It's 30 years since Australia's first mobile phone call

Although the history of mobile phone calls of various types spans decades, with a limited yet commercial mobile service available in St Louis in 1946, the first “modern” handheld mobile phone call made in the US in 1973 and not until 1985 in the UK, Australia’s first mobile call was thirty years ago today – August 9, 1981.

Telstra has released a range of mobile plans saying they "follow the creation last month of Telstra Digital, a new business unit to expand expand Telstra's online self-service offerings."Telstra announced in February that it would create a new online customer service unit within Telstra Consumer that will "design and operate online self-service platforms that give customers the option of performin

Pandora has fully launched in Australia and New Zealand, the only two places outside of the U.S. where the service is available in its entirety, with the addition of mobile access via iOS and Android apps today.

UK-based mobile virtual network operator, Lycamobile, has launched services in Australia, with a focus on low cost international calls from prepaid SIMs. It is reported to be reselling services on Telstra's network.

The Telstra Foundation has announced plans to award grants totally $1m, marking the tenth anniversary of the organisation's founding. The Foundation was launched in 2002 to improve the lives of Australia's children and young people, with an initial annual budget of $5m.

Australian mobile phone users should soon have the option of self-service customer care via the screens of their handsets instead of having to use IVR or talk to call centre agents.

Telecom New Zealand has signed a new three year supply chain agreement with Miami based Brightstar covering all mobile, broadband and fixed line products; just weeks after Brightstar's controversial relationship with Telstra came to an end.

Ten years after the Agile manifesto was written, the approach has become mainstream with enterprise Australia with organisations including NBN Co, NAB, Telstra, Allianz, Bankwest and Suncorp all climbing on the bandwagon.

A year after 'entering' the Australian market with the acquisition of local fixed and mobile service reseller, Startel Communications, and the signing of an MVNO agreement with Optus, UK based Truphone has launched services in Australia.