Sep 21 – Architecture & Design
The future of automated vehicles has a long and winding road ahead
C-V2X standard for autonomous vehicle services
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 …
Government want NBN Co to focus on the money.
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 …
Global developments in broadband
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 …
Vale Professor Reg Coutts
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 …
Satellite another tool in the fight against Covid
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 »
NBN hits a financial target that has been revised downwards several times
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 »
Success of Telehealth in Australia in glowing numbers
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 »
Aug 20 – CircleID
Massive Changes to the Chinese Tech Industry
Aug 20 – Rod Myer – New Daily
Why News Corp isn’t doing as well as its results suggest
Massive changes to the Chinese tech industry.
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. …
Back to the future with FttH and finally mobile roaming is on the cards.
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 »
July 21 – Big News Network
Telstra bids on Digicel amid South Pacific tech expansion
Broadband Developments in the South Pacific
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 …
Is our mobile market competitive?
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 …
July 21 – Matthew Elmas New Daily
Telstra fails again: Telco cops $25 million refund bill over NBN plans
July 21 – Illinois News
ACCC declares mobile market uncompetitive
Using technologies for the good of all.
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 …
Will 5G be a game changer or simply a 4G upgrade.
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 »
New NBN proposal smoke and mirrors, no real reform.
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 »
June 21 – Illinois News Live
Australian Electric Vehicle Penetration
June 21 – Illinois News Live
NBN has problems as a result of the coalition government’s cost-cutting policies
June 21 – JNews
Telstra NBN is going to take a monopoly
The ACCC is worried we will use the NBN too much.
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 »
June 21 – Big News Network
Viscount Christopher Monckton: Lord of the lies on climate change
Also, with electric vehicles Australia is trailing the world.
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 »
Challenging telecoms conditions for the Northern Territory
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 »
May 21 – energycentral
Australians are going to pay for a failed national energy policy.
NBN faces new problems but executives paid bonusses
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 »
May 21 ChannelNews
You Can’t Please Everyone: IT Initiatives Draw Mixed Reax \
May 21 – Robert Clark – Light Reading
Aussie telcos take aim at costly NBN with 5G
Enough is enough ACCC will become involved in the NBN monopoly.
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 »
April 21 – Michael Lester Radio Northern Beaches
Broadband, Internet, Telecomms, Starlink – developments
April 21 0 Sam Varghese – ITWire
NBN Co wholesale pricing model needs structural change
$100 billion national broadband plan for America.
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 »
Australians are going to pay for a failed national energy policy.
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 »
Connected Farms
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 …
Cybersecurity, an essential weapon in the cyberwarfare to protect our democracy.
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 »
April-21 – James Purtill – ABC
Elon Musk’s Starlink is now live in Australia. Will it really deliver faster internet, and to whom?
Broadband users are going to pay for failed NBN policies.
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 »
April 21 – Australian News.Net
Broadband users will pay for failed NBN policies
April 21 – Kate Castellari – ChannelNews
Low-Earth Satellite Services Set To Rule In Outback Oz
April 21 – Chris Zappone – SMH
Elon Musk’s Starlink poised to shake up Australia’s broadband
Are the LEOs going to disrupt the telco market?
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 …
April 21 – Jonathan Edwards – Brinkwire
TPG shares at record low after Teoh exit
March 21- Kate Castellari – Channel News
Industry Sings Teoh Praises As He Quits TPG As Chairman
Telstra restructuring too little too late?
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 …
March 21 – Steven Deare – AAP
TPG shares at record low after Teoh exit
The digital transformation of the Australian economy
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 »
March 20 – Sam Varghese – ITWire
Budde applauds Telstra changes, but questions whether it is too little, too late
March 21 – David Braue – ACS
ACT-area town writes smart city blueprint
Australian fixed broadband in the international context.
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 »
Technology – a tool to increase our processes of thought and cognition
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 »
NBN too expensive, TPG wants to move customers.
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, …
Feb 21 – Anna Henderson – ABC Radio
What’s happened to millions of dollars to improve telecommunications after bushfires?
NBN wants us to pay more for their broadband service.
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 »
Feb 21 – Developpez.com (France)
Facebook conclut un accord de dernière minute avec l’Australie sur le contenu des nouvelles,
Feb 21 – DR (Denmark)
Facebook og Australien er venner igen: Techgigant har tvunget en bedre deal igennem
Feb 21 – Világgazdaság (Hungary)
A Facebook fizethet a hírekért
Feb 21 – České noviny (Czech)
Facebook v Austrálii po dohodě s vládou odblokuje zpravodajství
Feb 21 – USNews & World Report
Reaction to Facebook Agreeing a Concession Deal With Australia on Media Bill
Feb 21 – Sam Varghese – ITWire
Facebook has triumphed in govt stoush and nothing has changed.
Feb 21 – ChannelNews
Figures Reveal Full-Fibre NBN Could Be $10bn Cheaper
Facebook stays, everybody is happy but nothing has changed
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 »
Feb 21 – SMH – Rob Harris Jennifer Duke
Secret figures show full fibre NBN may have cost $10 billion less than claimed
Feb 21 – Vision Times (China)
澳洲施壓科技巨頭谷歌願付費臉書出對策(圖)
Feb 21 – InnovationAus
Facebook is right to call the government’s bluff
Feb 21 – Liberty Times (China)
澳洲政府鐵腕立法！谷歌讓步付費給澳媒
Feb 21 – Bảo (Vietnam)
Đối tác báo chí lớn đầu tiên của Australia gia nhập hệ thống trả phí của Google
Feb 21 – Yahoo Noticias
Empresas de medios australianos obtienen más de Google a las puertas de una nueva ley
Feb 21 – Nasdaq
GLOBAL MARKETS-Rising US yields takes edge off stocks rally
Feb 21 – Byron Kaye – Reuters
Australian media firms squeeze more from Google as new law looms
Macquarie Group is set to shake up the digital infrastructure market.
