Communications minister Stephen Conroy is expected to announce today that US satellite manufacture Space Systems/Loral has been awarded a contract worth about $600m for two geostationary satellites to deliver NBN services to about three percent of homes beyond the economic reach of wireless or fibre services.

The ACCC has released submissions received in response to the first round of its review of NBN Co's special access undertaking, and submitters are united in warning that it could result in NBN Co's Wholesale Broadband Agreement transcending legislation and the powers of the ACCC.

NBN Co has submitted to the ACCC a report commissioned from economics consultancy Synergies that recommends the ACCC accept NBN Co's special access undertaking, which sets out the price and non-price terms and conditions under which access seekers will gain access to NBN Co wholesale services.

Oracle has revealed that several big-name customers are using its locally-hosted SaaS CRM product.

Under its corporate plan, NBN Co is tasked with delivering broadband services of up to 100 megabits per second (Mb/s) to the 93 per cent of Australian homes eventually serviced by its fibre network. However, recent warnings from cyber security experts in both the New South Wales and Victorian Police suggest that consumers, service providers and regulators should be considering the security risks posed by the very characteristics identified as benefits of the NBN.

The ACCC has initiated its statutory public enquiry into NBN Co's special access undertaking (SAU) with release of a preliminary consultation paper but the real consultation paper seeking the views of stakeholders will not be released until mid February.

NBN Co has awarded network management services and technology company, AccessTel Kentrox Australia (AKA) and contract to provide management services for its network facilities

NBN Co has awarded Leighton Group subsidiary Visionstream a contract worth up to $19 million to build the first stage of the transit network that will connect NBN Co's central hub to its fibre access nodes and points of interconnect.

Primus has gained accreditation to deliver fixed-line telephone services to customers on the NBN and is now fully accredited for both broadband and telephone services.

Internode has turned on high-speed broadband services at the first house in a new subdivision in the Queensland town of Grantham, which is being rebuilt on higher ground after it was ravaged by floods in January.