The stake was one of a small handful of investments the telco has made in Australia’s telecommunications market — the largest of which is its buyout of AAPT and its subsequent acquisition of PowerTel.

Telecom also this morning confirmed it was considering strategic options in respect to its AAPT business. The Australian this morning reported that iiNet and TPG Telecom were competing to pick up slices of AAPT, with iiNet this morning going into a trading halt as it prepared to make an announcement to the market about a potential acquisition.

However Telecom also retains other investments in the Australian market — notably an AAPT stake in iiNet, as well as a piece of mobile telco VHA and its Gen-i IT services subsidiary.

ninemsn — the online joint venture with media and entertainment group PBL Media and Microsoft partnership — has advertised for a chief technology officer position on specialist emerging technology and media recruitment firm MitchelLake’s website.

“This is a greenfield opportunity, which has been created due to the success and growth of the ninemsn brand. As part of the executive team you will report directly into the CEO as the most senior technology executive within the business.” the recruitment agency said in an advertisement.

“You will be responsible for driving performance, innovation and adoption of technology across the business, whilst managing and leading the technology team.” ninemsn is searching for a applicant with 10 years plus years experience in a technology sector leadership role and a proven record of managing a technology team of more than 50 people.

Also, the applicant will require experience working with large scale web environments — as the ninemsn stable includes 50 websites heavy with video content and demanding services such Hotmail. The new CTO’s job will not a walk in the park — ninemsn requires zero downtime of its online products and services.

The successful executive will be leading a team of 75 whose responsibilities encompass platforms, infrastructure, architecture, development and support. As well as “driving performance, innovation and adoption of technology” across the ninemsn products the CTO will responsible for a “significant” IT budget and have the ability to invest towards new technologies for the ultimate goal of market penetration.

Image credit: Claudio Sepulveda Geoffroy, royalty free

With only scant hours to go before the launch of the iPhone 4 in Australia, we spoke with the gentlemen first in line outside Optus’ flagship store in the Sydney CBD.

Jack, Callum and Mitch have been waiting in the Optus queue since 2AM Thursday morning. None of them have done anything like this before — although Jack confessed that he owned “at least five” Apple products — including an iPhone 3GS.

Callum will be making a major upgrade from his existing phone to the iPhone 4 — he demonstrated a flip phone that might have been more than three or four years old. It’s certainly not the sort of device that would come with one of the new micro-SIM cards required by the iPhone 4.

The trio are clearly aware of the well-publicised issues with the iPhone 4 — joking that they had heard the phone had “really good reception” — but Jack’s looking forward to the improved camera in the handset that will allow high definition video in particular. “It’s like you don’t have to carry around a camera anymore — it’s good enough quality,” he said.

And they’re looking forward to the festivities planned tonight by Optus — potentially gifts for the first 50 people to line up — and the chance to catch up with singer Kelly Rowland. “We’re not big fans, but any celebrity is a celebrity,” said Jack.

Optus revealed earlier today that it had had more than 100,000 people pre-register for iPhone 4 info on its iPhone 4 site.

Video credit: Delimiter

Communications Minister Stephen Conroy did not outline any new significant election policies in the technology field during a speech to the cream of Australia’s technology sector in Melbourne today — promising instead “more of the same”.

“I was interviewed recently for one newspaper, and the interviewer started off by saying what are you going to be doing, more of the same? Or you got a few new ideas?” said Conroy. “And I thought — more of the same. Introduced micro-economic reform, analogue switch-off — no we’ve not been up to much.”

Conroy said the National Broadband Network and the digital television switchover were enormously challenging projects that would require detailed attention.

The Opposition has not yet released any broadband policy as part of the election policy, nor clarified its policy on key issues such as the internet filter. However, it has pledged to cancel the NBN in general if elected.

The lunch was attended by a number of top-ranking local technology executives – including local HP chief Paul Brandling, for example, and SMS Management & Technology industry director Paul Cooper, both of whom asked Conroy questions about how the technology industry and government could work better on outcomes.

Commonwealth Bank technology czar Michael Harte was also in attendance and participated in a panel after Conroy’s speech.

