Paul

Optimising data centres: A quest for sustainable and secure infrastructure

Smart Cities Smart Energy, Telecommunications / By /

In the digital age, where information and connectivity are paramount, the demand for data storage and processing is surging to unprecedented heights. As people and businesses increasingly rely on the internet, the need for efficient data centres has become more critical than ever. One of the negative outcomes of Australia’s lost decade in energy preparation …

Optimising data centres: A quest for sustainable and secure infrastructure Read More »

NBN gets finally upgraded but will services be affordable.

NBN – FttH – Broadband / By /

Last week NBN Co revealed its 2024 corporate plan, outlining its strategies to enhance its network capabilities and improve user experiences across Australia. While it provided valuable insights into NBN Co’s network upgrade initiatives and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) efforts, they question remain as we have mentioned before, will the network be affordable. It …

NBN gets finally upgraded but will services be affordable. Read More »

TPG embarks on a major business transformation.

Telecommunications / By /

When TPG – Australia’s third-largest telecommunications company – released its half-yearly results, it became clear why the company had been keen to strike a deal with Telstra regarding infrastructure sharing. The company reported a 71% decrease in profits, down to $48 million, in comparison to the $167 million profit from the previous year. It is …

TPG embarks on a major business transformation. Read More »

Will the new NBN proposal lead to better and more affordable broadband options?

NBN – FttH – Broadband / By /

In a significant development for Australia’s broadband landscape, NBN Co and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) have reengaged in negotiations, following NBN Co’s submission of an amended Special Access Undertaking (SAU) Variation. This new proposal finally reflects a paradigm shift in wholesale pricing, aiming to bolster internet speeds, accommodate surging data demands, and …

Will the new NBN proposal lead to better and more affordable broadband options? Read More »

Macquarie Infrastructure – Vocus Eyeing TPG’s Infrastructure Assets

Telecommunications / By /

In the past, we have explored the changing trends in the Australian digital infrastructure market, emphasising its growing significance in data centres, cloud computing, and data analytics, while also addressing climate change and supporting various industries. The recent restructuring of Telstra into three separate companies, with a focus on infrastructure, provided clear indicators of the …

Macquarie Infrastructure – Vocus Eyeing TPG’s Infrastructure Assets Read More »

Telstra’s Ongoing Transformation: Navigating Challenges and Embracing Opportunities

Telecommunications / By /

Telstra has once again made headlines with its announcement of a significant workforce reduction. The company revealed plans to cut approximately 500 jobs as part of its cost-cutting initiative, marking the first major round of redundancies under the leadership of CEO Vicki Brady. These measures are aligned with Telstra’s T25 strategy, aimed at streamlining operations, …

Telstra’s Ongoing Transformation: Navigating Challenges and Embracing Opportunities Read More »

The emergence of haptic technologies

Digital Media Apps & Services, Mobile Communications, Telecommunications / By /

Over the last few months, I have written articles about 5G, 6G (2030s) and even 7G (2040s). In my research of these articles, I increasingly have come across the use of haptic technologies So I started to look into the relation between haptic technology and the new mobile technologies. Already 5G and even more so …

The emergence of haptic technologies Read More »

Blockchain in the Power Industry: another Energy Revolution

Digital Media Apps & Services, Smart Cities Smart Energy / By /

As we all know it,  because of the rising costs of energy, the power industry is one of the most important sectors in the economy. It is responsible for providing electricity to homes, businesses, and other critical infrastructure. However, the power industry is also facing a number of challenges, including rising demand, aging infrastructure, and …

Blockchain in the Power Industry: another Energy Revolution Read More »

NBN Co fails to improve service conditions.

NBN – FttH – Broadband / By /

As part of the ACCC industry consultation process, Telstra and Optus have again complained about NBN Co lack of service quality improvements in the wholesale broadband agreement (WBA). NBN Co has rejected all proposed improvements by Telstra and Optus, leading retail service providers (RSPs) to call for intervention by regulators and the government to raise …

NBN Co fails to improve service conditions. Read More »

LEOs are going to shake up the Australian telecoms market.

