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Australia's biggest telecoms firm agrees to convert old copper-wire network to superfast optic fibre and lease it to the state's broadband companyThe Australian government and the country's biggest telecoms company yesterday agreed a US$37bn (£25bn) deal to build a national superfast broadband network.Under the deal, Telstra agreed to convert its old copper-wire network into a superfast web of optic-fibre and then rent it out to the government's National Broadband Network company (NBN) in return for A$11bn (£6.5bn) in long-term payments.Australia has slower and more expensive internet services than many rich nations — a problem viewed as a serious economic bottleneck....

Move intended to save millions will see remaining sites forced to cut costs by up to 50%Hundreds of government websites are to be scrapped in a move that will save millions of pounds, the cabinet office announced today.Up to 75% of the existing 820 government-funded websites could be shut down, with those that remain forced to cut their costs by up to 50%.A review of all existing sites will look at cost, usage and whether existing sites can better share their resources.The move was announced as a Central Office of Information report was published on 46 government websites that...

… and how much traffic does it get? The latest government data reveals how £94.5m of government money was spent - before they even got to paying for staffing• Get the dataWhat does it cost to put a website together? The latest open data release from the Government, provides a fascinating insight into the running of the UK's major government websites.The list, which doesn't include data.gov.uk, covers 2009/10 and details the government's website development, staffing and hosting costs - as well as a raft of data showing web traffic, accessibility and user opinions on the sites. The highlights include:• £33.5m...

Xbox 360 owners may be in the mood for an upgrade. After all, Microsoft just announced a brand new Xbox 360 that is sleek black, features a 250 GB hard drive, integrated wi-fi, and a quieter operation. In addition, it's smaller. Which is great for people who own early generation Xbox 360's and are in the mood to get a new one. But $299 is a pretty steep price for an upgrade, which is why it's great that GameStop is now offering a special trade-in, valid between today, June 17, and July 11....

Ministers to examine ideas sent to social networking site before making decisions over further cuts to public spendingThe government has struck a deal with Facebook to field ideas from the public on further public spending cuts, it emerged today.Facebook's "spending challenge channel" is an expansion of the social networking site's "Democracy UK" pages, set up during the run-up to the general election, and will be used to take suggestions from the public for saving money ahead of the spending review.The chancellor, George Osborne, has already asked public sector workers for their views on cuts, to the fury of one trade...