A recent revelation published in The Guardian shows that the NBN is much more expensive than what the Coalition let us believe in 2013. The beginnings of the NBN date back to the Howard Government with Kevin Rudd in the Opposition seat. Around 2005, both Parties agreed that extra money was needed to ensure that …
Australian NBN speeds improving, but we still lag the world
It seems Labor has bitten the bullet and decided that to have an overall better quality NBN, more money is needed to upgrade the Fibre-to-the-Node (FttN) to full-fibre. While the Government has indicated that the next stage of the NBN needs to be financed by NBN Co through private debt, Labor believes that this will …
Labor’s NBN plan full fibre NBN will reach 8 million households Read More »
Labor commits to making AU$2.4b ‘investment’ to extend on-demand FttN upgrades
Labor’s plan to fix NBN “won’t be enough”
Money and policy are the keys to elevate Australia into top broadband league
Federal Labor to boost NBN fibre, retain public ownership
Analyst puts Labor NBN plan in same basket as govt efforts
A few weeks ago, I talked about Facebook’s Metaverse and the issues that I have with this service, in a regulatory vacuum. I hope we have learned our lessons with the current way social media have developed and that we are making sure we are not going to use new developments in these media purely …
Cirque de Solei explores the new options of VR and holoportation. Read More »
NBN likely to end up with $90 billion bill, top telco analyst says
IA Book Club: ‘Why You Should Give A Fck About Farming‘
Foxtel may float as the competition increases in streaming
We had a very interesting presentation and discussion regarding the topic of interplanetary internet with my international colleagues of which Vint Cerf – one of the “fathers of the internet” – is also a member. As a partner of the Interplanetary Networking Special Interest Group (IPNSIG), he took us on a journey that he has …
Telstra is partnering with the Australian Government in a deal that sees the telecoms company acquire the mobile business of Digicel South Pacific for U.S.$1.6 billion (AU$2.14 billion), plus an additional U.S.$250 million (AU$333 million) depending on how the business fares over the next three years. The Government has committed to pay U.S.$1.33 billion (AU$1.73 …
Telstra’s Digicel South Pacific buy is politically motivated Read More »
Using smart cities to protect democracy
Telstra to acquire Digicel Pacific for $1.6 billion with help from government
澳收購最大電信商阻中插旗太平洋島國 – 美洲台灣日報
Austrálska Telstra kupuje Digicel Pacific, Canberra chce znížiť vplyv Číny v regióne
Austrálska Telstra kupuje Digicel Pacific
防華滲透太平洋澳洲官商購通訊企業 – 東網
Crypto and the metaverse lead tech innovation
Telstra to buy Digicel Pacific in Australia government-backed $2.2 billion deal
Telstra to buy Digicel Pacific in Australia government-backed $1.6 bln deal
Denis O’Brien welcomes sale of Digicel Pacific to Telstra in $1.85bn deal
VIDEO: Telstra joins with the federal government to buy South Pacific telco
Telstra to buy Digicel Pacific in Australia government-backed $1.6 billion deal
Over the last few years, I have written various articles about smart cities and I have reported on several of them during my international smart city expedition in 2018. Moving three years forward, COVID-19 has had a positive and a negative effect on the development of smart cities. On the positive side, the awareness of …
Using smart cities to build bastions to protect democracy Read More »
Analyst Budde terms Telstra’s Digicel move ‘a political decision’
Around 2005, in the days when we started to prepare for building the NBN, we had a special workgroup working on telehealth. At that time, we also discussed this with health professionals and asked them which areas of healthcare would benefit the most from the use of the new digital media. The professionals’ answers to …
Facebook’s founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg launched his metaverse vision for Facebook beyond it being a social media outlet. He envisages an augmented and virtual reality (AR and VR) internet in which we all can immerge and do things basically as virtual beings. In his vision, we will all soon be wearing VR goggles. Facebook …
Zuckerberg’s Metaverse hype, reality or does it just suck. Read More »
Zuckerberg’s metaverse comes with serious flaws
In 2002, computer scientist, physicist and businessman Stephen Wolfram published his book, A New Kind of Science. Rather than looking at mathematics as the solution to unravel the mysteries of the world and the universe, Wolfram looked at how systems work and concluded that they do follow certain patterns to eventually create a particular outcome. …
How AI and a systems approach can be used to better understand our world Read More »
In September 2021, Telstra CEO Andy Penn revealed the company’s plan for the next four years, unveiling T25 — the next tranche of T22, which is part of an ongoing transformation of the telco. This is the company’s strategic program aimed at leading the Australian telecommunications market by simplifying its operations and product set, improving …
The future of automated vehicles has a long and winding road ahead
Around 20 years ago, the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) in the USA allocated 75 MHz (5.85-5.925 GHz) to Intelligent Transportation Systems. This led to the dedicated short-range communications (DSRC) standard, 802.11p, which is a tweak of 802.11a. Approximately zero cars adopted it. There were demo projects and some roadside units were built, but it never …
Rather conveniently, NBN Co has removed all forward financial projections beyond the next 12 months in its Corporate Plan for 2022, released last week. As I also mentioned when the Government released its financial results a few weeks ago, understanding how the company is really performing remains rather murky. The new corporate plan only adds …
High-speed fibre overtakes DSL as OECD countries add 21 million fixed broadband connections in pandemic year High-speed fibre Internet subscriptions surpassed copper-wire DSL connections across OECD countries for the first time in 2020 as the need to move work and home life activities online during the COVID-19 pandemic led to a record 21.15 million new …
By Ben Grubb in InnovationAus In 2008, Professor Coutts was appointed by then-communications minister Stephen Conroy as one of six members of a panel of experts to assess proposals to build the NBN and to advise the government on the awarding of a $4.7 billion contract to part-fund its construction. The panel eventually rejected all …
Over the last few decades of an increasingly well-connected world, the use of data to assist us in managing the many complex issues that we as a global society are facing has become more and more important. We have seen this in the IPCC report on climate change, which uses massive amounts of data that …
Satellite another tool in the fight against Covid Read More »
In August, NBN Co announced its financial results for the financial year ending 30 June 2021. It showed that it had activated 8.2 million customers. Interestingly they mentioned that this was on target — returning $4.6 billion of revenues and an improved net loss of $3.8 billion. But as I have also mentioned in previous …
NBN hits a financial target that has been revised downwards several times Read More »
Last year I reported on the success of telehealth. I can now tell that the service will be permanent feature of the medical service in Australia. People including myself have been arguing for this for more than 15 years, but it required a crisis such as Covid to see it implemented and becoming a key …
Success of Telehealth in Australia in glowing numbers Read More »
Massive Changes to the Chinese Tech Industry
Why News Corp isn’t doing as well as its results suggest
It was on the cards. For weeks, Jack Ma, the digital tycoon of China, founder of Ant and of e-commerce giant Alibaba (the Chinese Amazon), disappeared off the radar after he was summoned by the Chinese Government and most likely lectured on the fact that his company was out of step with official Chinese policy. …
In a surprise move, the Commonwealth Bank took a 25% stake in two of the NBN Retail Service Providers (RSPs): More Telecom and Tangerine. As electronic banking is growing exponentially, the bank wants to become more involved in the telecoms market which is key in providing access to such services. As Australia has one of …
Back to the future with FttH and finally mobile roaming is on the cards. Read More »
Telstra bids on Digicel amid South Pacific tech expansion
The Australian Government together with Telstra have made a $2 billion offer for the Digicel telco assets in the South Pacific. The Irish company is one of the largest mobile operators in island nations in both the Caribbean and the South Pacific. It is facing financial difficulties because of the drop in revenues from tourists …
The reason why I am asking about our mobile market competitiveness is the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) recently argued that because the courts allowed the merger between Vodafone and TPG, the market has become less competitive. The ACCC had argued against the merger but lost that case. It is not easy to give …
Telstra fails again: Telco cops $25 million refund bill over NBN plans
ACCC declares mobile market uncompetitive
For those involved in technology from a government and industry perspective, as well as from a user’s point of view, we all have a responsibility to monitor developments in this space to ensure they’re utilised for the benefit of society. I have addressed this in a few previous articles but would like to come back …
We have covered several articles about the potential of 5G being a competitor to the NBN. I have always downplayed this but have also indicated that there certainly are new niche market opportunities of 5G. However, these will be incremental, and its main development is simply replacing 4G, as it offers significant network efficiencies for …
Will 5G be a game changer or simply a 4G upgrade. Read More »
While the NBN Co’s discussion paper on its special access undertaking variation is to be welcomed, the question remains whether this really is going to make true high-speed broadband more affordable. On several occasions, we have discussed the contentious wholesale pricing regime and, in particular, a charge known as the connectivity virtual circuit (CVC), which …
New NBN proposal smoke and mirrors, no real reform. Read More »
Australian Electric Vehicle Penetration
NBN has problems as a result of the coalition government’s cost-cutting policies
Telstra NBN is going to take a monopoly
Recently, IT was reported that a new Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) Commissioner, Anna Brakey, said: We have got an opportunity to have a look at the regulatory framework and to make sure, that we efficiently use the NBN. If we set prices too low, there would be overuse of the NBN. And as …
The ACCC is worried we will use the NBN too much. Read More »
Viscount Christopher Monckton: Lord of the lies on climate change
We have had former Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s “kill the NBN” policy, Scott Morrison bringing a lump of coal into the Parliament and then-Small Business Minister Michaelia Cash tried to scare Australian ute drivers by proclaiming they would be obliterated by electric vehicles (EVs). Scott Morrison also questioned the need for big batteries, which he …
Also, with electric vehicles Australia is trailing the world. Read More »
Recently, I visited the Northern Territory. Apart from the occasional business meeting in Darwin, this was my third trip to this amazing part of Australia. I first spent time here in 1988, when I lived for two weeks with the Angatja people in Amata, approximately 100 kilometres south of Uluru. My second trip some 10 …
Challenging telecoms conditions for the Northern Territory Read More »
Australians are going to pay for a failed national energy policy.