Mobile Communications, NBN – FttH – Broadband, Telecommunications / By /

LEOs are going to shake up the Australian telecoms market. As we have foreshadowed before  Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Satellite Systems such as StarLink – but increasingly also others –  are going to have a serious impact on the overall telecommunications landscape in Australia, especially in the regional and remote parts of the country. So, …

LEOs are going to shake up the Australian telecoms market. Read More »

The “Beyond 5G/6G Era”: A New Era of 7G Wireless Communication

Digital Media Apps & Services, Mobile Communications / By /

The “Beyond 5G/6G Era”: A New Era of 7G Wireless Communication The recent G7 Summit in Hiroshima witnessed an intriguing development in the telecoms industry as Japan proposed collaboration on technologies that lie on the horizon—what the Japanese have called  “Beyond 5G/6G era.” While the current 5G cellular network is still in its nascent stages, …

The “Beyond 5G/6G Era”: A New Era of 7G Wireless Communication Read More »

Different industry tunes on the sharing of telecoms infrastructure

Mobile Communications, Telecommunications / By /

Different industry tunes on the sharing of telecoms infrastructure. The Australian telecommunications industry has long been a source of contention between regulators, operators, and consumers. In recent years, the focus has been on increasing competition and improving coverage, especially in regional areas. Two recent speeches from industry leaders have highlighted the need for collaboration and …

Different industry tunes on the sharing of telecoms infrastructure Read More »

The ongoing sage of NBN’s price and conditions rejections.

NBN – FttH – Broadband / By /

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has been working with the government, the National Broadband Network (NBN) Co, and retail service providers (RSPs) to establish price and service standards that will govern the NBN’s operation; known as Special Access Undertaking – SAUs). The current process has been ongoing since early 2021, with the latest …

The ongoing sage of NBN’s price and conditions rejections. Read More »

Smart Cities vulnerable to cyber-attacks.

Digital Media Apps & Services, Smart Cities Smart Energy / By /

The Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) has issued a new set of guidelines warning about the security risks posed by the use of 5G technology in so-called Smart Cities. The ASD’s concerns align with those of the Five Eyes security alliance, which has warned that the interconnected nature of a fully connected city makes it vulnerable …

Smart Cities vulnerable to cyber-attacks. Read More »

Using AI for the good is very rewarding but keep an eye on the baddies.

Digital Media Apps & Services / By /

I use chatGPT now almost daily for my research. Basically background information that is not available through Wikipedia, Google, or other research facilities.  The service only provides info that was available before 2021, so it is not at all useful for more recent developments. So in my case I am looking for what often is …

Using AI for the good is very rewarding but keep an eye on the baddies. Read More »

Terahertz spectrum opening up the way for 6G

Mobile Communications / By /

ACMA recently published a paper titled: Terahertz use-cases and regulatory models information paper. The terahertz spectrum refers to frequencies in the range 100-400GHz, but the more practical range will be between 100-275GHz. This part of the electromagnetic spectrum lies between the microwave and infrared regions and has unique properties that make it attractive for various …

Terahertz spectrum opening up the way for 6G Read More »

NBN Co faces consequences of wrong political infrastructure decisions.

NBN – FttH – Broadband / By /

The NBN company announced that it will have to lay-off 500 people in order to lower their costs as they are facing increased competitive pressure from the other players in the market. It looks to me that this means that NBN Co forced to realise that by following the political winds and going ahead with …

NBN Co faces consequences of wrong political infrastructure decisions. Read More »

First half year 2022/2023 progress report from the NBN Company

NBN – FttH – Broadband / By /

In February 2023 NBN Co released its first half-yearly result to December 2022. I will be looking behind the self-congratulations that took place. However, for the statistics, it has reported total revenue of $2.6 billion — a 4% increase on H1 FY22. None of that is unexpected; as the roll-out keeps going, new premises are …