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 »
Feb 21 – News 24 France
Google conclut un accord de licence avec Seven West Media australien au milieu de la ligne de paiement de contenu
Feb 21 – Metro
[해외증시] 호주 세븐웨스트미디어, 구글과 뉴스 콘텐츠 계약
Feb 21 – Sam Verghese – ITwire
NBN Co pricing review will lead to $2 per customer price rise
Feb 21 – Serendeputy
Google set to survive in Oz, but far bigger threats are on the way
Feb 21 – U.S. News & World Report
Australia’s Seven West Media Strikes Deal With Google for News
Feb 21 – Byron Kay – Reuters
Australia’s Seven West Media strikes deal with Google for news
Google set to survive in Oz, but far bigger threats are on the way.
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 »
Feb 21 – InnovationAus
On platforms and services: The great unwinding
Technology: doomsday or godsend – the choice is ours.
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 »
Google vs. Australia – the war is on.
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. …
Jan 21 – Robert Clark – Lightreading
Telstra weaponizes 5G against NBN
What will 2021 have install for the ICT industry?
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 »
What is next for America – and the rest of the democratic world.
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 »
Can we control the digital platforms?
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 …
Jan 21 – EnergyCentral
Massive renewable energy projects underpinned by ICT technologies
Jan 21 – Allan Burkitt-Gray – Capacity
Australia starts debate on future of wholesale-only NBN
Jan 21 – Independent Australia
#2 TOP IA STORY OF 2020: Telstra is going on to take the NBN monopoly
Jan 21 – Independent Australia
#3 TOP IA STORY OF 2020: Foxtel pay-TV faces slow death
Dec 20 – Steven Dear – AAP
NT residents top list in download rankings
Rhineland economic model is closest to smart city developments
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 »
Dec 20 – MacroBusiness
How Australia can learn from Scandinavian countries
Nov 20 – Scott Haywood 2GB
The Telstra Transformation (radio)
Another brochure to cover up NBN failings
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 …
Massive renewable energy projects underpinned by ICT technologies
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 »
Will it be third time lucky for Telstra?
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 …
What will 6G look like in a geopolitical divided world
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 »
The break-up of Telstra: Interesting potential new telecoms scenarios.
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 »
Nov 20 – Scott Haywood 2GB Podcast
The Telstra Transformation
Disinformation and our technology industries
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 …
Nov 20 – Sam Varghese – ITWire
Success of Telstra move will depend on freedom for units: Budde
Will Infra Co be gamechanger in the telecoms market?
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 »
Nov 20- Sam Varghese – ITWire
No full 1Q financial figures for you, NBN Co tells journalists
Smart Regional Towns – Game changers for reginal and rural Australia
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 »
Nov 20 – Leading Edge
‘Smart regional towns’: Game-changers for rural Australia
Nov 20 – Queensland Times
Broadband cut-off: Will your home be cut-off?
Nov 20 – Stan Beer – ITWire
NBN Co a monopoly? Maybe, but not like Telstra was because of 5G
Nov 20 – Sam Varghese – ITWire
NBN Co behaving much as Telstra did during its monopoly days: Budde
Oct 20 – ABC
NSW urges climate action as bushfire royal commission’s recommendations tabled
Government backed NBN monopoly is flexing its muscles
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 »
Oct 20 – CircleId
ICT in Agriculture: A Travel to Australia’s Outback Queensland
Oct 20 – Tech Exec Blog
How technology can help Australia’s agricultural sector thrive
NBN battle between the ACCC and the Government
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 …
Oct 20 – Energy Central
Newcastle: Australia’s leading smart city
Agriculture ICT and travelling in Outback Queensland
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 »
Vale Brian Perkins
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 …
The existential dangers of social media
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 …
Smart cities want to co-design change with Telcos
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 »
Oct 20 – Paul Karp – The Guardian
Australian budget preview: what we already know, and what the experts think
Is laser going to be the next telecoms frontier?
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 »
Sep 20 – David Braue – ACS
A government 5G network?
Sep 20 – Architecture and Design
Newcastle: Leading the way for Australian smart cities
Reversal of broadband fibre policies
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 …
Newcastle: Australia’s leading smart city
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 …
Sep 20 – Sam Varghese – ITWire
Fibre is most welcome, but affordability is important too: Budde
The importance of the emerging Data Trusts
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 …
Sep 20 – Chetan Woodun – Seeking Alpha
Revolutionizing The Mobile Operator World
5G will not be the panacea for all our communication needs
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 »
The incredible telehealth transformation
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 …
Telstra is going on to take the NBN monopoly
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, …
Aug 20 -Dawn Pakistan
Huawei, long resilient, suffers under tougher US pressure
Aug 20 – Federal News Network
Huawei, long resilient, suffers under tougher US pressure
Aug 20 – The Economic Times
US trade panel launches patent infringement probe into Apple devices
Aug 20 – El Economista (Spanish)
Huawei, resistente durante mucho tiempo, sufre bajo una presión más dura de EUA
Smart Cities moving into 5G
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 …
Aug 20 – TNTIC (French)
Les villes intelligentes se lancent dans le réseau 5G
Aug 20 – IoT Council
Paul Budde: Smart cities moving into the 5G network
Aug 20 – Isabelle Lane – New Daily
Experts back plan to upgrade NBN with fibre in response to 5G threat
Aug 20 – John Davidson – AFR
High prices must stay if the NBN is to keep evolving, says CEO
Aug 20 – Brinkwire
The Australian suburbs STILL living without NBN despite the project being declared ‘complete’
Call for an NBN user revolt
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 …
The government dug its own NBN hole, how to get out of it?