There is never a dull moment in the NBN saga, with the following happening over the last few weeks: NBN executives paid themselves $77 million in bonuses; construction staff went on strike as they missed out on proper payments and are also frustrated with the inefficiencies of the rollout activities; NBN Co announced it will …
NBN faces new problems but executives paid bonusses Read More »
You Can’t Please Everyone: IT Initiatives Draw Mixed Reax \
Aussie telcos take aim at costly NBN with 5G
NBN Co has released its plans for the 2021 pricing review consultation process. It is seeking retail service provider (RSP) and broader industry feedback on current and future matters of NBN wholesale pricing. However, in its outline of what will be reviewed, it became clear that the key issues are not on the discussion list. …
Enough is enough ACCC will become involved in the NBN monopoly. Read More »
Broadband, Internet, Telecomms, Starlink – developments
NBN Co wholesale pricing model needs structural change
The new Biden Administration in the USA laid out a $100 billion proposal for broadband investment as part of its $2 trillion+ infrastructure plan. Under the proposal, the plan is to provide national broadband coverage. The Administration will use better competition measures, such a price transparency, the use of public utility infrastructure and subsidies for …
$100 billion national broadband plan for America. Read More »
The Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) has indicated that the electricity grid is struggling to cope with the changing power landscape, which is generating more solar energy than ever before. It has also flagged therefore that Australians with rooftop solar panels could soon be charged for exporting electricity to the grid. This is, of course, …
Australians are going to pay for a failed national energy policy. Read More »
Late last year I wrote an article on e-agriculture activities based on my trip into outback Queensland Agriculture ICT and travelling in Outback Queensland. I received this follow up from Tom Andrews from Connected Farms. I recall that last October you did an excellent article about the importance of connectivity for the Australian farming sector …
We see the problems that we are facing within an increasingly digital society and economy. We cannot go backwards; the only way forward is to ensure that this new digital environment is made as safe as possible from a personal, social, political and economic perspective. We are currently struggling on these fronts. Unfortunately, we have …
Cybersecurity, an essential weapon in the cyberwarfare to protect our democracy. Read More »
Elon Musk’s Starlink is now live in Australia. Will it really deliver faster internet, and to whom?
For more than a decade – dating back to the original NBN plan from the Labor Government – the retail service providers (RSPs) have argued against the unpredictable variable elements in its wholesale charges (the so-called connectivity virtual charges or CVCs). We have covered this at length in previous articles going back at least to …
Broadband users are going to pay for failed NBN policies. Read More »
Broadband users will pay for failed NBN policies
Low-Earth Satellite Services Set To Rule In Outback Oz
Elon Musk’s Starlink poised to shake up Australia’s broadband
We are getting closer to using alternative broadband solutions, offered by international companies. Local telecommunication entities will in this respect be relegated to resellers. The reality of accessing low Earth orbiting satellite (LEO) services is now clearly on the horizon. Most of the telcos as well as governments are not prepared for the potential shock …
TPG shares at record low after Teoh exit
Industry Sings Teoh Praises As He Quits TPG As Chairman
Telstra is finalising its restructuring that we discussed in previous articles here and here. With the restructuring, it very much looks like the focus will shift towards infrastructure rather than digital services — that battle might have been lost. While the Telstra restructuring is heralded as a good move, it is important to put this …
TPG shares at record low after Teoh exit
The current pandemic, but also the previous Great Financial Crisis as well as an increase in more severe climatological events such as bushfires and floods, are all clear indications that we cannot just continue managing our society and our economy as usual. If one thing is becoming clear, we cannot go back to “normal” as …
The digital transformation of the Australian economy Read More »
Budde applauds Telstra changes, but questions whether it is too little, too late
ACT-area town writes smart city blueprint
During the past two decade, there have been considerable efforts undertaken by governments and national telecom regulators to ensure that their countries’ economic growth is underpinned by capable broadband infrastructure. The success of national policies has been variable, but the scale of investment and the way the development of fibre infrastructure has been encouraged has …
Australian fixed broadband in the international context. Read More »
It is astonishing to look at the technological developments over the last 50 years, but even more so in the last ten years. Humans have always evolved with the assistance of tools, but in the past some of these developments took millennia or centuries to develop. For most people, let us say until the Middle …
Technology – a tool to increase our processes of thought and cognition Read More »
Recently TPG announced its full-year results. Like many others in the industry, the company saw a decline in profits and like others, TPG also claimed that on COVID-19. But under the motto “never waste a good crisis”, TPG has come up with a plan to save costs. As I have mentioned time and time again, …
What’s happened to millions of dollars to improve telecommunications after bushfires?
Over the last few weeks, we have seen several new announcements from NBN Co. The key announcements include: A payment of $3 billion to the Government as a repayment of their $19.5 billion investment; An extra 100,000 fibre-to-the-node (FttN) premises will be upgraded to fibre-to-the-premise (FttP) infrastructure; and A complex review of their already complex …
NBN wants us to pay more for their broadband service. Read More »
Facebook conclut un accord de dernière minute avec l’Australie sur le contenu des nouvelles,
Facebook og Australien er venner igen: Techgigant har tvunget en bedre deal igennem
A Facebook fizethet a hírekért
Facebook v Austrálii po dohodě s vládou odblokuje zpravodajství
Reaction to Facebook Agreeing a Concession Deal With Australia on Media Bill
Facebook has triumphed in govt stoush and nothing has changed.