The Minister did, however, offer attendees several nuggets of new information. For example, tomorrow Conroy will attend a function in Perth with Prime Minister Julia Gillard where the exact locations where NBN fibre will be rolled out will be revealed to the population.

Conroy promised Gillard would put the event “front and centre”, which he hoped would spur the issue of technology to the top of the agenda in the election campaign.

In addition, the Minister will shortly be visiting Tasmania to celebrate the formal launch of the first customers to be connected to NBN fibre in the state.

Conroy promised that by the end of 2010, the Government would release a “long-term digital economy” strategy that would highlight how the NBN’s potential could be fully realised in Australia. And he also promised a wide-ranging review of telecommunications regulation.

“If elected, the Labor government will move to commence a comprehensive review of communications regulations. This type of review would consider all media platforms,” Conroy said, “including free TV, subscriptions, video on demand, IPTV and mobile TV.”

The Minister also took the chance to take a stab at the Opposition, claiming it had had no less than 18 separate broadband policies over the past twenty years that had led to a flawed system.

“In the communications sector, Australians have a choice between progress — moving forward — or standing still,” said Conroy.

Video credit: Screen capture of AIIA broadcast

In just eleven hours’ time, Apple’s hyped iPhone 4 handset will launch in Australia. But Telstra hasn’t yet finished tweaking its launch plans for the device and other smartphones.

This morning Telstra revealed it would upgrade the amount of data available to consumers purchasing one of several next-generation handsets on post-paid plans on the Next G network. The handsets include the iPhone 4 and 3GS, the HTC Desire and the Nokia N97 mini.

The boosts — which range from 300Mb up to a whopping 5GB extra for Telstra’s top offerings — apply to a range of Telstra Consumer Cap Plans and Ultimate II plans.

For example, those who purchase one of the listed handsets on a Telstra $79 Consumer Cap Plan will now receive 1GB of included data — up from 500MB, and those on the $129 plan will receive 6GB of included data, up from 1GB. Similar upgrades will apply to the telco’s Ultimate II plans.

“We know our customers love accessing the mobile internet on the Next G network as much as they love a MasterChef cook-off,” said Telstra executive director of its Consumer division, Rebekah O’Flaherty, in a blog post on Telstra’s Exchange site — referring to the planned attendance by Masterchef stars at Telstra’s iPhone launch event tonight.

“And, over the past couple of days you’ve told us that you’d like more data included to use with some of our hottest smartphones — including the iPhone 4.”

The upgraded data allowances will apply to new and existing customers who sign up to the contracts until 1 November this year. ” Further pricing details will be launched over the next couple of days,” said O’Flaherty.

The news comes as other telcos continue to release pricing information relating to the iPhone 4 launch tonight — for example, Virgin Mobile’s plans were revealed this morning.

Telstra’s revised plans:

Image credits: Apple, screenshots of Telstra blog post

Scant hours before Apple’s latest hyped handset is slated to go on sale at midnight tonight in Australia, Optus subsidiary Virgin Mobile has released its pricing for the device.

The picture above is of Virgin chief Richard Branson in Sydney this week for a Virgin Money launch — holding an iPhone 4.

Virgin will offer Australian customers the iPhone 4 on either its Easy Caps plans — which focus on providing voice and text value — including “unlimited” mobile talk and text to other Virgin customers, as well as its Smart Caps plans, which focus on data usage.

The mobile telco’s entry-level Easy Caps plan costs $29 per month and comes with 100MB of data and $190 of included value, with the 16GB iPhone 4 to cost customers a total of $15 extra per month on top, and the 32GB model to cost $35 per month extra on top — all on a 24 month plan.

The top Easy Caps plan costs $49 per month and comes with 500MB of data and $450 of credit. The 16GB iPhone 4 will cost customers $5 extra per month on this plan, or $20 for the 32GB model.

In turn, Virgin’s Smart Caps plans start at $39 per month — with that plan offering 1.5GB of data and $190 of included credit. The 16GB iPhone 4 will cost an extra $15 per month on top — or $25 per month for a 32GB model.

The highest Smart Cap plan from Virgin will cost customers $59 a month and come with 2.5GB of data and $450 of included call credit. On this plan customers will pay nothing extra for the 16GB iPhone 4, but they will pay an extra $18 per month on top for the 32GB model.