First half year 2022/2023 progress report from the NBN Company Read More »

3D News – Russia

Paul in the Media / By /

Huawei успешно расширила сферу деятельности и компенсировала потери от санкций США

Growth in broadband demand is set to slow with fewer innovations hitting the market

Digital Media Apps & Services, NBN – FttH – Broadband, Telecommunications / By /

There is an argument going on between the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and NBN Co in relation to the broadband requirements of Australian consumers. ACCC research indicates that by 2028, the median household speed requirement will be only 29 Mbps and 95% of households will not require speeds of 58 Mbps or more.  …

Growth in broadband demand is set to slow with fewer innovations hitting the market Read More »

NBN back to where it stared a project for the good of the nation

NBN – FttH – Broadband / By /

While there is still a lot that needs fixing, going into the new year, the basis for the NBN is back on a much better foundation. Just before the end of last year, Communications Minister Michelle Rowland released an extensive Statement of Expectations for NBN Co. This basically brings the NBN policy back to its …

NBN back to where it stared a project for the good of the nation Read More »

Blocked Telstra – TPG merger will lead to an overhaul of Australian telecoms regulations

Telecommunications / By /

As I had foreshadowed in previous opinion pieces on the Telstra – TPG merger, it was expected that the ACCC would block this. It was very obvious from the beginning that the merger was contra to the regulatory strategy that has been in place in Australia for over three decades. In my opinion Telstra played …

Blocked Telstra – TPG merger will lead to an overhaul of Australian telecoms regulations Read More »

Better prices and services needed for NBN Co to stay competitive.

NBN – FttH – Broadband / By /

Recently I covered the Special Access Undertaking Variation that NBN Co presented to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). The major news here was that this resulted in a $30 billion write-down of the losses that the NBN occurred during the rollout of its infrastructure. However, interestingly, its submission also included supporting documentation to …

Better prices and services needed for NBN Co to stay competitive. Read More »

Better NBN deals and better mobile competition

NBN – FttH – Broadband / By /

Australia’s oldest telecommunications society, TelSoc, organised a very interesting forum discussion with Anna Brakey, a commissioner and chair of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC)’s communications committee and the most senior person in the ACCC in charge of telecommunications. In her presentation, Ms Brakey covered a variety of issues such as competition, the NBN, …

Better NBN deals and better mobile competition Read More »

Tele-Energy Technology

Smart Cities Smart Energy / By /

TELE-ENERGY, or more accurately wireless power transfer, is a generic term for a number of different technologies for transmitting energy by means of electromagnetic fields. Wikipedia describes it as follows: ‘A transmitter device, driven by electric power from a power source, generates a time-varying electromagnetic field, which transmits power across space to a receiver device, …

Tele-Energy Technology Read More »

Video-on-Demand services are suffering from the economic downturn

Digital Media Apps & Services / By /

Kanter’s  recent Entertainment on Demand data on the Australian streaming market reveals that between July to September 2022, the number of Video on Demand (VoD)-enabled households that subscribed to at least one video streaming service fell by nearly 180,000, with over one million services cancelled. Furthermore, this third quarter of 2022 saw the largest drop …

Video-on-Demand services are suffering from the economic downturn Read More »

Andy Penn says sorry about not speaking out earlier against the NBN

NBN – FttH – Broadband, Telecommunications / By /

I did feel a bit of vindication when I read in the Weekend Australian the interview with outgoing Telstra CEO Andy Penn titled: ‘After the storm, Andy Penn ponders his legacy.’ A key point of regret was that he had not been more forthcoming with his criticism of the NBN as it developed during its …

Andy Penn says sorry about not speaking out earlier against the NBN Read More »

LunaNet – developing the internet for the Moon.