Figures Reveal Full-Fibre NBN Could Be $10bn Cheaper
After some turmoil, Facebook won the war with the Australian Government as the necessary changes were made to the legislation that avoids them needing to make changes to their business model. Those subtleties are lost in the general press. What counts for the popular media is that they were able to spin some great stories …
Facebook stays, everybody is happy but nothing has changed Read More »
Secret figures show full fibre NBN may have cost $10 billion less than claimed
澳洲施壓科技巨頭谷歌願付費臉書出對策(圖)
Facebook is right to call the government’s bluff
澳洲政府鐵腕立法！谷歌讓步付費給澳媒
Đối tác báo chí lớn đầu tiên của Australia gia nhập hệ thống trả phí của Google
Empresas de medios australianos obtienen más de Google a las puertas de una nueva ley
GLOBAL MARKETS-Rising US yields takes edge off stocks rally
Australian media firms squeeze more from Google as new law looms
A few months ago, I reported on the broader market of which telecommunications infrastructure is a part. I mentioned data centres, cloud computing and data analytics (big data). All together we can perhaps best call this digital infrastructure. While the importance of this merged set of infrastructures will benefit all economies and societies, I recently …
Macquarie Group is set to shake up the digital infrastructure market. Read More »
Google conclut un accord de licence avec Seven West Media australien au milieu de la ligne de paiement de contenu
[해외증시] 호주 세븐웨스트미디어, 구글과 뉴스 콘텐츠 계약
NBN Co pricing review will lead to $2 per customer price rise
Google set to survive in Oz, but far bigger threats are on the way
Australia’s Seven West Media Strikes Deal With Google for News
Australia’s Seven West Media strikes deal with Google for news
The signs are that the Australian Government and Google are close to a compromise. The main demands made by the Government stay in place, but some of the details will be changed. This allows the Government to claim victory, while the damage to Google will be limited. See also my earlier blog on this topic: …
Google set to survive in Oz, but far bigger threats are on the way. Read More »
On platforms and services: The great unwinding
Following the American insurrection and the role the media played – social media, in particular – “doomsday scenario” started to appear again in relation to technological developments. Only a few years ago, a group of hi-tech companies including Tesla warned against the negative aspects of artificial intelligence (AI). Other technologies that could have a serious …
Technology: doomsday or godsend – the choice is ours. Read More »
We have seen that Mel Silva, Google Australia’s Managing Director, threatening to shut down its search engine in Australia if a proposed law requiring tech giants to pay publishers for news isn’t changed. The most controversial issue is that it would have to pay publishers for links to news articles that appear in search results. …
Telstra weaponizes 5G against NBN
While 2021 will remain a year with lots of uncertainties, at the same we can say that the pandemic has not affected the information and communications technology (ICT) industry in any significant way. Yes, there has been a slowdown, for example, in the sale of smartphones. Shortages in both materials and expertise are slowing the …
What will 2021 have install for the ICT industry? Read More »
With Trump gone, will the USA (and for that matter any other western nation facing political polarisation) be able to make structural changes to address the underlaying problems. Will Covid-19 be a catalyst in this process or perhaps the American insurrection? If we look at the western democracies than America is facing much deeper problems …
What is next for America – and the rest of the democratic world. Read More »
The digital market has matured over the last 20 years and it is no longer an excuse for governments to do nothing with the aim to let new markets and innovations emerge without immediate regulatory oversight. It has become clear this period is now well and truly over. The European Commission has already launched several …
Massive renewable energy projects underpinned by ICT technologies
Australia starts debate on future of wholesale-only NBN
#2 TOP IA STORY OF 2020: Telstra is going on to take the NBN monopoly
#3 TOP IA STORY OF 2020: Foxtel pay-TV faces slow death
NT residents top list in download rankings
It’s interesting to compare the major economic models in the Western world: the Anglo-Saxon model, the Rhineland model and the Scandinavian model. The Anglo-Saxon model is very much driven by small government, market-driven economic and social policies, and in general, has a large focus on shareholders’ value. By contrast, the other two models operate more …
Rhineland economic model is closest to smart city developments Read More »
How Australia can learn from Scandinavian countries
The Telstra Transformation (radio)
It was astonishing to hear the news the Federal Government has set up the Regional Digital Tech Hub as part of their $220 million Stronger Digital Connect Package. It seemed like it would be great an infrastructure hub. But no it is just another website and a set of new brochures. Over the last 15 …
In the mid to late 2000s, I set up the industry association Smart Grid Australia (SGA). The reason why I became involved in the smart energy sector was that earlier that decade I had established the industry group UtiliTel. At that time, Telstra was reluctant to go even beyond the integrated services digital network (ISDN) …
Massive renewable energy projects underpinned by ICT technologies Read More »
Over the last few weeks I have reported on the restructuring of Telstra. The proposed restructuring is exciting new challenge for the company. It will now all depend on the direction the execution will take. This is the third significant opportunity for Telstra to reinvent itself. The first time was in the late 1990s when …
A recent session of the Australian Computer Society (ACS) and the Australian Smart Communities Association (ASCA) masterclass on 5G, featured Dr Ian Oppermann, the NSW Government’s Chief Data Scientist and one of the country’s most respected experts in radio technology. Ian is also the Chair of the scientific advisory board of the 6G Flagship organisation, …
What will 6G look like in a geopolitical divided world Read More »
For decades, we have basically been conditioned to look at the telecoms market based on the regulatory arrangements that exist around it. The Postmaster-General’s Department (PMG) which became Telecom Australia was a state-owned business that had the monopoly on all telecoms services and was mainly paid for by taxpayers. The market was opened in the …
The break-up of Telstra: Interesting potential new telecoms scenarios. Read More »
The Telstra Transformation
It was interesting to see that, albeit belatedly, the American media started to stop giving Trump opportunities to spew out his lies across the country and beyond. It obviously had now reached a point where the media realised that if they would continue to provide Trump with their avenues that this would make them accomplices …
Success of Telstra move will depend on freedom for units: Budde
It has taken a long time but it is good to see that Telstra has finally recognised that a significant part of its business is infrastructure. The business model of infrastructure is rather different from that of services. Infrastructure will not necessarily achieve high short-term returns but it will deliver long term very steady returns …
Will Infra Co be gamechanger in the telecoms market? Read More »
No full 1Q financial figures for you, NBN Co tells journalists
Developments in telecommunications and technology are key to creating more liveable regional centres. At the recent CommsDay Summit, two interesting Low Earth Orbiting Satellites (LEOsat) services were mentioned. . A few months ago I wrote an extensive article on this subject., which provides some global background information on these satellite development. At the conference, Michael …
Smart Regional Towns – Game changers for reginal and rural Australia Read More »
‘Smart regional towns’: Game-changers for rural Australia
Broadband cut-off: Will your home be cut-off?
NBN Co a monopoly? Maybe, but not like Telstra was because of 5G
NBN Co behaving much as Telstra did during its monopoly days: Budde
NSW urges climate action as bushfire royal commission’s recommendations tabled
Over the last year, we have discussed the unsustainably high wholesale charges that NBN Co is raking in. They need this just to recoup the blowout of the investments in their second-rate multi-technology mix (MtM) infrastructure. The Government, following its election win in 2013, handpicked a new NBN team. They were favourable to their policies, …
Government backed NBN monopoly is flexing its muscles Read More »
ICT in Agriculture: A Travel to Australia’s Outback Queensland
How technology can help Australia’s agricultural sector thrive
It came as a surprise to many in the telecoms industry as well as in the legal profession that the Government issued a Statement of Expectation (SoE) to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). In my opinion, what this means is that the Government would like the ACCC to facilitate NBN Co to increase …
Newcastle: Australia’s leading smart city
In October 2020, I went on a two-week tour into Queensland’s Outback, travelling through various landscapes from pastoral and agricultural lands to savanna and the desert. Leaving Brisbane, past Toowoomba you enter the Darling Downs. This is one of the richest agricultural areas in Australia. It was first explored by British Botanist Alan Cunningham in …
Agriculture ICT and travelling in Outback Queensland Read More »
Former AAP Telecommunications executive Brian Perkins has died in Sydney, aged 88. Brian was my mentor in the telecoms industry during the 1990s. I have very fond memories of him, most importantly as a person. He generously shared his understanding of the industry and the many contacts he was able to build up during that …
There has been an enormous amount of discussion on the damage that social media is causing on a global scale. While there is no indication that the companies who started these services had any evil act in mind – quite to the contrary – the social media have opened Pandora’s box. The technology itself is …
With 5G earmarked as a game-changer for cities, wireless technologies are already widely deployed by Australia’s leading smart cities. However, cities do not want to be locked into proprietary technology solutions, rather seeing themselves as a platform on which many organisations can build infrastructure, applications and services for the benefit of all citizens and all …
Smart cities want to co-design change with Telcos Read More »
Australian budget preview: what we already know, and what the experts think
When I became involved in the telecoms industry back in the late 1970s, we were just seeing fibre optic cables being commercially developed by Corning. Over the following decades, I have been asked many, many times — do we need fibre cables or wireless technologies and what is next? During all that time, my answer …
Is laser going to be the next telecoms frontier? Read More »
A government 5G network?
