Australia & New Zealand telecoms landmarks

This chronology deals with telecommunications in Australia and New Zealand.

It covers -

• telegraphy (1854)
• early telephony (1879)
• Federation and a national network (1901)
• radio broadcasting (1922)
• OTC (1946)
• deregulation (1975)
• wireless (1993)
• churn (1996)
• after the crash (2000)
• the ACMA era (2005)

Context is provided by the broader media, business and technology timeline. Constitutional developments are highlighted here.

     telegraphy

1854 opening of telegraph line from Melbourne city to Williamstown

1856 South Australia's first line from Port Adelaide to Adelaide city

1856 length of line in Victoria grows to 36 miles

1856 Victoria, NSW and South Australia colonies agree to collaborate on establishment of intercolonial telegraph network

1857 first line between Launceston and Hobart

1858 Adelaide and Melbourne were linked

1858 Sydney-Melbourne telegraph link

1859 Victoria to Tasmania linked via Bass Strait cable

1860 Reuters office established

1861 Queensland linked to NSW

1861 110 telegraph stations across eastern colonies

1862 first NZ telegraph line (from Christchurch to Lytletton)

1866 first telegraph link across New Zealand's Cook Strait

1867 1,676 miles of line within Victoria

1870 Singapore to Port Darwin cable established by the British Australian Telegraph Company

1872 Adelaide to Port Darwin Overland Telegraph Line (OTL)

1875 link between Adelaide and Perth

1876 first Australia to New Zealand telegraph link

     early telephony

1879 Australia's first telephone service opened in Melbourne

1880 first telephone exchange opened in Melbourne

1880 first Australian telephone directory (44 numbers)

1881 New Zealand's first telephone exchange (in Christchurch

1889 Batavia (Jakarta) to Broome telegraph link

1890 first Australian coin-operated public phones?

1891 Brisbane to New Caledonia telegraph link

1901 Batavia linked to Perth via the Cocos-Keeling Islands)

     federation and an integrated national network

1901 Australian Constitution embraces "telegraphic, telephonic and other like services"

1901 Australia colonial networks become responsibility of federal Postmaster-General (PMG)

1903 New Zealand Wireless Telegraphy Act 1903

1906 first domestic NZ radio transmission at Christchurch International Exhibition

1907 telephone trunk line between Melbourne and Sydney

1908 first trans-Tasman radio transmission (via HMS Powerful in Tasman Sea)

1911 Coastal Radio Service (CRS) established in Australia

1912 first automatic exchange in Australia (at Geelong)

1912 Navigation Act 1912 mandates use of radio by oceangoing passenger vessels

1912 CRS stations opened in Melbourne (VIM), Hobart (VIH), Sydney (VIS), Brisbane (VIB), Perth (VIP), Adelaide (VIA)

1913 CRS stations opened in Thursday Island (VII), Port Moresby (VJZ), Mount Gambier, Geraldton (VIN), Rockhampton (VIR), Cooktown, Esperance (VIE), Townsville (VIT), Broome (VIO), Darwin (VID) and Flinders Island

1913 formation of Amalgamated Wireless Australasia Ltd (AWA)

1914 opening of CRS stations at Roebourne and Wyndham (VIW)

1914 telephone trunk line between Melbourne and Adelaide

     radio broadcasting

1922 first NZ radio station launched in Wellington

1922 AWA gains licence to operate CRS stations

1923 telephone trunk line between Sydney and Brisbane

1923 establishment of PMG's Dept Research Laboratories

1927 NZ government short-wave radio-telegraph link with Apia

1930 telephone trunk line between Adelaide and Perth

1930 Raratong-Wellington radio-telegraph link

1930 public radio-telephone service between Australia and New Zealand

1931 London-Wellington radio-telegraph link via Australia

1932 Australian Broadcasting Commission Act 1932

1935 telephone trunk line between Melbourne and Hobart

1936 NZ Broadcasting Act 1936

     OTC

1945 federal government acquires CRS stations from AWA

1946 federal government acquires shortwave broadcasting assets of AWA, forms Overseas Telecommunications Commission (OTC)

