Even pathetic stunts are added to the SingTel Optus melange. Telstra's genuine, first got a free phone. That's the true spirit of above board commerce in the Australian way. Asher Moses July 11, 2008 - 1:09PM The first person in Australia to buy an iPhone 3G after lining up for 11 hours outside Optus's George Street store yesterday is an Optus employee. Brett Howell, 36, started the queue around 1:15pm yesterday ahead of Optus's midnight iPhone launch, which attracted a crowd of over 250 people. He identified himself to journalists as a call centre roster manager and a business analyst but did not mention he was employed by Optus. Contacted today via the Optus switch, Howell, a "forecast analyst"' at the telco, denied he was part of a publicity stunt orchestrated by Optus to entice people to begin lining up early. "I had to go through everything every customer had to go through," he said ...continued Courtesy:http://www.theage.com.au/news/iphone-insider/optus-denies-iphone-publicity-stunt/2008/07/11/1215658100962.html

I think it is time for friends of Telstra to consider other activities to establish the fact that many Australians ( the silent majority perhaps) have serious concerns at the moment of developments in Australian industries. The fact that the Australian Government takes steps to protect Qantas from foreign competition,which as an Australian I agree with, and yet allows the ACCC to carry on with an anti Telstra campaign to the benefit of foreign owned companies would I think be unacceptable to most. Perhaps local meetings could be arranged to explain to those interested the situations that are being allowed to develop and do damage to Australian companies. Being a supporter of the Rudd Government I hesitate (and at the moment have no reason to do so) be critical of them but do believe that if the ownership of Australia's vital National Broadband Network was to be granted to a foreign Government Australians would be entitled to express their displeasure. Concerning TERRiA I believe they are in terror that they would actually be granted the NBN Tender because having no money at the moment and very little prospect of gaining any, and with insufficient capabilities for the build the whole exercise would be a disaster. Their desire is to spoil the Government NBN plan, to maintain their cunning freeload on Telstra plant and equipment, and demand the destruction of competition with their outrageous call for the break-up of Telstra.

Sydney Lawrence - Terria would be horrified to be awarded the NBN contract. They have neither the funding nor the knowledge to construct a working network, and nor do they want to be put in the position that Telstra has been forced to fill for years - providing a network for resellers like Optus to make money off while providing no value themselves. The reason Terria spends no much time attacking Telstra instead of attempting to win their bid is the old play-the-man-not-the-ball strategy, used when you haven't really got enough skill or ability to win in your own right. Terria doesn't want to win their bid, but sees this as an opportunity to try to persuade the politicians to skew the "competition" laws as much in their favour as possible. That's why you see see much propaganda from Terria and other organisations with a vested financial interest in the the separation of Telstra; that outcome would allow them to profit from Telstra's investment in Australia's future, with zero contribution from themselves, while simultaneously denying Telstra the same rights as they then wish to exercise themselves in selling access to the NBN. The sheer degree of fright and anger exhibited by Terria at the moment is reflective of their terror that their free ride is about to come to an end. For the Terria members it's not about providing a service - it's about making money off someone else doing it. Hopefully our elected officials are smart enough to see through what is no more than a cynical money-grubbing exercise by Terria and concentrate on what outcome will provide the best outcome for Australian broadband consumers - not what will maximise Terria's profits.

I also cannot understand the difference between Telstra and Qantas for the Government to treat them differently. Is there a way to get these people sued in courts for false propaganda against Telstra? I suggest that we start an e-mail campaign to Mr Kevin Rudd and Communication Minister regarding what is happening through staff and shareholders to counter attack the false propaganda requesting them to take appropriate action if we can do so without having any legal implications to the company.

Scott and Lucky we are the first of many who will be awoken to the serious consequences for Australians if our Government decides to assist Telstra opponents and to seriously damage Telstra. Considering the fact that every Australian has a financial interest in Telstra, damage to Telstra and the resulting destruction of Telstra value will be elt by all Australians. I do not believe that the Rudd Government will desert an Australian company but if they do they will be deserving of a one term rule.

Lucky, unfortunately one of the downsides of being the market leader is that your competitors will do anything to attack you - lies, false propaganda, FUD and distortions included. Regardless of these efforts, the vast majority of Australian consumers continue to voluntarily choose Telstra for their communications needs, demonstrating that quality of service and robust products mean more to Australians than penny-pinching to screw a profit out of the consumer. I have faith that the Rudd government will come to the only decision possible over the NBN that will ensure Australians have access to a NBN that offers performance, access, scability and future proofing, as opposed to one that serves only to send Australian dollars to Singapore. If Terria and the other "competitors" could actually come up with a serious competing proposal then they might be taken seriously, but they have again shown their true colours by attenmting to treat the Australian public and Telstra as their own personal cash cow.