Almost a quarter of households surveyed in remote First Nations communities now have Starlink broadband services, up from just 4% a year earlier, according to new research tracking Australia's digital divide.

Diverse Networks Group CEO David Trad says he is receiving information memorandums from smaller telecommunications operators looking to sell their businesses every week, warning that mounting regulatory costs are accelerating market exits and threatening competition.

Optus has secured the most awards in Opensignal's latest Australian Mobile Network Experience Report, winning outright on network reliability, consistent quality and download speeds, while Telstra retained its lead on network coverage and Vodafone topped the rankings for upload speeds and 5G availability.

China-linked cyber attackers have embedded sophisticated malware inside the core systems of telecommunications operators, potentially enabling them to intercept communications, track subscribers and even destroy critical network infrastructure, according to Rapid7 vice president of cyber intelligence Christiaan Beek.