1954 OTC launches public telex (teleprinter) service

1961 coaxial cable links Melbourne and Sydney

1966 OTC linked via INTELSAT II

     deregulation

1975 establishment of Australian Telecommunication Commission (trading as Telecom Australia)

1981 Aussat Pty Ltd established to operate domestic satellite services

1982 Davidson Enquiry recommends ending Telecom Australia's monopoly

1986 Telecom launches analogue mobile phone service

1987 Telecom Corporation of New Zealand Ltd formed

1989 full deregulation of NZ telecommunications market

1989 Australian Telecommunications Commission restructured as the Australian Telecommunications Corporation (trading as Telecom Australia)

1989 Telecom hands responsibility for telegram operations to Australia Post

1989 permanent internet connection between Melbourne University and US

1989 Australian Academic Research Network (AARNet) established

1990 Telecom NZ fully privatised in 1990 through NZ$4.25 billion sale to subsidiaries of Bell Atlantic and Ameritech

1990 Clear Communications begins to compete with Telecom NZ

1991 Bell Atlantic and Ameritech sell down Telecom NZ stake

1991 AAPT spins off from AAP financial data/news service

1991 establishment of Optus by consortium that includes Mayne Nickless, Cable & Wireless and BellSouth

1992 last Australian manual exchange (at Longreach, QLD) closed

1992 OTC merges with Telecom as Australian & Overseas Telecommunications Corporation (AOTC)

1992 Optus launches analogue mobile phone network

1992 Todd Corporation takes 24.5% stake in AAPT

1992 Tasman 2 fibre optic cable between Australia and NZ

1992 Vodafone enters Australian mobile phone market as 'third carrier'

1992 Australian legislation for introduction of pay-tv

1992 Radiocommunications Act 1992 in Australia

1993 Bell Atlantic and Ameritech reduce Telecom NZ stake to combined 49.6%

1993 Axicorp Telecommunications established as reseller of local, long distance and mobile services

     wireless

1993 BellSouth NZ launches mobile network

1993 Optus begins using own infrastructure

1993 AOTC was rebadged as Telstra Corporation

1993 Telstra, Optus and Vodafone launch digital GSM service

1994 MCI Communications sells AAPT stake to SingTel

1994 launch of OzEmail and connect.com.au

1995 Cybernet in Melbourne is Australia's first cybercafe?

1995 AAPT launches mobile phone service (using Vodafone)

1995 OzeMail launches Voyager in New Zealand

1995 One.Tel launched as C&W Optus reseller

1995 AAPT buys 50% of Australian ISP connect.com.au

1995 AAPT buys NewsNet ITN

1995 One.Tel founded

1996 Telecom NZ launches XTRA ISP

1996 AAPT buys 40% of Cellular One Communications

1996 AAPT buys QNET Communications

1996 Telecom NZ launches fibre-coax cable network under First Media pay tv plan

1996 Primus Telecommunications acquires Axicorp

1996 Telstra records largest profit in Australian corporate history

     churn

1996 Bell Atlantic becomes Verizon

1996 Telstra begins to offer services in NZ business market

1997 Telecommunications Act 1997 in Australia

1997 Australian telecommunications sector opened for full competition

1997 establishment of Australian Communications Industry Forum (ACIF)

1997 AAPT buys QNet Communications

1997 Telstra partly privatised

1997 takes stake in IBM Global Services Australia (IBM GSA)

1997 Commonwealth government establishes National Office for the Information Economy (NOIE)

1997 Telecom NZ buys back NZ$1bn shares

1997 Telstra v APRA (Music On Hold) case in Australia

1997 Primus buys Axicorp (rebadged as Primus Telecom)

1997 Domainz established

1997 Saturn Communications begins to compete with Telecom NZ

1998 Verizon and Ameritech sell most of Telecom NZ stake

1998 Telecom NZ has 500,000 mobile customers

1998 Vodafone New Zealand acquires BellSouth NZ

1998 Spectrum Network Systems becomes PowerTel

1998 Cable & Wireless takes control of Optus, acquiring Mayne stake

1998 Optus becomes Cable & Wireless Optus

1998 launch of Davnet Telecommunications (DavTel)