Mobile Communications, Telecommunications / By /

The NASA-sponsored Artemis program is the first step in the next era of human exploration. Together with a large number of international government and academic partners as well as businesses – and based on international standards – NASA will establish a sustainable presence on the Moon. The aims of the programme are: demonstrate new technologies, …

LunaNet – developing the internet for the Moon. Read More »

NBN Co wants the regulator to limit competition between NBN and mobile operators

NBN – FttH – Broadband / By /

It was interesting to note that NBN Co used its submission to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) regarding the proposed mobile infrastructure sharing arrangement between Telstra and TPG Telecom to ask the regulator for more protection against mobile competition. Under the ten-year Telstra-TPG regional Multi-Operator Core Network (MOCN) commercial agreement, TPG customers will …

NBN Co wants the regulator to limit competition between NBN and mobile operators Read More »

Finally, smart energy is back on the national agenda

Smart Cities Smart Energy / By /

For almost a decade, the Coalition failed to develop a national energy plan, even though such a plan existed before they took office. As energy is of national importance, a national policy, national rules and regulations are necessary. At the same time, we are facing massive changes in the energy sector. The states and the …

Finally, smart energy is back on the national agenda Read More »

Free NBN or discounted with Commonwealth Bank services.

Digital Media Apps & Services, NBN – FttH – Broadband / By /

Back in the late 1990s and early ’00s when I discussed my vision on how broadband would develop, I mentioned that organisations would start offering free broadband access, linked to the core services of their organisation. The reason is that it would either be more cost-effective for those organisations if customers use the digital service. …

Free NBN or discounted with Commonwealth Bank services. Read More »

Competition struggling, NBN not delivering

NBN – FttH – Broadband / By /

The latest Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) ‘NBN Wholesale Market Indicators Report’ shows the top three telcos (Telstra, TPG and Optus) have suffered a slight loss in customers, while smaller internet retailers have increased their customer numbers. Each one of them lost 0.3% market share and the new standings are now: Telstra 43.7%, TPG …

Competition struggling, NBN not delivering Read More »

Labor Government must now intervene in the NBN to make high-speed broadband more affordable

NBN – FttH – Broadband / By /

We have covered the government and opposition plans for the NBN in the past, but there is a commitment from the new Government to extend fibre deeper into the market. However, the real problem is the high costs of the NBN. This makes the wholesale prices higher and therefore also the retail price. As I …

Labor Government must now intervene in the NBN to make high-speed broadband more affordable Read More »

Telstra buys into Fetch TV – will this shake-up the videostreaming market?

Digital Media Apps & Services, Telecommunications / By /

Like so many telcos around the world, Telstra has been floundering through the video streaming market over the last few decades. It will be interesting to see if its acquisition of a 51% stake in the content aggregation company Fetch TV for $50 million will herald a new beginning. For the last 25 years plus, …

Telstra buys into Fetch TV – will this shake-up the videostreaming market? Read More »

What will the future of Sky Muster be?

NBN – FttH – Broadband, Telecommunications / By /

Users across the country are complaining about the Sky Muster service. They complain about ongoing dropouts and diminishing download speeds. So, let’s look a bit deeper into these issues. At the start of the ’00s, it was envisaged that the country needed at least two satellites to deliver a good quality satellite service to people …

What will the future of Sky Muster be? Read More »

Dutch solar foil to turn Australia into a major hydrogen exporter

Smart Cities Smart Energy / By /

One of my Dutch colleagues, Vincent Dekker, has specialised himself over the years in sustainable energy matters and with his interest in smart technologies, I have been following his articles with interest.  His articles appear on the website of the Dutch newspaper, Trouw. Of course, when he included Australia in one of his articles, I …

Dutch solar foil to turn Australia into a major hydrogen exporter Read More »

Telstra’s new CEO Vicki Brady – well positioned to face the challenges.

