of the Federal Government from Liberal Party of Australia
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
coalition parties to Australian Labor Party
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
coalitions, the new government terminated the funding agreement and the project was halted, with its functions to be replaced by 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...
.
Terria
Optus is part of a consortium – now known as Terria – that in July 2006 announced their intention to make a combined bid to build the proposed National Broadband Network.Network Backbone
- Terrestrial Fibre OpticOptical fiberAn optical fiber is a flexible, transparent fiber made of a pure glass not much wider than a human hair. It functions as a waveguide, or "light pipe", to transmit light between the two ends of the fiber. The field of applied science and engineering concerned with the design and application of...
Network- Cairns to Brisbane
- Brisbane to Sydney (fully diverseSelf-healing ringA self-healing ring, or SHR, is a telecommunications term for loop network topology, a common configuration in telecommunications transmission systems. Like roadway and water distribution systems, a loop or ring is used to provide redundancy...
over two physically separate paths) - Sydney to Melbourne (fully diverseSelf-healing ringA self-healing ring, or SHR, is a telecommunications term for loop network topology, a common configuration in telecommunications transmission systems. Like roadway and water distribution systems, a loop or ring is used to provide redundancy...
over two physically separate paths, one via Canberra, one via the coast) - Melbourne to Adelaide
- Adelaide to Perth
- SDH Digital Microwave
- Hobart to Launceston
- SatelliteCommunications satelliteA communications satellite is an artificial satellite stationed in space for the purpose of telecommunications...
- Fleet of geostationary satellites (See Optus fleet of satellitesOptus fleet of satellitesThis is a list of the satellites operated by Optus, an Australian telecommunications company. The satellite communications facility is located at Belrose on Sydney’s Northern Beaches.-A-Class:*Satellite Type: Hughes HS-376...
) - International Earth Stations in Sydney and Perth
- National Earth Stations in Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, Hobart and Darwin
- Fleet of geostationary satellites (See Optus fleet of satellites
- Regional exchangesTelephone exchangeIn the field of telecommunications, a telephone exchange or telephone switch is a system of electronic components that connects telephone calls...
in most capitals - Telehousing Data Centres in Melbourne and Sydney
Customer access network
- Hybrid fibre-coaxialHybrid fibre-coaxialHybrid fiber-coaxial is a telecommunications industry term for a broadband network which combines optical fibre and coaxial cable. It was commonly employed globally by cable television operators since the early 1990s.-Description:...
(HFC) network in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne, providing consumer fixed telephonyTelephonyIn telecommunications, telephony encompasses the general use of equipment to provide communication over distances, specifically by connecting telephones to each other....
, cable internetCable internetIn 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...
and cable televisionCable televisionCable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
services. - CBD optical fibre rings in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Canberra and Wollongong, providing direct access for corporate and government services.
- DSLAMsDigital subscriber line access multiplexerA 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...
in certain TelstraTelstraTelstra Corporation Limited is an Australian telecommunications and media company, building and operating telecommunications networks and marketing voice, mobile, internet access and pay television products and services....
local telephone exchanges in all states. Originally only providing business-grade DSLDigital Subscriber LineDigital subscriber line is a family of technologies that provides digital data transmission over the wires of a local telephone network. DSL originally stood for digital subscriber loop. In telecommunications marketing, the term DSL is widely understood to mean Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line ,...
services, newer installations also provide consumer DSLDigital Subscriber LineDigital subscriber line is a family of technologies that provides digital data transmission over the wires of a local telephone network. DSL originally stood for digital subscriber loop. In telecommunications marketing, the term DSL is widely understood to mean Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line ,...
and POTSPlain old telephone servicePlain old telephone service is the voice-grade telephone service that remains the basic form of residential and small business service connection to the telephone network in many parts of the world....
telephony.
OptusNet is one of only five ISPs in Australia to provide Cable
Hybrid fibre-coaxial
Hybrid fiber-coaxial is a telecommunications industry term for a broadband network which combines optical fibre and coaxial cable. It was commonly employed globally by cable television operators since the early 1990s.-Description:...
internet (the other four are 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 :...
, Neighbourhood Cable
Neighbourhood Cable
Neighbourhood Cable is a telecommunications provider based in regional Victoria, Australia . Neighbourhood Cable owns and operates Hybrid Fibre Coaxial cable networks in three Victorian regional cities:* Mildura* Ballarat* Geelong...
, TransACT
TransACT
TransACT Capital Communications is an Australian telecommunications company based in Canberra which provides broadband internet access, fixed telephony, cable television services, and mobile phone services in Canberra and a subset of these services in Queanbeyan, throughout South-east New South...
and e-wire). In August 2010, OptusNet released an upgrade of its HFC network to the DOCSIS
DOCSIS
Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification is an international telecommunications standard that permits the addition of high-speed data transfer to an existing cable TV system...