1998 Davnet goes public

1998 First Media abandoned by Telecom NZ

1998 America Online establishes Australian arm

1999 C&W Optus acquisition of AAPT opposed by regulators

1999 C&W Optus launches Optus Internet ISP

1999 Telecom NZ buys 78% of AAPT (subsequently moving to full ownership)

1999 Davnet acquire Magna Data ISP

1999 auDA established

1999 Iinet listed on Australian Stock Exchange

1999 Commonwealth sells further 16.6% of Telstra

1999 Ozemail acquired by WorldCom for $520m

1999 Telstra merges NZ operations with Saturn Communications as TelstraSaturn

1999 Telstra sells managed PABX operations to Ericsson spin-off Damovo

     after the Crash

2000 Telecom NZ buys Australian national high bandwidth network from Optus, sells AAPT Sat-Tel

2000 merger of Amcom and FiberTel

2000 AAPT buys Bertelsmann's stake in AOL Australia for $100m

2000 Xtra signs 300,000th subscriber

2000 Telecom NZ has 1m mobile customers

2000 Southern Cross Trans-Tasman cable

2000 Telecom NZ buys rest of AAPT

2000 Copyright Amendment (Digital Agenda) Act in Australia

2000 Optus sells ailing Dingo Blue to AGL for $22m

2000 One.Tel launches GSM service

2001 Telecom NZ takes 19.9% stake in Hutchison 3G Australia for $400m

2001 Cable & Wireless sells Optus stake to SingTel

2001 Froggy group goes under

2001 Davnet sells broadband services arm to NTT Australia for $16m

2001 Microsoft invests NZ$300 million in Telecom NZ

2001 TelstraSaturn acquires Clear to form TelstraClear NZ

2001 One.Tel collapses

2001 Centrica buys OneTel UK for £58m

2002 AGL shutters Dingo Blue

2002 Verizon sells remaining stake in Telecom NZ

2003 Telstra sells 22.6% stake in IBM GSA for $153.5m

2003 buys Powergen's telecoms network infrastructure in UK

2003 Spam Act 2003 in Australia

2004 controversy over claims that Telstra sought to buy Nine Network and Fairfax

2004 Telstra buys UK businesses of PSINet Europe (PSINet UK) for $127m

2004 buys Cable Telecom (est 1997) in UK

2004 Primus buys AOL|7 from AAPT, Seven Network and AOL

2004 ACCC rebukes Telstra over anti-competitive behaviour in broadband market

2004 SingTel sells its 12% stake in dominant Belgian telco Belgacom

2004 Telstra buys Kaz Group for $333m

1004 Telecom NZ buys I-Gen for $57m

2004 Telstra pays $636m for Trading Post classified ad publications

2004 over 1 million broadband subscribers in Australia

2004 Optus acquires Uecomm for $227m

2004 TARBS goes into receivership

2004 Telstra pays $450m for 50% of Hutchinson 3G Australia

2004 pays $64m for Damovo managed communication service provider

     the ACMA era

2005 Sensis acquires Universal Publishers (UBD and Gregory's Directories)

2005 iiNet buys residential arm of OzEmail for US$86.5m (230,000 active non-casual customers, including 47,000 broadband users, and 65,000 active casual customers)

2005 merger of Australian Broadcasting Authority and Australian Communications Authority as the Australian Communications & Media Authority (ACMA)

2005 Crimes Legislation Amendment (Telecommunications Offences & Other Measures) Act 2004 comes into effect

2005 iBurst comes under control of Commander

2005 Telstra's Sensis expands into online recruitment

2005 Chariot buys Alphalink for $6.5m

2005 agreement for full privatisation of Telstra

2005 Optus acquires 50.8% stake in IT services firm Alphawest




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