Newcastle: Leading the way for Australian smart cities
It is great to see that the Government is finally backflipping on its denial on fibre optic networks. It has announced a $3.5 billion plan to bring fibre deeper into the neighbourhoods. The overall costs of a full upgrade have been estimated at around $16 billion. What the Government plans to do is to bring …
Over the last five years, I have seen from close the city of Newcastle moving towards becoming a smart city. Most certainly, the phrase “smart city” is a rather nebulous one, but it basically means utilising new technologies to enable communities to build a city that delivers more and better social and economic outcomes for …
Fibre is most welcome, but affordability is important too: Budde
I recently followed a webinar session organised by the University of Queensland on the factory of the future. Smart or not, the future will still need factories to make the stuff we humans use every day. One of the questions that were discussed included: “how will existing production models cope with the staggering and ongoing …
Revolutionizing The Mobile Operator World
As I mentioned in a previous article, I chaired three masterclasses on 5G. It is always great to listen to experts who I trust as they provide important input in the knowledge I need to obtain for that higher level of insight I need to put a range of technical and business issues together in …
5G will not be the panacea for all our communication needs Read More »
There are many healthcare needs that can only be successfully addressed in face-to-face visits with health practitioners. It is necessary to see a medical practitioner when we need to discuss private health issues in detail, to canvass different health or treatment options and to assess our health. Having said this, there are many other situations …
In a reversal of events, Telstra, being the former telecoms monopoly, is trying to take on NBN Co, the monopoly that displaced it. I am sure that many of you still remember the enormous battles that took place in the 1990s and early 2000s between Telstra on one side and the rest of the industry, …
Huawei, long resilient, suffers under tougher US pressure
Huawei, long resilient, suffers under tougher US pressure
US trade panel launches patent infringement probe into Apple devices
Huawei, resistente durante mucho tiempo, sufre bajo una presión más dura de EUA
Later this month, I will be sharing three masterclasses organised by the Australian Smart Communities Association (ASCA) and the Australian Computer Society (ASC) on the potential of using 5G as an infrastructure solution for smart cities. Just to make sure, I am doing this pro bono so no financial gain or otherwise for me. What …
Les villes intelligentes se lancent dans le réseau 5G
Paul Budde: Smart cities moving into the 5G network
Experts back plan to upgrade NBN with fibre in response to 5G threat
High prices must stay if the NBN is to keep evolving, says CEO
The Australian suburbs STILL living without NBN despite the project being declared ‘complete’
Early at the start of the pandemic, the Government allowed NBN Co to make 40 per cent more capacity available without an extra charge for this. This, of course, was widely welcomed by both the industry and the users. The core of the problem, however, is that this capacity is not available in a “normal …
As with any large-scale project, you need a long-term vision on the investment that you are going to make. Once that vision is agreed upon, solid strategies need to be developed. Next is a careful design to ensure that what you have designed will work in practice. Only then are you going to start with …
The government dug its own NBN hole, how to get out of it? Read More »
New push for cheaper energy costs and a much more efficient energy industry
The pandemic has shown us that some of the early models in the so-called sharing economy have become more mainstream. The early pioneers were companies such as Uber, Airbnb, eBay and Gumtree. But others have been making a name for themselves in transport, for example, Shebah (all-female drivers) and Camplify (caravan sharing and RCs). Spacer, …
The digital economy is spreading out more broadly. Read More »
Are we building a mediocre NBN for the average user? Interesting new research conducted by the Bureau of Communications and Arts Research predicts that average Australian data consumption is set to quadruple by 2028, based on figures from 2018. But they also predict that peak bandwidth will grow less rapidly. In their words: ‘Bandwidth requirements …
Are we building a mediocre NBN for the ‘average user’? Read More »
Coalition readies for massive NBN write down
NBN valuation under review as $51 billion network enters new era
While there are plenty of opportunities for local councils to create cost savings – especially by cutting through their internal silos and using ICT and infrastructure technologies on a sharing basis across the various city systems – the problem remains that before these cost savings can be made, significant ICT investments are needed. The reality …
City-as-a-service – new business and investment model Read More »
Internet of Things Requires a Rethink of Business Models
There certainly is a lot of interest in machine-to-machine communication (M2M) and the internet of things (IoT). But what we are seeing is only what is happening on the surface. Most of the M2M activities are taking place unnoticed. For example, most newly produced electronic devices are now all M2M enabled. Over 100 million smart …
Internet of Things requires a rethink of business models. Read More »
I recently followed a “lunch box lecture”, organised by the University of Sydney. In the talk, Professor Zdenka Kuncic explored the very topical issue of artificial intelligence. The world is infatuated with artificial intelligence (AI), and understandably so, given its super-human ability to find patterns in big data as we all notice when using Google, …
Nano networks set to revolutionise edge computing Read More »
TransACT builder says best option for NBN is to remain in government hands
Who will bell the cat? Sorry, make that who will upgrade the NBN?
Australia’s NBN should be finished by now, but thousands are still waiting
When the Coalition Government scrapped the fibre to the home (FTTH) project, the then-Minister for Communication, Malcolm Turnbull, proclaimed that we would build his newly concocted multi-technology mix version of the NBN for $25 million and that it would be ready by 2016. Since then, the roll-out target was changed several times to finally fit …
Telco analyst Budde calls on govt to issue plan for next stage of NBN
As the initiator of Smart Energy Australia in 2007, I looked with the experts of this industry association at how we could use technologies to make our energy system more efficient, cheaper, and less polluting. Of course, this included the arrival of renewable energy and technology developments in areas such as microgrids, distributed energy and …
New push for cheaper energy costs and a much more efficient energy industry. Read More »
My brother Rob lives in Rimini, Italy and he has his own company Màgina, involved in “tailor-made” events for large organisations throughout Europe. Their activities include team building, product launches, client shows and so on. Of course, with COVID-19 his business totally collapsed overnight. A few clients have indicated that they will review the situation …
Innovative entertainment industry will bounce forwards after Covid Read More »
Gigabit speed internet on the way
Canberra consumers misled about needing to move to the NBN
NBN behavioural change after the Covid-19 crisis ends
The following article is based on a blog written by my Dutch colleague Fred Kappetijn. We have worked together to present this to you. Every second, 4.5 billion people using computers and other electronic devices send 100,000 gigabytes of information to each other. Around 60% of the world’s population has an internet connection. North America …
‘Move to NBN or lose your internet’
NBN goes ‘back to the future’ with copper rollout
NBN’s 50000km copper cable purchases ‘a waste of money’
‘A waste of money’: NBN Co rolls out more copper instead of ‘future proof’ fibre
More than two-thirds of Australians think they’ll be working from home.
Back in the early 1990s, I was a founding board member of Service Providers Action Network (SPAN), which later became part of Communications Alliance. The key aim of this organisation was the promotion of new value-added services that could be provided over the telecommunications network. At this time there was no public internet and we …
Digital economy essential for regional Australia Read More »
Moreton Bay Regional Council in South-East Queensland is one of the smart cities that is part of the Global Smart Community and City Alliance (GSC3). In all, some 25 cities formed part of this Alliance, which is no longer active. It is amazing to see the progress that Moreton Bay has made over the last …
The rise of the Australian smart city
Australian cities, states start rolling out fiber alternatives to NBN
Comment le déploiement de la 5G en Australie transformera notre monde en ligne
During this coronavirus crisis, it is great to see that our politicians are now respecting the medical scientists and professionals and are working very closely with them. Will our politicians now also listen to the experts in the other major problems that are facing us such as climate change, renewable energy, water management and so …
We need professionals to design the digital infrastructure in the post corona era Read More »
NBN coping with its biggest test. But it needs help, and soon
‘Gig State’ to rival NBN: NSW plans fibre rollout as federal government tables regional broadband tax
Coronavirus losses may force Newscorp and Murdoch to rethink Foxtel business model
Coronavirus hits News Corp bosses’ pay, but they’ll still rake in millions
The world we live in has reached a critical juncture. We are faced with many challenges and the decisions we will now make will define our future. The recent bushfires in Australia and the global coronavirus pandemic are bringing the message very close to home. These developments should be enough to seriously start looking at …
The problem is not technology but politicians and their ideology Read More »
Foxtel’s uncertain future
Foxtel “threatened with extinction”
How the Australian internet has kept running during the pandemic.
Foxtel was struggling to survive before COVID-19 but the lack of sport is speeding up its demise
COVIDSafe: “Ik zit er nog tegenaan te hikken”
NBN faces new competitive threat
Adelaide was one of the first cities to build a gigabit fibre optic network but soon others followed. Newcastle, Wollongong, Launceston and the NSW Central Coast Council are now all developing their own gigabit infrastructure. Now, the NSW Government is putting $100 million dollars aside for the provision of “innovative systems” to improve the price, …
Building independent Gig Cities: this happens when you have a 2nd rate NBN Read More »
For me, the reason to download the COVIDSafe app is that my personal risk of not using it is greater than the risk of the possible misuse of my data. From a technical and legal point, I am satisfied that the app is as safe as you can expect from any technology. If you are …
COVIDSafe risk assessment personal data vs your risk regarding the virus Read More »
Are data centers prepared for climate change?
Philosophers involved in the theories of post-humanism and trans-humanism are captivated by the possibilities, or dangers, that the future poses to our understanding of human life. According to Wikipedia,, the idea of the post-human originates in the fields of science fiction, futurology, contemporary art and philosophy that literally refers to a person or entity that …
The results a study conducted by the Pew Research Centre stated: About half of those surveyed predict that humans’ use of technology will weaken democracy between now and 2030 due to the speed and scope of reality distortion, the decline of journalism and the impact of surveillance capitalism. A third expect technology to strengthen democracy …
NBN drops some access fees for now but bills will rise again
Australian tax authority to leave Global Switch over Chinese ownership
The players in the telecommunications industry have decisively reacted to the COVID-19 crisis. The NBN is holding up and the company is effectively implementing a range of measures for those who rely on it. Equally, the support from the major telcos and the digital players has been first-class and, where needed, the industry is working …
Encouraging online lessons from the corona crisis Read More »
Boom di traffico sulle reti delle telco. Ma a guadagnare sono gli Ott
Les actions de Telco sont des perdants surpris alors que le verrouillage entraîne le boom d’Internet
Telco shares are surprise losers as lockdown drives internet boom
Over the last 20 years most of the western world moved into what has become known as a neoliberal political system. Basically, get the government as much as possible out of the market and let the economy be run by the market. This has resulted in large scale privatisations, ongoing budget cuts basically across all …
The enormous economic costs of the pandemic – How did we end up in this mess? Read More »
Over the last few years, cybersecurity has been a hotly debated issue in Australia. There have been serious clashes over the heavy-handedness of the Australian Government and the industry and community fighting against the attacks on press freedom, demanding protection of journalists, protecting civil liberties and the openness and transparency of our democratic institutions. Let’s …
Climate change, pandemic, terrorism and cybersecurity Read More »
For those people who have been advocating social and economic changes for the last few decades, to a certain extent it looks like all our Christmases are arriving at once. Issues we have been lobbying for, for decades are now suddenly being addressed within days and weeks. Obviously, I don’t want to ignore the severity …
Sustaining social and economic transformation beyond the crisis. Read More »
I started writing this on the 29th of March 2020. Roughly two months after the outbreak started in all seriousness in Wuhan, China. Obviously from the start it was hot news. The initial information was confusing, especially as the infamous Chinese bureaucracy – on automatic pilot – immediately started to suppress any information on the …
Is this the crisis we need to have to face the reality that, over the last 30 years or so, we might have taken a wrong turn in our society and our economy? Under neoliberal policies, the trend has been to leave as much as possible to the market to solve our problems and reduce …
Coronavirus pandemic shows government must fix Australia’s NBN
In a previous blog I addressed the issue of teleworking and e-health application in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. I also mentioned the impact that this will have on our telecommunications networks. This time I would like to go a little bit deeper into this. It is a no-brainer to predict that when schools …
Telstra, Optus offer free internet access during coronavirus pandemic, calls for NBN to follow
Telstra closes call centres as telcos form crisis group
China reopens roads as Australia announces new virus measures
This is a bit of deja vu for me. In the 1990s, I received a lot of media attention because of the arrival of broadband networks in the promotion of telecommuting. After very little or no interest in teleworking over the last decade, I am suddenly asked again to comment on teleworking as it gets …
Australian sensitive government agencies are evacuating from a Chinese data storage centre
Huawei insists it hasn’t given up on 5G
Federal bodies struggle to exit Chinese-owned data centre
Back in the early 2000s when the apartment complex where we are currently living was built, Telstra installed a coax cable in the complex together with the ordinary copper cable. The Hybrid Fibre Coax (HFC) cable allowed Telstra to offer better broadband services and Foxtel to deliver its proprietary pay-TV service. There is now turmoil …
5G to cut NBN’s subscription lunch
Should Telstra be stopped from dominating superfast 5G?