Telecommunications / By /

There were no indications that Andy Penn would retire as CEO of Telstra, but obviously, internally they have been working on this for some time. Telstra is really good at organising smooth internal CEO successions. It has an excellent pool of talented C-level people and there is no longer the ego element that, for example, …

Telstra’s new CEO Vicki Brady – well positioned to face the challenges. Read More »

The battles in the online video game streaming market are heating up

Digital Media Apps & Services / By /

In a previous article  I reported on the problems that Facebook (Meta) is facing — currently betting the house on its Meta service, based on a software platform that will create a virtual reality (VR) networked environment. I mentioned that I was critical about this business model and that I don’t see, at least for …

The battles in the online video game streaming market are heating up Read More »

NBN Co’s financial worries are still not over

NBN – FttH – Broadband / By /

In the running up to the company’s six-month financial announcement, NBN Co indicated that it would start in April rolling out its latest rebate campaigns — under the themes “Step Up” and “Light Up”. They aim to attract new connections and migrate existing users from low to mid-level speeds. The offers are again only temporary …

NBN Co’s financial worries are still not over Read More »

Are we seeing the slow demise of Facebook?

Digital Media Apps & Services, Mobile Communications / By /

It was all over the news, so I am sure you have seen the dramatic beating that Facebook received at the New York Stock Exchange on Wall Street. Facebook parent company Meta slumped more than 26 per cent, erasing more than U.S.$237 billion (AU$332 billion) in market value, the largest one-day drop in history, also …

Are we seeing the slow demise of Facebook? Read More »

Australian farms get connected to the Starlink satellites

NBN – FttH – Broadband, Telecommunications / By /

Last year, I reported on the possibility that LEO (Low Earth Orbit) satellite-based systems might be a gamechanger for the delivery of high-speed data services, including internet access, to people in regional and remote Australia. What has become clear with the rollout of the NBN is that the quality of data connections in metropolitan cities …

Australian farms get connected to the Starlink satellites Read More »

My telecoms and digital economy predictions for 2020

Digital Media Apps & Services, Mobile Communications, NBN – FttH – Broadband, Telecommunications / By /

Of course, let me begin by wishing you a good start to the new year. It will be an interesting year in many aspects and it remains a year of high levels of uncertainty, so it is important to stay flexible. As always, the year will provide many “wow” moments in relation to technology, but …

My telecoms and digital economy predictions for 2020 Read More »

Regional telecommunications services are simply not good enough

Mobile Communications, NBN – FttH – Broadband, Telecommunications / By /

For decades, we have been arguing about poor telecommunications for people that are living in regional Australia and in many cases, this includes the fringes of the metropolitan cities as well. Let’s first discuss the broadband network before we address the mobile networks. This issue started to become more prevalent in the mid-to-late 1990s when …

Regional telecommunications services are simply not good enough Read More »

Labor’s NBN plan full fibre NBN will reach 8 million households

NBN – FttH – Broadband / By /

It seems Labor has bitten the bullet and decided that to have an overall better quality NBN, more money is needed to upgrade the Fibre-to-the-Node (FttN) to full-fibre. While the Government has indicated that the next stage of the NBN needs to be financed by NBN Co through private debt, Labor believes that this will …

Labor’s NBN plan full fibre NBN will reach 8 million households Read More »

Cirque de Solei explores the new options of VR and holoportation.

Digital Media Apps & Services / By /

A few weeks ago, I talked about Facebook’s Metaverse and the issues that I have with this service, in a regulatory vacuum. I hope we have learned our lessons with the current way social media have developed and that we are making sure we are not going to use new developments in these media purely …

Cirque de Solei explores the new options of VR and holoportation. Read More »

Interplanetary Internet

Telecommunications / By /

We had a very interesting presentation and discussion regarding the topic of interplanetary internet with my international colleagues of which Vint Cerf – one of the “fathers of the internet” – is also a member. As a partner of the Interplanetary Networking Special Interest Group (IPNSIG), he took us on a journey that he has …

Interplanetary Internet Read More »

Zuckerberg’s Metaverse hype, reality or does it just suck.