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 »
June 20 – Energy Central
New push for cheaper energy costs and a much more efficient energy industry
The digital economy is spreading out more broadly.
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’?
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 »
Jul 20 – Leith van Onselen – MicroBusiness
Coalition readies for massive NBN write down
Jul 20 – Fergus Hunter -Brisbane Times
NBN valuation under review as $51 billion network enters new era
City-as-a-service – new business and investment model
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 »
Jul 20 – IoT Council
Internet of Things Requires a Rethink of Business Models
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 »
Nano networks set to revolutionise edge computing
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 »
Jul 20 Sam Varghese – ITWire
TransACT builder says best option for NBN is to remain in government hands
July 20 – Sam Varghese – ITWire
Who will bell the cat? Sorry, make that who will upgrade the NBN?
July 20 – Isabelle Lane – NewDaily
Australia’s NBN should be finished by now, but thousands are still waiting
The NBN is finished so what’s next?
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 …
July 20 – Sam Varghese iTWire
Telco analyst Budde calls on govt to issue plan for next stage of NBN
New push for cheaper energy costs and a much more efficient energy industry.
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 »
Innovative entertainment industry will bounce forwards after Covid
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 »
June 20 – Dave Abrahams -Central Coast Community News
Gigabit speed internet on the way
Jun 20 – Michael Weaver – RiotACT
Canberra consumers misled about needing to move to the NBN
June 20 – Dave Abrahams Central Coast Video News
NBN behavioural change after the Covid-19 crisis ends
Hassle over LEOs
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 …
June 20 – David Braue – ACS
‘Move to NBN or lose your internet’
Jun 20 – Leith van Onselen – Microbusiness
NBN goes ‘back to the future’ with copper rollout
Jun 20 – Jack Gramenz – Herald Sun
NBN’s 50000km copper cable purchases ‘a waste of money’
June 20 – Isabelle Lane – New Daily
‘A waste of money’: NBN Co rolls out more copper instead of ‘future proof’ fibre
May 20 – ABC Radio World Today
More than two-thirds of Australians think they’ll be working from home.
Digital economy essential for regional Australia
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 »
Smart City Moreton Bay
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 …
May 20 – Big News Network
The rise of the Australian smart city
May 20 – Robert Clark – Light Reading
Australian cities, states start rolling out fiber alternatives to NBN
May 20 – News 24
Comment le déploiement de la 5G en Australie transformera notre monde en ligne
We need professionals to design the digital infrastructure in the post corona era
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 »
May 20 – Cait Kelly The New Daily
NBN coping with its biggest test. But it needs help, and soon
May 20 – Isabelle Lane – New Daily
‘Gig State’ to rival NBN: NSW plans fibre rollout as federal government tables regional broadband tax
May 20 – Post-Courier PNG
Coronavirus losses may force Newscorp and Murdoch to rethink Foxtel business model
May 20 – Rod Meyer – The New Daily
Coronavirus hits News Corp bosses’ pay, but they’ll still rake in millions
The problem is not technology but politicians and their ideology
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 »
May 20 – ABC TV (video clip)
Foxtel’s uncertain future
May 20 – Leith Van Onselen MacroBusiness
Foxtel “threatened with extinction”
May 20 – Samira Sarraf Computerworld
How the Australian internet has kept running during the pandemic.
May 20 – Andrew Robertson – ABC
Foxtel was struggling to survive before COVID-19 but the lack of sport is speeding up its demise
May 20 – Jopie Witzand – SBSNederlands Radio
COVIDSafe: “Ik zit er nog tegenaan te hikken”
Apr 20 -Leith van Onselen – MacroBusiness
NBN faces new competitive threat
Building independent Gig Cities: this happens when you have a 2nd rate NBN
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 »
COVIDSafe risk assessment personal data vs your risk regarding the virus
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 »
April 20 – Sebastian Moss – DatacenterDynamics
Are data centers prepared for climate change?
Technologies for the post-humans
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 …
Will technology destroy our democracy?
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 …
April 2 – Rhett Burnie – ABC
NBN drops some access fees for now but bills will rise again
April 20 – Peter Judge – DCD
Australian tax authority to leave Global Switch over Chinese ownership
Encouraging online lessons from the corona crisis
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 »
April 2- – CorCom (Italian)
Boom di traffico sulle reti delle telco. Ma a guadagnare sono gli Ott
April 20 – Tom Westbrook Reuters (French)
Les actions de Telco sont des perdants surpris alors que le verrouillage entraîne le boom d’Internet
April 20 – Tom Westbrook – Thomson Reuters
Telco shares are surprise losers as lockdown drives internet boom
The enormous economic costs of the pandemic – How did we end up in this mess?
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 »
Climate change, pandemic, terrorism and cybersecurity
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 »
Sustaining social and economic transformation beyond the crisis.
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 »
Corona crisis – Update from Australia – April 1
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 …
The COVID-19 Commission and the NBN
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 …
March 20 – Isabelle Lane – New Daily
Coronavirus pandemic shows government must fix Australia’s NBN
Will the NBN stand up in the Covid-19 pandemic?