3.0 standard, which enabled customers to access a maximum theoretical downstream bandwidth of 100 Megabits. OptusNet is also one of the few ISPs in Australia to currently provide ADSL2+
Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line
Asymmetric digital subscriber line is a type of digital subscriber line technology, a data communications technology that enables faster data transmission over copper telephone lines than a conventional voiceband modem can provide. It does this by utilizing frequencies that are not used by a voice...
via its own 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, which it also resells to other ISPs.
Mobile telephony
- GSM network in all states.
- 3G3G3G 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 2100 MHz network to around 80% of Australia's population. - 3G3G3G 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 900/2100 MHz dual-band network to around 97.3% of Australia's population, operating in all states. - 3G3G3G 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...
LTE 1800MHz network that is expected to be switched on in April 2011.
Partly owned infrastructure
Part-owned network infrastructure includes:- 3G3G3G 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...
mobile network, a joint venture with Vodafone AustraliaVodafone AustraliaVodafone Australia is a mobile telephone company, a subsidiary of Vodafone Hutchison Australia. Vodafone Australia was formerly a wholly owned subsidiary of Vodafone Plc .... - Southern Cross CableSouthern Cross CableThe Southern Cross Cable, operated by Bermuda company Southern Cross Cables Limited, is a trans-Pacific network of telecommunications cables commissioned in 2000....
, a fully diverseSelf-healing ringA self-healing ring, or SHR, is a telecommunications term for loop network topology, a common configuration in telecommunications transmission systems. Like roadway and water distribution systems, a loop or ring is used to provide redundancy...
submarineSubmarine communications cableA submarine communications cable is a cable laid on the sea bed between land-based stations to carry telecommunication signals across stretches of ocean....
optical fibre link across the Pacific OceanPacific OceanThe Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
between SydneySydneySydney 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 CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. The SingTel group owns a 40% interest in Southern Cross Cables Limited. This interest was originally owned by SingTel Optus Pty Limited, before ownership was transferred to parent company SingTel during the March 2006 - June 2006 quarter.
Managed services
The Customer Solutions and Services (CS&S) organisation in Optus Business is responsible for providing support for Optus Business customers.CS&S aligns with Optus' subsidiary Alphawest
Alphawest
Alphawest is a SingTel Optus Group company with its headquarters in Sydney, Australia. It has an Australia-wide support organisation which specialises in ICT systems development and provisioning, and the associated managed services.- History :...
to support end-to-end ICT services as whole-of-business, customised and niche requirements across Optus' large business, corporate and government client base.
Outsourcing
Since 2005, Optus has outsourcedOutsourcing
Outsourcing is the process of contracting a business function to someone else.-Overview:The term outsourcing is used inconsistently but usually involves the contracting out of a business function - commonly one previously performed in-house - to an external provider...
some customer service
Customer service
Customer service is the provision of service to customers before, during and after a purchase.According to Turban et al. , “Customer service is a series of activities designed to enhance the level of customer satisfaction – that is, the feeling that a product or service has met the customer...
functions to Convergys
Convergys
Convergys Corporation is a corporation based in Cincinnati, Ohio that provides solutions in customer management and information management. Customer management solutions include agent assisted, self-service and proactive care solutions tailored to the communications, financial services,...
, with the outsourcer providing 800 staff operating offshore
Offshoring
Offshoring describes the relocation by a company of a business process from one country to another—typically an operational process, such as manufacturing, or supporting processes, such as accounting. Even state governments employ offshoring...
in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, supplementing Optus' 3,000-plus onshore call centre
Call centre
A call centre or call center is a centralised office used for the purpose of receiving and transmitting a large volume of requests by telephone. A call centre is operated by a company to administer incoming product support or information inquiries from consumers. Outgoing calls for telemarketing,...
staff. Some functions have also been supplemented in The Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. Optus also uses 24-7Customer.com for telephone based outsourcing.
In October 2006, Optus announced that it would outsource 100 contracting jobs to a fellow SingTel
Singapore Telecommunications
Singapore Telecommunications Limited , commonly abbreviated as SingTel, is a Singaporean telecommunications company, with a combined mobile subscriber base of 416 million customers from its own operations and regional associates in 25 countries at end of June 2011 increased by 19 percent from a...
subsidiary, IT company NCS
NCS Pte Ltd
NCS Group is a multinational information technology and communications engineering company headquartered in Singapore...
, in Malaysia.
External links
- Optus Official website
- OptusZoo/ OptusNet
- Alphawest
- Kids Help Line
- Optus/Telstra How it all works?? WhirlpoolWhirlpool (website)Whirlpool is an Australian broadband user web site, started in 1998 by founder, Simon Wright. Since then, it has grown significantly with over 450,000 registered users while remaining independent.-History:...
forum post - SIMplus
- Singtel
- Uecomm
- Virgin Broadband Australia
- Virgin Mobile Australia
- XYZed
- Photos: Optus's new home (ZDNetZDNetZDNet is a business technology news website published by CBS Interactive, along with TechRepublic and SmartPlanet. The brand was founded on April 1, 1991 as a general interest technology portal from Ziff Davis and evolved into an enterprise IT-focused online publication owned by CNET...
Australia)