Foxtel’s outlook is terminal
Paul talks about how telecommunications were affected by the recent bushfires
Australia’s TPG abandons mobile network plan over Huawei ban
TPG stops rollout of what would’ve been Australia’s fourth mobile network
Consumers to benefit from TPG-Vodafone merger as competition heats up
Telcos have to be big to survive: Budde on TPG-Vodafone outcome
It must have been a galling experience for President Trump when his good mate British Prime Minister Boris Johnson failed to step in line with Trump’s demand that the UK should also boycott the Chinese firm Huawei by not allowing them to be involved in the roll out of 5G in Britain. However, the involvement …
Lendlease takes mobile phone mast play to Japan
The original plans for the NBN were to build a high-speed residential broadband network that would be made available to the other telcos on a wholesale basis. Corporate infrastructure was basically left out of the plan as these organisations were in general well serviced by competing networks. But wait there was a loophole. What exactly …
NBN Co is giving in to pressure to stop competing with its own retail customers. Read More »
Huawei in the UK: What it means for Australia and the western alliance
I had an interesting discussion on the NBN with several long-term colleagues. What triggered this discussion – we have had many more of them in the past – was the latest results from the Ookla fixed broadband speed rankings. The downward trend that we have seen now for the last decade continues. Australia is now …
Technology for Good
Building resilience for climate emergencies
Broadband driven Smart Energy Developments
NBN’s viability threatened by 5G roll-out
As the rollout of fibre to the home project (FttH) remains a slow process it is no wonder that more and more people are looking towards mobile as a potential alternative. Obviously, mobile communication has improved over recent years in providing excellent access to broadband. It has also become more affordable. At the same time, …
21 January Communications minister Paul Fletcher has convened an industry roundtable on telecommunications resilience and repair following the national bushfires. It is good to see that most of the issues that we discussed here have been addressed. This includes: Access to power to achieve better infrastructure resilience. This includes site access and access to emergency …
Follow up news – National Telecommunications Emergency Plan Read More »
Telecommunications Industry Leaders Provide Predictions for 2020.
After 10 Years and $34B, Australia’s NBN Falls Short
Australia Ponders Fire-Proof Networks
There is no doubt that we are in the midst of an energy revolution. Not only is the nature of energy changing from fossil-generated energy to renewable – there is a total change in the distribution structure occurring with less focus on centralisation and more on distributed energy. Concerns about issues such as energy security, …
Australia’s bushfires leave operators struggling to get back online
Telco, NBN failures during bushfire crisis reveals cracks in regional, rural crisis coverage
Are Australia’s telecommunication networks resilient enough in the face of bushfires?
Bosbranden en telecommunicatie: het kan veel beter
For follow up information since the start of this discussion see: https://paulbudde.com/blog/economic-social-and-political-issues-ict/follow-up-news-national-telecommunications-emergency-plan/ In October, the bushfires started around Bucketty. While Bucketty has so far been safe (fires are hovering at around 10 to 15 kilometres from this community now for several months), the people here are totally exhausted. On several occasions, families had to be …
Suggestions for a national telecoms emergency plan Read More »
Some of you might recall that I lived in Bucketty in the Australian bush for more than 30 years. In August we sold our place and moved to Brisbane where two of our kids live. In October the bush fires started around Bucketty. Therefore, the new owners didn’t move in till last week. When we …
A few weeks, I attended a one-day conference at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) at the occasion of the launch of their new $7.5 million Centre for Data Science. This laboratory is also the lead node of a new Australian Data Science Network, bringing together data science organisations from across the country. The new …
#10 TOP STORY OF 2019: The 5G answer to the second-rate NBN
Britain’s Labour Opposition Leader Jeremy Corbyn has promised a national fibre-to-home network for nine million homes in the UK to be completed by 2030 at a cost of £20 billion (AU$38 billion). In the same week, Australia’s Labor Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese made a similar promise regarding updating the current multi-mix technology national broadband network …
‘Unreasonable’: China claims Australia has expanded 5G restrictions
Coalition entrenches NBN Monopoly
Government’s cyber security strategy panel ‘missing a bit of diversity’
NBN delays: Congestion is getting worse on the NBN, new figures show, but firm blames providers
A recent event addressed the fact that the world’s liberal democracies are faltering. Many of the problems that result from this are acutely felt in cities. And if we look at some of the more dramatic fallouts of the crises, we see that there are the people using their combined “people-power” to try and demand …
Power, Hope and Social Change: The Rise of the City? Read More »
Over the last decade there have been excellent reports from the Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) as well as from various industry bodies on reforming the energy market. The reports state this should be done through opening the market up to modernisation, more competition, better interoperability arrangements and better levels of transparency, all based on …
Smart devices ready to flood the energy market to force prices down. Read More »
Telecommunications infrastructure plays an important role in providing the backbone for building the Smart Cities and Smart Homes which are emerging around the world. It is encouraging to see that so many governments and telecoms operators are working hard and investing heavily to deploy this underlying infrastructure which we will need for the future. Fixed-broadband …
Successful smart cities require significant ICT infrastructure Read More »
Australia has progressed to now be one of the four major sub-markets for data centres in Asia alongside Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan. As data centres become larger and more efficient, new data centres are generally being built in centralised areas, mainly in the larger cities of Sydney and Melbourne, in order to achieve the …
Australia leads the South East Asian data centre market Read More »
A recent event addressed the fact that the world’s liberal democracies are faltering. Many of the problems that result from this are acutely felt in cities. And if we look at some of the more dramatic fallouts of the crises, we see that there are the people using their combined “people-power” to try and demand …
Power, Hope and Social Change: The Rise of the City? Read More »
Consumers’ 5G verdict: meh
NBN reveals two in five Aussies are resisting an NBN connection as analysts call for price drops The Advertiser Bu
While fixed-line telephony traffic and revenue are declining, the mobile broadband market is growing steadily. Fixed-line broadband on the copper network is also declining as fibre and fixed-wireless broadband services become more widely available, through the NBN’s multi-technology architecture, with its emphasis on VDSL with Fibre-to-the Node (FttN). In time, much of the voice traffic …
recently reported on the new developments in China regarding its social code citizens’ surveillance system. This has since been extended to businesses as well. By now, thousands of Australian citizens will also have been included in this system, especially people travelling to China for business or tourism. Chinese students in Australia and Chinese visitors to …
Telecommunications infrastructure plays an important role in providing the backbone for building the Smart Cities and Smart Homes which are emerging around the world. It is encouraging to see that so many governments and telecoms operators are working hard and investing heavily to deploy this underlying infrastructure which we will need for the future. Fixed-broadband …
Successful smart cities require significant ICT infrastructure Read More »
Streaming Threatens Oz TV
Huawei not a ‘real risk’ to 5G security, company protests I
Huawei warns Australia it is being ‘left behind’ on 5G as tech giant challenges ban
Developments in the telecommunications industry and the broader digital economy have opened up many new markets over the last few decades. Telecoms has changed from a more or less standalone, horizontally-organised industry to one that has become a key facilitator in a range of vertical markets. The keyword that is used to indicate that change …
NBN: het Australische Broddellapje
The gloves are off now that Telstra has stopped using diplomatic language to savage the NBN. Its chairman stated that Telstra and its competitors could have built a better NBN at lower costs. It is, however, important to first go back to the original NBN — a fibre to the home network to 96 per …
Large scale video streaming arrived rather late in Australia. But when Netflix finally made its entry in Australia – five years after its launch in North America – it had very easy pickings Down Under. By that time, the country had been suffering for over two decades from a de facto Foxtel pay-TV monopoly, with …
Telstra will switch off Australia’s 3G mobile network in 2024. Here’s what that means
This is a message I received following my article in which I argue that the NBN pricing is widening the equality gap in relation to access to the NBN and thus also to the digital economy and digital society. When going back to the start of the NBN, now close to 15 years ago, the …
The ACCC has slapped a new range of fines and rebate obligations on the providers of NBN services. This shows the deplorable situation the NBN is in. However, it fails to address the far more serious underlying problems with the NBN. This Government-owned monopoly requires far more serious interventions. A typical feature of monopolies is …