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 …
March 20 – Jennifer Dudley – Daily Telegraph
Telstra, Optus offer free internet access during coronavirus pandemic, calls for NBN to follow
March 20 – James Fernyhough – AFR
Telstra closes call centres as telcos form crisis group
March 20 – Xinhua – China
China reopens roads as Australia announces new virus measures
Telecommuting and Covid-19
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 …
March 20 – Yeu Ming Epoch Times (Manderin)
Australian sensitive government agencies are evacuating from a Chinese data storage centre
March 20 – James Fernyhough – AFR
Huawei insists it hasn’t given up on 5G
March 20 – Angus Grigg – AFR
Federal bodies struggle to exit Chinese-owned data centre
The end of Foxtel’s pay TV service?
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 …
Feb 2020 – Leith van Onselen – Australian Economy
5G to cut NBN’s subscription lunch
Feb 2020 – David Braue – ACS
Should Telstra be stopped from dominating superfast 5G?
Feb 20 – Leith van Onselen- Microbusiness
Foxtel’s outlook is terminal
Feb 20 – ITU Interview Podcast – Maximillian Jacobson – Gonzalez
Paul talks about how telecommunications were affected by the recent bushfires
Feb 20 – Rod McGuirk Associated Press
Australia’s TPG abandons mobile network plan over Huawei ban
Feb 20 – Stephanie Chalmers – ABC
TPG stops rollout of what would’ve been Australia’s fourth mobile network
Feb 20 – Euan Black – NewDaily
Consumers to benefit from TPG-Vodafone merger as competition heats up
Feb 20 – Sam Varghese – ITWire
Telcos have to be big to survive: Budde on TPG-Vodafone outcome
Cracks appearing in Trump’s Huawei boycott
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 …
Feb 2020 – Michael Bleby – AFR
Lendlease takes mobile phone mast play to Japan
NBN Co is giving in to pressure to stop competing with its own retail customers.
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 »
Jan 20 – Samantha Dick New Daily
Huawei in the UK: What it means for Australia and the western alliance
NBN troubles continues
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 …
Jan 20 – ITU Podcast
Technology for Good
Jan 20 – ITU News – Geneva
Building resilience for climate emergencies
Jan 20 – Energy Central
Broadband driven Smart Energy Developments
Jan 20 – Leith van Onselen – Macrobusiness
NBN’s viability threatened by 5G roll-out
The role of FttH in the development of 5G
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, …
Follow up news – National Telecommunications Emergency Plan
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 »
Jan 20 – Leo Clifford – Ramp Up Talent
Telecommunications Industry Leaders Provide Predictions for 2020.
Jan 20 – Robert Clark – LightReading
After 10 Years and $34B, Australia’s NBN Falls Short
Jan 20 – Robert Clark Light Reading
Australia Ponders Fire-Proof Networks
Broadband driven Smart Energy Developments
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, …
Jan 20 – Natalie Bannerman – Capacity Media
Australia’s bushfires leave operators struggling to get back online
Jan 20 – Jess Davis – ABC
Telco, NBN failures during bushfire crisis reveals cracks in regional, rural crisis coverage
Jan 20 – ABC Radio (interview)
Are Australia’s telecommunication networks resilient enough in the face of bushfires?
Jan 20 – SBS Radio – Jopie Witzand
Bosbranden en telecommunicatie: het kan veel beter
Suggestions for a national telecoms emergency plan
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 »
Analyses of the Australian bushfires
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 …
The power of data in smart city developments
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 …
Dec 2019 – Independent Australia
#10 TOP STORY OF 2019: The 5G answer to the second-rate NBN
Full fibre NBN back on the agenda
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 …
Dec 2019 – Fergus Hunter – SMH
‘Unreasonable’: China claims Australia has expanded 5G restrictions
Dec 2019 – Leith van Onselen – Microbusiness
Coalition entrenches NBN Monopoly
Dec 2019- Samira Sarraf – CIO Australia
Government’s cyber security strategy panel ‘missing a bit of diversity’
Dec 2019 – Jennifer Dudley – Daily Telegraph
NBN delays: Congestion is getting worse on the NBN, new figures show, but firm blames providers
Power, Hope and Social Change: The Rise of the City?
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 »
Smart devices ready to flood the energy market to force prices down.
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 »
Successful smart cities require significant ICT infrastructure
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 leads the South East Asian data centre market
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 »
Power, Hope and Social Change: The Rise of the City?
