Telstra

Mr Howard says the government will make a major announcement on broadband services later this week.

This largesse comes on top of a reported $19 billion for roads of national significance and his opening of the $518 million Albury Wodonga bypass on Sunday on the NSW-Victoria border.

"One of the most important responsibilities of the commonwealth government is to provide infrastructure for the future growth and development of our nation," Mr Howard said in his weekly radio address.

Mr Howard is using every spending initiative to promote his Governments electoral chances as he tries to claw back a 10 per cent gap in the polls. 

One of the worlds biggest share sales concluded today when almost $16 billion of previously Government owned, Telstra shares, went on sale today, listing at a small premium to their purchase price.
However, hopes of quick stag profit for investors were dashed when the price of Telstra shares fell 15 cents to $3.60 at 12:30 pm, an hour after the new share began trading.
Telstra's T3 instalment warrants debuted at a premium opening at $2.11 compared with the $2 per security paid by small shareholders.

TELSTRA will become a privately owned company this morning when the federal Government unloads $15.5 billion in Telstra shares, almost twice the amount forecast when it announced the sell-off last month. Enthusiasm for the public offer from small investors and institutions will allow the Government to divest a further 35 per cent of Telstra at $3.70 a share, with a 10c discount for small retail investors in Australia's second-largest float. The huge demand from "mum and dad" investors meant the Government was able to sell about 15 per cent more of the company than its original target of 20 per cent. The larger size of the sale means only 17 per cent of Telstra will remain in government hands. That stake will be transferred into the Future Fund, for the superannuation entitlements of public servants, in January.

A Telstra shareholder was physically thrown out of the telco's annual general meeting today as he disrupted the opening remarks of chairman Don McGauchie. The shareholder, Kenneth Ivory of Brisbane, stood up in the meeting and threw a handful of papers at the feet of Mr McGauchie. Mr McGauchie asked Mr Ivory to leave and when he did not, Mr Ivory was physically removed from the meeting by security guards. Protesting that he was being assaulted, Mr Ivory was taken by two security guards on either side of him and physically pulled from the hall in the Melbourne Convention Centre, where the meeting was taking place.

Telstra will finally bring Australia's internet speeds in line with those offered in the rest of the developed world when it lifts the brakes on its copper wire-based ADSL broadband service today.

The telco will flick the switch on the technology known as ADSL2+ and branded HS (high-speed) ADSL, which will offer speeds up to 40 times faster than entry-level broadband.

The launch will bring Telstra into line with industry rivals such as Optus, iiNet, Internode and Primus and ends more than a year of waiting since it shelved plans to launch on the service in September last year.

But Telstra will only offer the faster service to about 50 per cent of Australian homes. It is still worried the competition regulator might force it to let rivals piggyback on the new service despite recent comments from competition chief Graeme Samuel saying he won't let them.

Other consumers will be offered faster speeds on existing ADSL technology after Telstra removes artificial caps on the service.