NBN pricing is widening the inequality gap in Australia Read More »
NBN Faces Penalties but Deeper Issues Can’t Be Fixed
There are plenty of doom and gloom stories regarding the future of our democracy. Technology is certainly playing a key role in this. However, technology could equally be an important part of solving the problem. Let’s, for example, look at often-maligned social media. While trust is at an all-time low in relation to politicians, corporations …
NBN Co faces new ACCC penalties for missed appointments, late connections, and delayed fixes
The my recent article on Fibre to the Farm, ‘A community fix for Australia’s second-rate rural broadband’, received interesting reactions — two especially so. The first one, from regional Queensland, complained about poor broadband and said they had only just got 3G connected — so much for digital progress. However, the discussion went further. There …
Truly terrible broadband is depriving people from work opportunities Read More »
NBN ditches ‘Netflix tax’ proposal
Tandis qu’aux Etats-Unis, la vitesse maximale de la 5G est environ trois fois plus rapide que la …
Over the last decade, Australia has spent $5.5 billion on satellite and fixed wireless broadband services and another $650 million on mobile blackspots. After last year’s Regional Telecommunications Review, the Government earlier this year indicated another $220 million for mobile blackspots, money for digital inclusions projects and $60 million for a regional connectivity program. It …
Fibre to the farm provides opportunities for rural Australia Read More »
Since the Coalition Government has taken over the NBN back in 2013, we have seen the goalposts being changed nearly on an annual basis. It started soon after Malcolm Turnbull’s infamous announcement: “we will bring you the NBN for around $25 billion and deliver it in 2016”. The reality, of course, is that now in …
Changing the goalposts and voila here is the new NBN corporate plan Read More »
For as long the NBN has been under development we have heard comments that the NBN is not needed as the world will go wireless. In the early days, this was an argument from, among others, Former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. However, while he didn’t often repeat this argument of fear, uncertainty and doubt, the …
Australian Telcos Demand Cuts in ‘Unsustainable’ NBN Prices
Last week, TelSoc organised a panel discussion about the privatisation of the NBN, as is foreshadowed in the NBN legislation of 2009. The presenters were Professor Peter Gerrand, consultant and ex-Telstra executive Dr Jim Holmes, former chairman of the ACCC Graeme Samuel and executive general manager of the ACCC Infrastructure Regulation division Michael Cosgrave. The …
Telecommunications analyst Paul Budde on NBN
NBN has destroyed huge value with tech changes: Quigley
Australian Telcos Demand Cuts in ‘Unsustainable’ NBN Prices
However, as we have heard now for over a year, this has been at the costs of the margins of the retail service providers. NBN Co’s high wholesale prices have squeezed margins for some of them to close to 10%. Companies such as Telstra were used to margins of 30-40%. Without any wholesale infrastructure competition, …
Major telcos facing collapse or sale as NBN monopoly takes its toll
How 5G will underpin applications now impractical
Complaints about connectivity as NBN roll-out nears completion
We recently have heard a lot of complaining from the telecommunications companies in relation to the margin squeeze they experience from NBN Co. While they certainly do have a point, it is also important to look at the other side of the coin. Why have the telcos allowed this situation to happen in the first …
After nearly a year of diplomatic comments on the need to change the wholesale price of the NBN, it looks like Telstra has had enough. On a media tour, CEO Andy Penn has made it now overly clear that the wholesale pricing structure of the NBN needs to be changed, in particular in the area …
Telstra and the expensive NBN: The gloves are off Read More »
5G, Vooruitgang of Vloek
Optus recently requested a proper investigation by the Government in relation to a potential data storage cost blowout to retain 5G metadata. This is data that labels information about other data such as files, videos, instructions, images and so on. The telcos are now required by law to collect and store metadata and to make …
Will the data retention scheme result in a cost blow out for the roll-out of 5G? Read More »
Recently the Minister made his first more in-depth public comments on various aspects of the NBN. The fact that the telecommunications industry had a sigh of relief when the new comms minister Paul Fletcher mentioned that the government would not sell the NBN to Telstra is an indication how low trust in politics has sunk …
Minister Fletcher’s first in-depth comments on the NBN. Read More »
Australia’s 4G network is faster than 5G: study
In a recent ABC interview, Sam Dimarco, Head of Stakeholder Relations at NBN Co, asserted that Netflix has been a catalyst for change. It has been blamed as the principal reason why the NBN is unable to deliver the quality that was promised by the Government. The article also mentioned Bill Morrow’s comment on this, admitting that …
Recently, I went to a lecture organised by the University of Sydney titled ‘Why should the perfect robot look and think just like a human?’ I was intrigued and perhaps even a bit dismayed about this title as I strongly believe that this is not the best direction for robotics. Furthermore, such a new human …
Compare SIM-only plans
While the network neutrality debate mainly applies in the U.S., it recently flared up in Australia when NBN Co discussed separate pricing regimes for video-based infrastructure. Net neutrality is breached when telecommunication companies provide a preferential pricing regime for companies offering video-based service. This basically creates a two-tiered system: a premium service for those providers …
The battle within Vocus
In our globalised economy, it is important that we do establish levels of fair trade and the U.S. is right in addressing that issue. However, making technology a key element of the trade war will backfire. Let’s take (again) the Huawei issue as an example. The company has admitted that the U.S/ boycott is hitting …
How spurned Huawei put its finger on NBN failures
‘NBN catastrophe’ means new plan is needed
The populist maelstrom is becoming a threat to the social and economic future of the West. Policies which normally would generate national bipartisanship are suddenly becoming politicised, often simply for political gain. The leadership that the West has previously shown in international affairs is slipping away. Now more than ever the West is faced with …
The ‘Us’ and the ‘Them’ will need to come together – soon Read More »
NBN Co biz ‘solution finder’ gets tick of approval
I recently attended a lecture by Ola Rosling of the Swedish-based Gapminder Foundation, organised by the University of NSW. This was a refreshing event in a world of doom of gloom. In discussing what people know in relation to the developments in the world around us, it is frightening to hear how few people have …
Factfulness – there is also lots of positive news Read More »
NBN leaves Blue Mountains customer unable to connect and in limbo as ADSL pulls out
NBN Co consultation will not solve basic wholesale pricing issue
Facebook launches Libra, industry takes note
Having been involved in the telecommunications industry for a long time, I followed many of the discussions involving health concerns when the 3G and 4G mobile technologies were introduced. This time, with 5G, the situation is no different. Again, there are many communities worried about the potential negative health effects of the radiation that emanates …
New communications minister denies Huawei ban will hurt Australia’s 5G rollout
“Peak telecom” is described as the maximum point of expansion reached by the traditional telecommunications industry before the internet commoditised the industry to a utility pipe. I had to think of this when I read the recent outcomes of the famous Ericsson Consumer Lab survey. The company used the result of the survey to counteract market criticism …
Have we reached ‘Peak Telecom’ and what does this mean for 5G Read More »
There is no way around it – across the western world there is a strong push away from progressive policies towards more conservative ones. Changes in globalisation, migration, productivity and efficiency have happened very quickly. And rapid developments in technology over the last 30 years have played a critical role in this. After the booming …
With failing neoliberalism in the West, let us look to the East. Read More »
From live streaming on social media to downloading movies in seconds ht
What New Comms Minister Fletcher Must Do: Paul Budde Lays Out Plan
With a new government and a new Minister for Communication in place it is an appropriate time to start looking at the telecommunications issues that need to be addressed. I welcome the new Minister Paul Fletcher as he is by far the best qualified in government to take on the telecoms portfolio. I know him …
President Trump knows that in the current trade war the Huawei issue is perhaps one of the most important issues for the Chinese government. It directly undermines the Chinese prestige and the ban create global anxiety. This is resulting in discussions in many countries, assessing their relationship with China. It highlights the domination of the …
First 5G mobile phone arrives in Australia: Here’s what you need to know
Guestblog by Ana Bera It is estimated that by 2020, there will be 50 billion IoT devices will be up and running. To put things in context, the number of connected devices in 2015 was 25 billion, which only goes to show how quickly this technology is taking off. The future is happening now, and …
Vocus gets US$2.3bil buyout offer from EQT
EQT moves to acquire Vocus Group for $2.3bn as network assets talk
The killer mobile phone deal that everyone is overlooking
Industry Applauds Fletcher Post ..
