MELBOURNE, Sept 3 (Reuters) - The Australian government on Wednesday set a Nov. 26 closing date for bids to build a A$9.4 billion ($7.8 billion) broadband network, aiming to make high-speed Internet access cheaper and more widely available.

At the British telecommunications giant BT Group, Ben Verwaayen was lauded for transforming a money-losing telephone company into a profitable and aggressive leader in broadband Internet access.

LIMITED BROADBAND connectivity is inhibiting economic development in developing countries like the Philippines, where the government has barely invested in infrastructure, an International Telecommunication Union (ITU) report said.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has defended the lack of progress in building a national broadband internet network, saying the government was committed to the so-called digital revolution.

AsiaInfo Holdings, Inc. , a leading provider of telecom software solutions and IT security products and services in China, today announced that it has won a tender with China Telecom, the world's largest fixed-line telecommunications and broadband servic