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 »
Nov 2019 – David Braue – ACS
Consumers’ 5G verdict: meh
Nov 2019 Jennifer Dudley – The Advertiser
NBN reveals two in five Aussies are resisting an NBN connection as analysts call for price drops The Advertiser Bu
Australia’s NBN makes slow progress
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 …
Be aware of the surveillance state Australia
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 …
Successful smart cities require significant ICT infrastructure
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 »
Nov 2019 – ChannelNews
Streaming Threatens Oz TV
July 2019 – Peter Ryan – ABC
Huawei not a ‘real risk’ to 5G security, company protests I
Nov 2019 – John Power – South China Morning Post
Huawei warns Australia it is being ‘left behind’ on 5G as tech giant challenges ban
Monetising solutions for the telcos
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 …
Oct 2019 – Jopie Witzand – SBS Dutch Radio
NBN: het Australische Broddellapje
The NBN now attacked from all directions
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 …
Jumping on the Australian streaming boom
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 …
Oct 2019 – Isabelle Lane – New Daily
Telstra will switch off Australia’s 3G mobile network in 2024. Here’s what that means
Message from the coalface – NBN pricing
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 …
NBN pricing is widening the inequality gap in Australia
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 »
Oct 2019 – Robert Clark-Light Reading
NBN Faces Penalties but Deeper Issues Can’t Be Fixed
The positive role of technology in democracy
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 …
Sep 2019 – Jennifer Dudley – The Advertiser
NBN Co faces new ACCC penalties for missed appointments, late connections, and delayed fixes
Truly terrible broadband is depriving people from work opportunities
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 »
Sept 2019 – Sunshine Coast Daily
NBN ditches ‘Netflix tax’ proposal
Sept 2019 – Stan Adkins – Developpez.com
Tandis qu’aux Etats-Unis, la vitesse maximale de la 5G est environ trois fois plus rapide que la …
Fibre to the farm provides opportunities for rural Australia
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 »
Changing the goalposts and voila here is the new NBN corporate plan
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 »
Do we need 5G to compete with the NBN
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 …
August 2019 – Robert Clark – Light Reading
Australian Telcos Demand Cuts in ‘Unsustainable’ NBN Prices
The privatisation of the NBN
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 …
August 2019 – Steve Price -2GB (radio)
Telecommunications analyst Paul Budde on NBN
August 2019 – Paul Smith – AFR
NBN has destroyed huge value with tech changes: Quigley
August 2019 – Robert Clark – LightReading
Australian Telcos Demand Cuts in ‘Unsustainable’ NBN Prices
NBN Co’s gain is the retailer’s loss
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, …
August 2019 – Killian Plastow – New Daily
Major telcos facing collapse or sale as NBN monopoly takes its toll
August 2019 – The Australian
How 5G will underpin applications now impractical
August 2019 – Eleanor Whitehead ABC Radio
Complaints about connectivity as NBN roll-out nears completion
Are the telcos crying wolf?
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 …
Telstra and the expensive NBN: The gloves are off
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 »
July 2019 – Jopie Witzand -SBS Radio (Dutch)
5G, Vooruitgang of Vloek
Will the data retention scheme result in a cost blow out for the roll-out of 5G?
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 »
Minister Fletcher’s first in-depth comments on the NBN.
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 »
July 2019 – Samantha Dick New Daily
Australia’s 4G network is faster than 5G: study
Not Netflix but Government killed the NBN
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 …
Do we want to create true human robots?
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 …
July 2019 – Zona Black – New Daily
Compare SIM-only plans
The NBN and Net Neutrality
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 …
June 2019 – Julia Talevski – ARN
The battle within Vocus
The West is shooting itself in its IT foot
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 …
June 2019 – Paul Smith – AFR
How spurned Huawei put its finger on NBN failures
June 2019 – Paul Smith – AFR
‘NBN catastrophe’ means new plan is needed
The ‘Us’ and the ‘Them’ will need to come together – soon
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 »
June 2019 – Sam Varghese – ITWire
NBN Co biz ‘solution finder’ gets tick of approval
Factfulness – there is also lots of positive news
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 »
June 2019 – Jonathan Hair – ABC
NBN leaves Blue Mountains customer unable to connect and in limbo as ADSL pulls out
June 2019 – Sam Varghese – ITWire
NBN Co consultation will not solve basic wholesale pricing issue
June 2019 – Jennifer O’Brien – CIO
Facebook launches Libra, industry takes note
5G and the health scare
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 …
June 2019 – Fergus Hunter Sydney Morning Herald
New communications minister denies Huawei ban will hurt Australia’s 5G rollout
Have we reached ‘Peak Telecom’ and what does this mean for 5G
“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 »
With failing neoliberalism in the West, let us look to the East.
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 »
June 2019 – Wayne Flower – Daily Mail
From live streaming on social media to downloading movies in seconds ht
June 2019 – David Frith – ChannelNews
What New Comms Minister Fletcher Must Do: Paul Budde Lays Out Plan
Telecoms wish list for the new minister.
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 …
Trade war is turning into a technology war
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 …
May 2019 – Samantha Dick – New Daily
First 5G mobile phone arrives in Australia: Here’s what you need to know
IoT – The Game Changer
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 …
May 2019 – The Malaysian Pulse
Vocus gets US$2.3bil buyout offer from EQT
May 2019 – Anthony Savvas -Data Economy
EQT moves to acquire Vocus Group for $2.3bn as network assets talk
May 2019 – Simone Mitchell – The New Daily
The killer mobile phone deal that everyone is overlooking
May 2019 – David Frith ChannelNews
Industry Applauds Fletcher Post ..
May 2019 – Tom Westbrook – Nasdeq
Australian telco Vocus entertains $2.3 bln offer from Sweden’s EQT
May 2019 – Aimee Chanthadavong InnovationAus
Paul Fletcher’s long to-do list
May 2019 – Sam Varghese – ITWire
Fletcher must take politics out of telecoms portfolio.
May 2019 – Sam Varghese – ITWire
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
May 2019 – David Weber – ABC
New concerns over WA Government Huawei public transport contract after US supply crisis
May 2019 – Sam Varghese – ITWire
Trump using Huawei issue ‘to pressure China over trade deal’
May 2019 – Kate Castellari ChannelNews
Optus Claws Back Q4 Result Via 7pc Lift: Looks To 5G
May 2019 – Tom Pullar-Strecker – Stuff NZ
Vodafone NZ could launch discount brand in mobile and broadband
Spinning the pay TV pirating issue
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 …
Smart Energy review – Transactive Energy Models
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 …
May 2019 – Nick Wigham – News.com
Vodafone and TPG vow to fight controversial decision to block proposed merger
May 2019 -Elouise Fowler – AFR
Australia’s mobile networks are fast, but it’ll cost you
The Vodafone-TPG merger dilemma
The Vodafone-TPG merger dilemma, what to make of the ACCC decision not to allow the merger between Vodafone and TPG?