Australian telco Vocus entertains $2.3 bln offer from Sweden’s EQT
Paul Fletcher’s long to-do list
Fletcher must take politics out of telecoms portfolio.
Trump indicates Huawei a pawn in US-China trade deal https://www.itwire.com/government-tech-policy/trump-indicates-huawei-a-pawn-in-us-china-trade-deal.html
New concerns over WA Government Huawei public transport contract after US supply crisis
Trump using Huawei issue ‘to pressure China over trade deal’
Optus Claws Back Q4 Result Via 7pc Lift: Looks To 5G
Vodafone NZ could launch discount brand in mobile and broadband
It is interesting to follow announcements from former leaders. I recently compared Malcolm Turnbull’s suggestion for government intervention in the telecoms manufacturing market with his stand as a liberal politician who frowns upon government intervention. This time- but on a different topic – I am looking at an assessment Kim Williams, a former CEO of …
In my review of the smart energy market I looked at new technological developments and innovations that the industry discussed a decade ago, but that never led us anywhere as successive government have failed to come up with a smart energy policy for the country and as a consequence we have not seen any of …
Vodafone and TPG vow to fight controversial decision to block proposed merger
Australia’s mobile networks are fast, but it’ll cost you
The Vodafone-TPG merger dilemma, what to make of the ACCC decision not to allow the merger between Vodafone and TPG?
ACCC rejects telco merger between TPG and Vodafone Australia
During my time as director of Smart Grid Australia and the Global Smart Grid Federation I often used my experience from the telecoms industry to look at new opportunities in the smart energy market. While I started to talk about distributed energy infrastructure over a decade ago, nothing much has happened in the meantime. The …
Smart Energy Exchanges – engaging consumers in the electricity market. Read More »
NBN ‘continues to bleed’ as revenue targets prove elusive
TPG, Vodafone will make concessions to ensure merger: Budde
What is the business case for 5G? There is a lot of hype around 5G but none of it is new. We saw the same propaganda – fuelled by the manufacturers – in the run-up to the launch of the 3G and 4G versions of the mobile technology. Driverless cars and a range of other …
By my colleague David Bray, PhD Through shared narratives, the enforcement of laws, and through use of technologies, humans have shaped social norms and reshaped how power (i.e., the capability to compel or oblige someone to take a certain a certain course of actions) has been distributed in our communities. Now with the beginning of …
Where Do We Want to Go As Open Societies? Laws, Tech, and Narratives for the Future Read More »
A call for the resignation of the NBN Board goes to the heart of the NBN issue. Why did we build the NBN? What was the original vision? And why was the government willing to invest? At the time this was seen as a national asset. The call for resignation was made by Commpete, the …
Did the NBN Board deliver the promised NBN outcomes? Read More »
Why Nu Mobile bodes well for Vodafone and TPG
The wonders of electronics. I suddenly received a notification about this submission I made in 1999. It is interesting to look back on predictions I made 20 years ago 🙂 From: Paul Budde Sent: Monday, May 03, 1999 4:34 PM To: ’broadcasting@pc.gov.au’ Subject: Broadcasting – Submission to Productivity Commission Broadcasting – Submission to Productivity …
Broadcasting – Submission to Productivity Commission from 1999 (20 years ago) Read More »
Macquarie’s surprise telco move ‘makes perfect sense’
ASX200 closes 1pc higher at 6382
How to best manage the social media The internet started to take on momentum in the 1990s. At that time many analysts, myself included, marvelled at the opportunity of creating a platform that would boost grassroot democracy. There was no need for a middleman and there were few barriers to ordinary people becoming involved. This …
Macquarie Bank Is going to launch a mobile product in the telecoms market. This is an interesting development.. It doesn’t happen that often that an investment itself launches a mobile service, to be known as Nu Mobile. Even more remarkable is that it launches a niche mobile service known as a Mobile Virtual Network Operator …
Is digital democracy an option – and what is involved in it? Celebrating the 30th anniversary of the internet Berners-Lee, the father of the internet, reiterated his suggestion for a radical change, which would improve the functionality of the internet for the benefit of society. He suggests a sort of refoundation of the web, creating …
Is digital democracy an option – and what is involved in it? Read More »
TV interview 10 April starts at 23:37 minutes
Labor’s NBN plan: full-blown review plus immediate problems tackled
How Labor will fix NBN technical woes …
It doesn’t come as a surprise that Labor’s plan for the NBN start with a full blown technical and financial review of the NBN. Labor’s election plan for the NBN was announced this morning by the Shadow Minister for Communication Michelle Rowland. It is impossible to come up with any good strategy for the future …
Optus slams NBN quality, calls for 5G replacement
Social media laws rammed through Parliament .
Labor promises $60 million for NBN upgrade trials but stops short of full commitment
Because there will be an election in just over a month the Budget is aimed at injecting sugar hits into the electorate. And no doubt Labor will match these sugar hits. It is regrettable that the extra money will not be used to come up with a vision for the future of our country, with …
Budget: Short-term sugar hits without national long-term vision Read More »
NetSafe reports ‘drastic’ jump in online fraud losses
There are an increasing number of reasons why there are now calls for the breakup of the tech-giants. The most recent one being the failure by these companies to stop the live-stream video of the Christchurch massacre. These hi-tech companies should have systems in place to immediately stop the spread of such high levels of …
It is very sad to see that Huawei has become a victim of US-China trade war politics and it will be very interesting to see how their court case against the US Government will pan out, the company claims that the ban of its products is “unconstitutional”. There is no indication that Huawei has been …
The Huawei issue in the broader context of global politics Read More »
Politics needs to be taken out of NBN for it to succeed
Over the last few months further information has come to light about the problems the NBN is facing and it is clear that the government will have to step in in order to address the mountain problems of the service. However, in all reality this will not happen till after the Federal Elections. The regular …
Will the Federal election be able to end the NBN mess? Read More »
Competition has worked well for many decades after World War II, especially since the 1970s and 1980s when, thanks to liberal policies, competition made a wonderful job of creating the dynamic world we now live in. But is liberalism now turning against us? Has competition peaked? Is it still delivering those dynamic benefits? The signs …
You might recall my recent visit to Armenia, where I had several smart city discussions. Of course, it was with great interest that I read BuddeComm’s new report on Armenia, a country that I will keep an eye on and certainly a country that warrants the attention of innovators, start-ups and investors as a range …
Macau boasts a sophisticated, independently regulated communications market. Gradual liberalisation has now fully opened the telecoms market with the full impact slowly becoming evident. Fixed line subscriptions in Macau continue to fall. Macau’s fixed-line market is transitioning to a fibre broadband market as CTM invests significantly in fibre access networks, a project made possible given …
As society uses more digital technologies we are increasingly also faced with its problems. Most of us will have some horror stories to tell about using computers, smart phones and the internet. But this hasn’t stopped us from using the technology more and more. I believe that most people would say that their lives would …
Customers lose as NBN fails to hit speed targets
National Broadband Network misses speed targets in five states, short-changing thousands
Our societies and our economies have reached a new threshold, the developments leading to this are a logical continuation of our evolutionary process, but interestingly the current rapid societal changes are coinciding with the availability of new ICT tools. These tools can assist us in: Political transformation – creating a more democratic environment at grass …
The importance of government leadership in digital transformation Read More »
Australia slips to 60th spot in world broadband speeds, falling behind developing nations
Australia ramps up on 5G – telcos and banks among the first to benefit
NBN can be improved after rollout, says CEO
Will it be third time lucky for the NBN?
Telco analyst rails against NBN financial model
Since early last year I have been commenting on the potential write-off that is needed in order to get the NBN back into a more viable business model. During that time others, such as PWC, Standard & Poor and the Productivity Commission, have made similar comments. With an election looming and a possible change of …
What does the end of TPG’s mobile network mean?
NBN write down ‘more likely’ says Labor, paving the way for cheaper home broadband
Interview on TPG announcement to cancel its 5G network roll out – Tuesday 29/1/2019 (24 min in).
