Telstra

Get ready for the bells and whistles - the Howard government is planning a $20 million advertising blitz to sell its Telstra float.

Telstra boss Sol Trujillo received a $1.5 million bonus for a strategy plan he paid a US company $54 million to develop, a report says.

Telstra is warning the forced appointment of former federal government spin doctor Geoff Cousins to the company's board could affect the sell-off of the government's final stake in the telco.

Canadian institutional investor Erik Sardain is looking for an exciting investment opportunity in Australia over the next few months, and at the moment it doesn't look like the $8 billion Telstra share offer quite fits the bill.

Telstra is set to oppose Prime Minister John Howard's plan to install former communications executive Geoff Cousins on the board of the telco.

Telstra, Australia's largest telecommunication company, announced its intention to withdraw from building a A$4 billion (US$3.1 billion) high-speed broadband network.