May 2019 – Nick Wigham – News.com
ACCC rejects telco merger between TPG and Vodafone Australia
Smart Energy Exchanges – engaging consumers in the electricity market.
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 »
May 2019 – The Australian Financial Review
NBN ‘continues to bleed’ as revenue targets prove elusive
May 2019 Sam Varghese – iTWire
TPG, Vodafone will make concessions to ensure merger: Budde
What is the business case for 5G?
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 …
Where Do We Want to Go As Open Societies? Laws, Tech, and Narratives for the Future
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 »
Did the NBN Board deliver the promised NBN outcomes?
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 »
April 2019 – James Fernyhough – AFR
Why Nu Mobile bodes well for Vodafone and TPG
Broadcasting – Submission to Productivity Commission from 1999 (20 years ago)
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 »
April 2019 – James Fernyhough – AFR
Macquarie’s surprise telco move ‘makes perfect sense’
April 2019 – Lucy Batterby SMH
ASX200 closes 1pc higher at 6382
How to best manage the social media
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 …
Can Macquarie Bank run a niche mobile service?
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?
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 »
April 2019 – TV Your Money – Ticky Fullerton
TV interview 10 April starts at 23:37 minutes
April 2019 – Michael West
Labor’s NBN plan: full-blown review plus immediate problems tackled
April 2019 – ARNet – Julia Talevski
How Labor will fix NBN technical woes …
Labor’s NBN strategy
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 …
April 2019 – AFR – James Fernyhough
Optus slams NBN quality, calls for 5G replacement
April 2019 – ACS – David Braue
Social media laws rammed through Parliament .
April 2019 – Daily Telegraph
Labor promises $60 million for NBN upgrade trials but stops short of full commitment
Budget: Short-term sugar hits without national long-term vision
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 »
April 2019 – Stuff NZ – Tom Pullar-Strecker
NetSafe reports ‘drastic’ jump in online fraud losses
Breaking up the digital giants
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 …
The Huawei issue in the broader context of global politics
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 »
March 2019 – CIO – Lilia Guan
Politics needs to be taken out of NBN for it to succeed
Will the Federal election be able to end the NBN mess?
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 »
The death of competition
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 …
Telecommunications in Armenia
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’s smart city project gains momentum
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 …
Putting cyber threats into perspective
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 …
March 2019 – News Mail
Customers lose as NBN fails to hit speed targets
March 2019 – Courier Mail
National Broadband Network misses speed targets in five states, short-changing thousands
The importance of government leadership in digital transformation
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 »
March 2019 – Courier Mail
Australia slips to 60th spot in world broadband speeds, falling behind developing nations
March 2019 Computer Weekly – Beverley Head
Australia ramps up on 5G – telcos and banks among the first to benefit
Feb 2019 – The Australian Financial Review – James Fernyhough
NBN can be improved after rollout, says CEO
Feb 2019 – Independent Australia
Will it be third time lucky for the NBN?
Feb 2019 – CIO Australia – Jennifer O’Brian
Telco analyst rails against NBN financial model
Will we get NBN 3.0 right this time?
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 …
Feb 2019 – Samira Sarraf -ARN
What does the end of TPG’s mobile network mean?
Feb 2019 – Nick Whigham – The Cairns Post
NBN write down ‘more likely’ says Labor, paving the way for cheaper home broadband
Jan 2019 ABC News at Five TV Interview with Lorna Dunkley
Interview on TPG announcement to cancel its 5G network roll out – Tuesday 29/1/2019 (24 min in).
Jan 2019 – Your Money – Ticky Fullerton SkyNews TV interview
Latest developments in telecoms (starts at 24 minutes into the programme)
Jan 2019 – Gettysburg Times
Australia’s TPG abandons mobile network plan over Huawei ban
Feb 2019 – Australian Financial Review – James Fernyhough
Market split on chances of TPG-Vodafone merger
Jan 2019 SBS Dutch – Frans Warffemius
Telecommunicatie specialist Paul Budde maakt zich zorgen over Cybersecurity
Jan 2019 – Tom Westbrook Reuters
Australia’s TPG Telecom dumps Huawei-supplied mobile network citing government ban
Jan 2019 – New York Times
Australia’s TPG Abandons Mobile Network Plan Over Huawei Ban
Jan 2019 Jamie Smyth – Financial Times
Australia’s TPG cancels mobile network rollout after Huawei ban
Jan 2019 – Stephanie Chalmers – ABC News
TPG stops rollout of what would’ve been Australia’s fourth mobile network
New opportunities to open up the mobile market.
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 …
Jan 2019 – James Fernyhough – The Australian Financial Review
Telstra to have 5G handsets on market by June
Jan 2019 – Newstral.com
TPG forced to abandon mobile network
Jan 2019 – Isabelle Lane – The New Daily
‘Many people are going to be worse off’: How the NBN is ‘cheating’ home owners
Jan 2019 – Jennifer Duke – The Sydney Morning Herald
Telco share prices rally after TPG hangs up on mobile
Jan 2019 – Rod McGuirk – Seymour Tribune
Australia’s TPG abandons mobile network plan over Huawei ban
Cybersecurity is failing big-time and this is hard to fix.
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 »
Could cybersecurity become a new driver for business transformation?
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 »
Jan 2019 – AFR – James Fernyhough
Can 5G Mobile Save The Telstra (TLS) Share Price?
Jan 2019 – SMH – Emma Koehn
Apple’s upgrade woes could be Aussie telcos’ gain
Jan. 2019 – AFR – James Fernyhough
ACCC controls the telco industry’s fate in 2019
Dec. 2018 – EnergyCentral
Christmas Blog
Happy New Year – The NBN and the Australian Telecoms Year ahead.