Latest developments in telecoms (starts at 24 minutes into the programme)
Australia’s TPG abandons mobile network plan over Huawei ban
Market split on chances of TPG-Vodafone merger
Telecommunicatie specialist Paul Budde maakt zich zorgen over Cybersecurity
Australia’s TPG Telecom dumps Huawei-supplied mobile network citing government ban
Australia’s TPG Abandons Mobile Network Plan Over Huawei Ban
Australia’s TPG cancels mobile network rollout after Huawei ban
TPG stops rollout of what would’ve been Australia’s fourth mobile network
In my various media comments on TPG’s withdrawal from the mobile network market, I commented on the one side that the government’s ban on Huawei was a great excuse for the company to abandon its ambitious infrastructure plans. Building such a new network doesn’t make economic sense, especially within the context of a merger with …
Telstra to have 5G handsets on market by June
TPG forced to abandon mobile network
‘Many people are going to be worse off’: How the NBN is ‘cheating’ home owners
Telco share prices rally after TPG hangs up on mobile
Australia’s TPG abandons mobile network plan over Huawei ban
It has become clear that having a big cybersecurity war room is not enough to deliver true end-to-end security throughout the complex networks, systems and structures on which our modern society is based. Furthermore, looking at the forever changing draconian government interventions in this space, it is also obvious that they are often stabbing in …
Cybersecurity is failing big-time and this is hard to fix. Read More »
My involvement in the ICT industry over the last 40 years has always been to look at the strategic advantages that new technologies have to offer. I entered the industry through a proto-internet development called videotext. I looked at this technology, at what organisations could do with it, and assisted, for example, in the 1980s …
Could cybersecurity become a new driver for business transformation? Read More »
Can 5G Mobile Save The Telstra (TLS) Share Price?
Apple’s upgrade woes could be Aussie telcos’ gain
ACCC controls the telco industry’s fate in 2019
Christmas Blog
I hope that those of you who celebrated Christmas enjoyed being together with families and friends, and that everyone took the opportunity for a break from the everyday world. Happily the holiday season continues so most of us will have a bit more relaxing time ahead. And of course the new year is upon us. …
Happy New Year – The NBN and the Australian Telecoms Year ahead. Read More »
On reflection: Politics and tech
This is a good time of the year to reflect on our industry and its place in today’s society – not so much in respect of all of the important issues of the day, or from the year past, but on the broader developments in society in which our industry plays a key role and …
Will the $853M investment in 5G spectrum be worth it?
Vodafone, TPG, NBN, Telstra, Huawei
As the Digital Business Strategist for the Barcelona City Council, Joaquim Alvarez has been instrumental in helping transform the City of Barcelona into what Fortune Magazine recently called the Most Wired City in the World. Joaquim comes from a telecommunication engineering background, and is a specialist in software development and telematics communications. His passion for …
Barcelona’s Smart City Strategist visiting Australia Read More »
Australian regulator casts doubt on telco mega-merger, shares slammed
Budde Sees ‘Fabulous Plot’ As 5G Auction Raises $853 Million
The 5G auction brought in $853 million in the government’s coffers, while this is a lot of money the total amount of the spectrum sale is lower because of limited competition, partly because of the restrictions there were put on Optus and the nbn company regarding the amount of spectrum they can have in metropolitan …
Despite the big PR splash from Telstra in relation to its 5G announcement, there was not much news beyond phones that look very similar to 4G phones and (video) services that can also be provided over 4G. I remain convinced that 5G is not going to provide any new revenues for Telstra and for Optus …
As has become very clear in recent years a Cold War is going on between the three superpowers – USA, China and Russia. The struggle for world power is immense and while the USA still has by far the largest military power China is catching up. What is perhaps even more important than these military …
Facebook is set to fail
The dramatic collapse of the Bitcoin bubble (and of other cryptocurrencies) is a clear indication that in its current format this new digital payment system is not going to make it. I don’t believe this is just a dip and that the system will suddenly revive itself again. While there are certain benefits of a …
With a tumbling share price and increased pressure from governments across the world Facebook will have to make major changes quickly if the company is to survive. Despite the enormous success – indicated by the fact that people just love to use Facebook, as well as the enormous amount of good that the company has …
Global Business Coalition issues statement ahead of the G20 Summit in Buenos Aires The multilateral trading order has proven to be essential for our businesses. For decades it has been the foundation of our global economic success. However, the Word Trade Organization (WTO) is increasingly under stress. For years, WTO members have not shown the …
With the majority of citizens living in urban centres around the world, there has been a growing interest in ensuring these highly concentrated populations are living in the most sustainable and efficient environments possible. Smart Cities offer the ability to manage our growing populations and the limited resources and environmental issues we face. In …
High-speed broadband infrastructure plays an important role in Smart Cities Read More »
What if Telstra acquired the NBN?
NBN Co accused of failing to take 5G threat seriously …
There are many reasons for the current significant problems with housing in our major cities. A rapid increase in population, the move to cities and the often unaffordable house prices are among the most serious issues. If we look at this in the context of smart cities, it is clear that a far more holistic …
Smart housing is an essential part of mega-city strategy Read More »
Guest blog by Stewart Fist Cooperative structure option for the NBN The value of the full-fibre NBN being a “common good” – should be seen the same as roadways. But like toll-ways, governments and corporations can still find ways to export these facilities either for profit, or for stoking up their budgets. However there often …
A day or so after Telstra indicated that in the right circumstances, and if the opportunity were to occur, it would be interested in buying the NBN but hot on the heels, the ACCC announced that Telstra would not be allowed to buy the NBN. On the surface this makes sense. The disastrous situation …
Telstra ‘interested in buying NBN’ and merging with InfraCo
The NBN and the common good — fending off the forces of privatisation
Looking back over the last 30 years less emphasis is now placed on the ‘common good’ than was the case before the 1980s. I will link this to the NBN a bit further in this analysis. Over the last few decades, often for very good reasons, we began to privatise what had been government businesses …
NBN and the common good – write offs and Telstra’s interest in buying it. Read More »
Following the Smart City mission from the Netherlands that coincided with the visit of the Dutch Royal Couple in November 2016, earlier this month a combined Australian/New Zealand ‘Smart Urban Solutions’ mission visited the Netherlands. The week-long visit focused on urban (re)development, smart mobility, the future of energy and sustainable building and innovative solutions created …
Australian/New Zealand ‘Smart Urban Solutions’ mission to the Netherlands Read More »
Smart cities – hype or reality? I have recently read several critical and sceptical articles and announcements in relation to smart cities, and I have to say that I do share some of that cynicism. Unfortunately in most the cases projects, pilots and technologies that are carried out in the name of smart cities are …
I recently went to an industry event organised by InnovationAus.com which was unique in several respects. First of all, there was hardly any techno talk. The presentations and discussion took place on a far more strategic level in relation to the effects of technology – in particular AI and big data – on our society …
An overhaul of political and economic structures is needed for AI and big data Read More »
NBN plan prices could surge more than $100 a year after the 50Mbps discount ends
Infratech seems to be a new buzzword in our world of technology. It covers the area of convergence between technology and infrastructure. I have been involved in this market since its early beginnings, some 25 years ago (since the internet became mainstream) and I have seen first-hand how difficult it is to marry the two …
The merger between Vodafone and TPG will bring the number of Mobile Network Operators in Australia from four to three. Since the announcement there have been plenty of discussions if this merger will reduce competition and thus favour Telstra and Optus or if TPG will indeed maintain its position as national price beater in the …
More competition in countries with four rather than 3 mobile providers Read More »
I must have missed the run-up to this and so was surprised when the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Infrastructure, Transport and Cities last week published a report called National Plan of Settlement. According to this report Australia needs a national plan to encourage denser, better-connected and more sustainable cities. Among its 37 recommendations are two …
National Plan of Settlement: Good content – wrong strategy Read More »
Last month I was honoured to be invited to be the special guest at BreakFAST, a Sunday morning breakfast meeting organised by Foundation for Armenian Science and Technology (FAST) in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, this allowed me to share my telecoms and smart city insights with a group of select government, business and academic …
Smart Armenia – suggestion for a national approach Read More »
Vodafone to keep TPG, iiNet brands in landmark telco merger
In general this new government is a further thrust to the right– looking at the developments during the period of the Turnbull government – where little progress has been made in relation to more progressive policies – this further push to the right will most likely have a further negative effect on progressive policies, innovations, …
Did TPG’s David Teoh just outsmart the telco industry?
China and Huawei hit out at Australian government 5G ban
During a recent three-month trip we visited various countries. This time I would like to share, not ICT-related ideas, but my socio-economic and political observations, starting with the very interesting but little-known country of Armenia. We travelled to Armenia – in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia – for several reasons. Firstly, due to our …
Armenia – socio-economic and political observations Read More »
Vodafone-TPG merger could be a win-win
Questions still looming over nbn
“Een meer partijen stelsel is wellicht beter maar dat duurt nog wel even”.
For starters I have to admit that the key reason for my second visit to this country was to attend the World Cup, together with my son. Having said that, we also spent plenty of time away from the football fun. I caught up with one of my colleagues in the Gordon Cook network, Arcady …
Russia – social, economic and political observations Read More »
Mobile phone plan costs tipped to soar amid 5G ban on Chinese companies
TPG Telecom in talks to merge with Vodafone Australia
Huawei and ZTE have now been banned by the Australian government from being involved in the development of 5G networks. However it is important to state that this is a political issue not a technical one. There is no evidence whatsoever that some clever bits of technology have been added to networks designed and developed …
The Huawei and ZTE issue is political not technical Read More »
