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Curran slams copper tax, Samsung W8 PCs, Wynyard on track
Briefly: Curran slams copper tax, Samsung W8 PCs, Wynyard on track
by Bill
Bennett
August 27, 2013
http://www.digitl.co.nz/426/curran-samsung-wynyard/
Labour communications spokesperson Clare Curran criticised Chorus asking government for a $100 million bailout to rollout the UFB network while posting a healthy $171 million net profit for 2013.
She says Communications Minister Amy Adams decision to price copper broadband the same as fibre amounts to giving the company a $100 million copper tax.
Curran says it’s even more extraordinary that Chorus will be allowed to use competitive copper pricing in the areas where it doesn’t control the fibre roll out.
She says: “In other words Chorus can undercut the three smaller taxpayer UFB companies in Northland, the mid-North Island and Canterbury in order to protect its own business. This is called pocket pricing; it is an extraordinary rort.”
• Samsung puts its money behind Windows 8 with four new slim PCs in the appallingly-name Ativ range. Prices range from NZ$1349 for a 13 inch touch screen laptop to the pricey Ativ Book 9 Plus which weighs in at a whopping $2499 – about a third more than the flagship MacBook Air. It claims the same 12 hour battery life, so it could be a hit with Windows 8 fans, if there is such a thing.
• Who says crime doesn’t pay. Auckland-based security specialist Wynyard says it is on track to meet its revenue target of $21.5 million. Managing director Craig Richardson said the company is benefiting from global media and attention on using technology to fight organised crime.
Related posts:
1. Briefly: Ballmer quits, telcos support Tics,
GCSB warnings, Wynyard wins Queensland Rail
2. Chorus posts profit, flags flat
2014
3. Simon Moutter interview part 3: Telecom’s
agnostic content delivery
4. Chorus to offer faster residential UFB
within
year
ENDS
Bill Bennett
New Zealand technology news
Bill Bennett publishes technology news and features that are directly relevant to New Zealand readers.
Covering enterprise and small business computing, start-ups, listed companies, the technology channel and devices. Bennett's main focus is on New Zealand innovation.
Bill Bennett stories are republished on Geekzone and Scoop.
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