Comparatively, Australia’s other telcos have released plans that range through the full spectrum of pricing — all the way up to $99, for example, on Vodafone or Telstra — while Virgin appears to have attempted to keep its plans at the lower-priced end of the spectrum.

Image credit: Virgin Mobile

According to Telstra, the first person in line for an iPhone 4 in the queue outside its flagship Sydney T-Life store in George St is Sam Dunster. Dunster has apparently been in the Telstra line since 2AM Thursday morning, and is from regional NSW — Minnamurra (near Kiama).

Image credit: Telstra

Looks like contestants from Ten’s Masterchef show are already at Telstra’s flagship T-Life store in Sydney’s CBD preparing for the launch of the iPhone 4 at midnight tonight.

Telstra says there will be “apple treats” for those lining up outside the Telstra store, with the Masterchef finalists to appear from 8PM and judge Matt Preston from 10PM. Cook-offs will also be held.

I think we can guess where the ingredients for the apple treats will be coming from.

Oh dear.

On the eve on the Apple iPhone4 launch in Australia, we round up all the events planned for midnight tonight around Sydney by the big three telco providers — with events ranging from the left field to the glamourous.

The zaniest of the major events is brought to you by Telstra. The telco will have co-host Matt Preston and finalists of the popular cooking show Masterchef Series 2 hamming it up for fans to help “make their Masterchef dreams a reality.”

Masterchef finalists will be at Telstra’s flagship T-Life store in the Sydney CBD at 8PMtonight and Preston will make an appearance from 10pm. There will be apple treats for consumers prepared by the finalists and other activities including cook-offs.

The event will take place at Telstra’s store located 400 George St, Sydney with a further 25 Telstra stores open across the nation for the midnight launch.

Vodafone and 3 took took the glitterati approach and are offering customers the ability to hang out at the Ivy bar in Sydney prior to the midnight launch. Vodafone and 3 will be taking registrations from customers — first in, first served — at the the Vodafone store on 285 George St, Sydney.

Registered customers will be given a numbered ticket and access to the Ivy party “to wait-it-out in total comfort and style” with food, 2 x alcoholic drink vouchers and a special guest DJ. At midnight registered customers will be taken down to the Vodafone and 3 store when their number is called to purchase their iPhone 4. The party at the Ivy will then continue until 3AM.

Optus recruited singer and performer Kelly Rowland to celebrate the midnight launch of the iPhone 4. Those queuing will be given scarves, beanies and beanbags to keep warm — there will also be magicians, music, games and surprises to keep customers entertained.

Activities — or as Optus put it “the love-in” — start at 9PM at the Optus “yes” shop located at 280 George St, Sydney. Other midnight launches will be happening at Optus stores in Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth.

Image credit: Still of Masterchef TV show, believed to be usable under fair use

update Speculation about a deal that could see national broadband provider iiNet pick up a chunk of embattled Telecom New Zealand subsidiary AAPT is likely to rapidly intensify this morning with the news iiNet has halted trading of its shares.

iiNet chief executive Michael Malone has so far declined to comment on a possible AAPT deal, but in an announcement to the ASX this morning, iiNet requested a two day trading halt “pending the announcement of a potential acquisition”.

iiNet envisages ending its trading halt before Monday morning — before which time it plans to make an announcement about the “proposed acquisition”.

The news comes as iiNet’s name was linked this morning by the Australian to a possible transaction involving AAPT. Rival broadband specialist TPG has long been named as a potential acquirer of AAPT. Both iiNet and TPG have a strong history of acquiring other ISPs in the Australian market to fuel growth.

“It is believed iiNet has submitted a proposal that could see AAPT’s retail and wholesale arms sold as separate entities,” the newspaper reported this morning.

Both iiNet and TPG have been extremely active in acquiring other telcos and ISPs over the past few years. In late March iiNet confirmed it would acquire fellow tier two ISP Netspace, in a transaction valued at $40 million and funded entirely through debt.

It had only been two years since iiNet’s last major acquisition — fellow Perth-based ISP Westnet.

And TPG hit headlines last year with the buyout of fibre player Pipe Networks, in a deal which gave TPG — primarily a retail service provider — a significant wholesale fibre footprint around Australia.

Image credit: iiNet