BlackBerry will focus back on mid-range smartphones because the launch of the high-end Android-based Priv failed to stimulate the needed sales growth during the last quarter. [ + ]

The global transaction value of mobile and wearable contactless payments is expected to reach US$95bn in 2018, with smartwatches and bands contributing but the market remaining dominated by smartphones. [ + ]

Telstra has been awarded a new $1.6bn deal to connect its existing hybrid-fibre-coaxial (HFC) network to the NBN. [ + ]

Australian telecom operators are still waiting to learn how much of the multimillion-dollar costs of complying with mandatory data retention legislation will be subsidised. [ + ]

'Design thinking' is gaining popularity across a number of sectors and is now seen as an exciting new paradigm that allows companies to make themselves relevant in a world that is constantly changing. [ + ]

If you've got a technology innovation or solution to showcase, you still have 10 days to get your entry into the iAwards, a prestigious digital program for the ICT industry. [ + ]

Australia's big four banks stand to lose $13bn in aggregated revenues to the emerging FinTech sector between 2015 and 2020, and must adapt to stave off the impact of this disruption, Frost & Sullivan has warned. [ + ]

Hackers reported to have released data of 50m Turkish citizens, US military issues invitation to test its systems, and Telstra's Free Data Day breaks record. [ + ]

Analyst company Ovum is increasing its investment spending to be able to better help clients in the TMT sector grab a piece of the expected $6.3tr opportunity that will be enabled by the digital economy. [ + ]

Blue Coat Systems has won a Frost & Sullivan Market Leadership Award for having the highest share of the over $1bn network security forensics market. [ + ]

Italy's Prysmian Group will manufacture a new line of optical cables at its facility on Sydney's Northern Beaches, bringing the potential to save significantly on installation costs. [ + ]

SIGFOX and affiliate Thinxtra will roll out a dedicated low-power IoT network in ANZ, while Verizon Enterprise Solutions has concluded that 2015 was the year that the IoT went mainstream. [ + ]

ABS's latest internet statistics show that Australians downloaded more than 1.7 million terabytes of data in the December quarter, while total broadband subscribers grew to nearly 13m. [ + ]

NASA's employees must be too busy doing... what NASA does best, because the space agency is hosting a crowdsourcing challenge for the artistically inclined to help it develop a logo for its In-Space Manufacturing project. [ + ]

Dell SecureWorks' third annual report into underground hacker markets show that stolen Australian Visa and MasterCard credit cards sell for under US$40. [ + ]