10 Mar 2018

Bits+Bytes: pricier broadband and #alexalaughs

From Bits+Bytes, 12:45 pm on 10 March 2018
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Photo: Supplied / Rocket Lab

Has New Zealand entered the space race in earnest? After the recent Rocket Lab launch, a conference at Te Papa hears plans to position the country as a base station for the global satellites sector. 

Also competition in the broadband market has been pushing prices down, but will looming regulation see rates rise again for consumers? 

Meanwhile, Google rolls out free calls to mobile phones and landlines from its home assistant, Google Home. 

And sticking with these voice-activated digital assistants, Emily Wang of Datacom on reports that users of Amazon's Alexa system are hearing the unit emit strange, "witch-like" laughter (if you do a search of #alexalaughs on Twitter, you'll see many funny/creepy examples).