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 »
Dec 2018 – InnovationAus.Com
On reflection: Politics and tech
Christmas Blog – Political, economic and cultural effects of connectivity, communications, surveillance and data analysis
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 …
Dec 2018 – ARN – Eleanor Dickinson
Will the $853M investment in 5G spectrum be worth it?
Dec 2018 – SkyNews Your Money (video) – Ticky
Vodafone, TPG, NBN, Telstra, Huawei
Barcelona’s Smart City Strategist visiting Australia
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 »
Dec 2018 – Reuters Tom Westbrook
Australian regulator casts doubt on telco mega-merger, shares slammed
Dec 2018 ChannelNews
Budde Sees ‘Fabulous Plot’ As 5G Auction Raises $853 Million
Comments on the 5G auction
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 …
No quick wins with 5G for Telstra
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 …
The digital wars between BATX and GAFAM
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 …
Dec 2018 – Pearls and Irritations – John Menaude
Facebook is set to fail
The collapse of cryptocurrencies?
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 …
Facebook is set to fail.
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 …
Reforming the Global Trading System of the WTO
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 …
High-speed broadband infrastructure plays an important role in Smart Cities
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 »
Nov. 2018 – ARNet – Eleanor Dickinson
What if Telstra acquired the NBN?
Nov 2018 – AFR – James Fernyhough
NBN Co accused of failing to take 5G threat seriously …
Smart housing is an essential part of mega-city strategy
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 »
Cooperative structure option for the NBN
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 …
Telstra banned from buying the NBN – why?
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 …
Oct 2018 – Capacity Media
Telstra ‘interested in buying NBN’ and merging with InfraCo
Oct 2018 – Independent Australia
The NBN and the common good — fending off the forces of privatisation
NBN and the common good – write offs and Telstra’s interest in buying it.
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 »
Australian/New Zealand ‘Smart Urban Solutions’ mission to the Netherlands
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?
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 …
An overhaul of political and economic structures is needed for AI and big data
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 »
September 2018 – New Daily – Alana Mitchelson
NBN plan prices could surge more than $100 a year after the 50Mbps discount ends
Infratech reality or marketing plot.
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 …
More competition in countries with four rather than 3 mobile providers
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 »
National Plan of Settlement: Good content – wrong strategy
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 »
Smart Armenia – suggestion for a national approach
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 »
August 2018 – New Daily – Alana Mitchelson
Vodafone to keep TPG, iiNet brands in landmark telco merger
Political commiserations with a new Australian government – more power to (smart) cities.
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, …
August 2018 – Sydney Morning Herald – Jennifer Duke
Did TPG’s David Teoh just outsmart the telco industry?
August 2018 – Capacity – Alan Burkitt-Gray
China and Huawei hit out at Australian government 5G ban
Armenia – socio-economic and political observations
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 »
August 2018 – Technology Decisions Dylan Bushell-Embling
Vodafone-TPG merger could be a win-win
August 2018 – Technology Decisions Dylan Bushell-Embling
Questions still looming over nbn
August 2018 – SBS Radio interview (in Dutch)
“Een meer partijen stelsel is wellicht beter maar dat duurt nog wel even”.
Russia – social, economic and political observations
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 »
August 2018 – Sydney Morning Herald – Ben Grubb
Mobile phone plan costs tipped to soar amid 5G ban on Chinese companies
August 2018 – Capacity Media – Alan Burkitt-Gray
TPG Telecom in talks to merge with Vodafone Australia
The Huawei and ZTE issue is political not technical
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 »
August 2918 – Computer Daily News – David Frith
‘No-Change’ Appointment Means Problems Lie Ahead: Budde
August 2018 – New Daily – Alana Mitchelson
Vodafone and TPG confirm talks of merger
August 2018 – BusinessDay – Tom Westerbrook
Australia’s TPG soars 20% on prospect of Vodafone tie-up
August 2018 – Reuters
TPG Telecom eyes Vodafone Australia deal, shares soar
August 2018 – TPG in merger talks with Vodafone – News.com.au
TPG in merger talks with Vodafone
New CEO at the NBN company – where to go from here?
