iBurst done in Australia as Telstra buys spectrum.(NEWS ANALYSIS)

The fate of Personal Broadband Australia's 1.9-GHz spectrum is now in the hands of Telstra. Whatever happens next, it may spell the beginning of the end for iBurst wireless broadband technology--at least in Australia.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) revealed in January that Telstra won the spectrum covering Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney via a competitive tender process. The identity of the buyer had been previously unknown.

PBA rolled out iBurst services in most Australian capital cities in 2004, and was acquired by Commander in 2005. But after struggling to achieve a significant subscriber-base, Commander went into receivership last year, and despite offers from at least two companies--BigAir and Pacific Wireless--to buy the iBurst business, the receivers instead elected to shut down the network.

Because the spectrum is useless for Telstra's 3G network, speculation has been rife over just what the telco intends to do with it. A Telstra spokesperson confirmed that the carrier acquired the spectrum without a specific business in mind, and that no final decision had been made on how the frequencies would be deployed. Some analysts have speculated that Telstra may be acquiring the spectrum simply to keep it away from the ...