The internal appointment of Stephen Rue clearly indicates that neither the government nor the NBN company are planning any changes. Some of the questions that have been raised over the last year include; does part of the nbn investment needs to be written down in order for it the be financial viable; what are the …
New CEO at the NBN company – where to go from here? Read More »
Iceland – the Pots and Pans Revolution and resultant political and social changes
A relatively small island of only 375,000 people – of which one-third live in the capital Reykjavik – in one of the harshest climates on earth, Iceland also has the highest (or second-highest, depending who measures it) per capita income in the world. Until the 20th century it was one of the poorest countries in …
Iceland – the Pots and Pans Revolution and resultant political and social changes Read More »
Vodafone – TPG merger
While I would have loved to see TPG entering the mobile market to bring some good competition to it, in the end business sense has prevailed and Vodafone and TPG have decided to look at merging the two companies. The market has long been dominated by egos and that has made it difficult sometimes to …
August 2018 – Newstage – Tom Westbrook
Silver lining: Cloud computing at Australia’s Telstra cushions profit plunge
August 2018 – Nasdaq – Tom Westbrook
Silver lining: Cloud computing at Australia’s Telstra cushions profit plunge
August 2018 – Sydney Morning Herald – Jennifer Duke
WhatsApp, Skype make text charges ‘outdated’, telcos claim
August 2018 – The New Daily -Alana Mitchelson
Cash in on the NBN ‘price war’
July 2018 – The Daily – Alana Mitchelson
These are the telcos delivering the fastest NBN speeds during high-demand times
Armenia using digital technologies to speed up its development
We are now on our last leg of our 3-month trip and are leaving Europe on a day the Netherlands is sweltering in 37C, we basically had three months of unbelievable good summer weather. The reason why we were attracted to Armenia is twofold. I was inspired by the passion for his country by my …
Armenia using digital technologies to speed up its development Read More »
July 2018 – New Daily – Alana Mitchelsen
The telcos performing best for customer service
Smart City in Greater Copenhagen
I am still traveling through northern Europe, after Iceland, Netherlands, Germany and Russia it is now Denmark. On a private note I am visiting two early medieval Viking towns Hedeby and Ribe. These were already ‘smart’ towns between 800 and 1000, becoming part of the handful of leading trading cities in those days. Those who …
July 2018 – SMH Jennifer Duke
Telstra’s ‘glory days’ are over, says investment company boss
The city of Eindhoven promotes a smart society
The next Dutch city that I would like to focus on after Amsterdam and ‘s-Hertogenbosch is Eindhoven. This is the city where Philips started its business some 150 years ago. And they developed this from light bulbs to some of the most sophisticated electronic devices in the world. But, as is the case for so …
Smart ‘s-Hertogenbosch is driven by data
After Russia I am now back in the Netherlands and, as mentioned in my previous blog on Amsterdam , I would like to highlight some of the smaller cities in the Netherlands. Amsterdam continues to receive most of the smart city attention, both internationally and in the Netherlands itself; but lots of interesting developments are …
June 2018 Daily Telegraph
Telstra’s Sydney headquarters to be hit hardest by massive job cuts
Saint Petersburg Smart City 2030
When I travelled to Russia back in 1972 I was very much impressed by St Petersburg (then called Leningrad) as it was, at that time, already more westernised than Moscow. And on this trip, while this city also has seen massive changes I found the atmosphere still comparable to 1972 – rather different from what …
Telstra’s only option is cost cutting.
Comment This cost cutting was basically the only option out for Telstra in its current difficult situation. Over the last 30 years it has tried a lot of different things. I was at the launch of their Asia campaign in Geneva in 1992 where they claimed that by 2000, 25% of revenues would come from …
June 2018 Business Ghana
Mauritius, Ghana and Tunisia lead the African Telecoms
June 2018 Daily Telegraph
Optus glitch fix to be put to the test for Uruguay v Saudi Arabia match
Smart City Moscow and the Wold Cup
If you have followed my previous blogs, I am on a smart city tour through Europe. The next few blogs will cover developments in Russia. With the World Cup taking place (where we are barracking for the Australian team) the city, under the charismatic mayoral leadership of Sergey Sobyanin, used the occasion to spend $500 …
June 2018 – AFR – Chanticleer
Andy Penn must sell his plan for Telstra’s future g
Big data portal for smart cities – and indeed a smart country
After Iceland, back in the Netherlands again and, as promised, a bit more information from this part of the world. It certainly is not just Amsterdam that is active in smart cities. In this article I will point to some 40+ local councils in the Netherlands that are providing smart city information. Setting an example …
Big data portal for smart cities – and indeed a smart country Read More »
The Greater Lyon data platform
Further to my blog on Lyon a few weeks ago, here is some more information on the city’s data platform, which is based entirely on free software and has many features to facilitate the use of data. This data platform offers broad access to metropolitan data. It contributes to the objectives of the Lyon Métropole …
Smart City Reykjavík
After traveling through France and the Netherlands (see previous blogs) we are now in Iceland. Iceland is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic, with a population of 350,000 and an area of 103,000 square kilometres – mainly tundra – making it the most sparsely populated country in Europe. The capital and largest city …
Update on Amsterdam Smart City
During our European trip (see also my previous blogs on France), the Netherlands has been our home base; so there are and will be plenty of opportunities to also make contact with our many smart city friends and colleagues here. Amsterdam remains the smart city capital of this country, but cities such as Eindhoven, The …
Lyon’s smart city strategy
Leaving Toulouse and Marseille (see previous blogs) we travelled to Lyon. The main reason for our visit to this city was that exactly a year ago I sold the research arm of my company to Ubiquick, and the new owners of BuddeComm are based in Lyon. We caught up with the management team and it …
Smart Marseille: a changing port city
For those of you who did not read my report on Toulouse. I am visiting a number of smart cities in Europe. Next is Marseille, this is the second-largest municipality in France and the third-largest conurbation, with over 1.5 million inhabitants. As a metropolis, a port and a city steeped in history, Marseille faces a …
Smart City Metropolis 2015-2020 – Toulouse open!
This is the first report from my smart city trip, which will take me from France to the Netherlands, Iceland, Russia and Armenia. We are also combining this trip with pleasure. Over the next three months you can expect regular travelogues from relevant smart city developments in the places I visit. We started in the …
Smart City Metropolis 2015-2020 – Toulouse open! Read More »
No leading role for NBN in Budget IT announcements
It was good to see that the Buget included some interesting ICT projects. However it failed again to bring some cohesion to the wide variety of projects. There is no holistic strategy behind it. Again the government failed to use the NBN as a unifying opportunity for a smart national approach. The long-awaited space agency …
No leading role for NBN in Budget IT announcements Read More »
May 2018 – ABC Radio – The World Today
Sudden lightning strike blamed for national triple zero outage
April 2018 – TV Interview with ABC The Business – Andrew Robertson
Comments from Bill Morrow on the problems of the MtM technology used in the NBN.