Digital Media Apps & Services / By /

Facebook’s founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg launched his metaverse vision for Facebook beyond it being a social media outlet. He envisages an augmented and virtual reality (AR and VR) internet in which we all can immerse and do things basically as virtual beings. In his vision, we will all soon be wearing VR goggles and …

Zuckerberg’s Metaverse hype, reality or does it just suck. Read More »

How AI and a systems approach can be used to better understand our world

Digital Media Apps & Services / By /

In 2002, computer scientist, physicist and businessman Stephen Wolfram published his book, A New Kind of Science. Rather than looking at mathematics as the solution to unravel the mysteries of the world and the universe, Wolfram looked at how systems work and concluded that they do follow certain patterns to eventually create a particular outcome. …

How AI and a systems approach can be used to better understand our world Read More »

Unveiling T25, Telstra’s vision of its future.

Telecommunications / By /

In September 2021, Telstra CEO Andy Penn revealed the company’s plan for the next four years, unveiling T25 — the next tranche of T22, which is part of an ongoing transformation of the telco. This is the company’s strategic program aimed at leading the Australian telecommunications market by simplifying its operations and product set, improving …

Unveiling T25, Telstra’s vision of its future. Read More »

C-V2X standard for autonomous vehicle services

Digital Media Apps & Services, Smart Cities Smart Energy, Telecommunications / By /

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 …

C-V2X standard for autonomous vehicle services Read More »

Government want NBN Co to focus on the money.

NBN – FttH – Broadband / By /

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 …

Government want NBN Co to focus on the money. Read More »

Global developments in broadband

NBN – FttH – Broadband, Telecommunications / By /

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 …

Global developments in broadband Read More »

Vale Professor Reg Coutts

Telecommunications / By /

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 …

Vale Professor Reg Coutts Read More »

NBN hits a financial target that has been revised downwards several times

NBN – FttH – Broadband / By /

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 »

Back to the future with FttH and finally mobile roaming is on the cards.

Mobile Communications, NBN – FttH – Broadband / By /

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 »

Will 5G be a game changer or simply a 4G upgrade.

Mobile Communications / By /

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.

Blog / By /

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 »

The ACCC is worried we will use the NBN too much.

NBN – FttH – Broadband, Telecommunications / By /

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 »

Also, with electric vehicles Australia is trailing the world.

Smart Cities Smart Energy / By /

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 »

NBN faces new problems but executives paid bonusses

NBN – FttH – Broadband / By /

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 »

Enough is enough ACCC will become involved in the NBN monopoly.

NBN – FttH – Broadband, Telecommunications / By /

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 »

$100 billion national broadband plan for America.

NBN – FttH – Broadband / By /

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 »

Connected Farms

Smart Cities Smart Energy / By /

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 …

Connected Farms Read More »

Broadband users are going to pay for failed NBN policies.

NBN – FttH – Broadband / By /

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 »

Are the LEOs going to disrupt the telco market?

Mobile Communications, NBN – FttH – Broadband, Telecommunications / By /

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 …

Are the LEOs going to disrupt the telco market? Read More »

Australian fixed broadband in the international context.

NBN – FttH – Broadband, Telecommunications / By /

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 »

NBN wants us to pay more for their broadband service.

NBN – FttH – Broadband / By /

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 »

Macquarie Group is set to shake up the digital infrastructure market.

Digital Media Apps & Services, Telecommunications / By /

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 »

What will 2021 have install for the ICT industry?

Mobile Communications, NBN – FttH – Broadband, Telecommunications / By /

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 »

Massive renewable energy projects underpinned by ICT technologies

Smart Cities Smart Energy / By /

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 »

The break-up of Telstra: Interesting potential new telecoms scenarios.

Telecommunications / By /

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 …

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Will Infra Co be gamechanger in the telecoms market?

Telecommunications / By /

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 …

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Smart Regional Towns – Game changers for reginal and rural Australia

Smart Cities Smart Energy, Telecommunications / By /

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 …

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Government backed NBN monopoly is flexing its muscles

NBN – FttH – Broadband / By /

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, …

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NBN battle between the ACCC and the Government

NBN – FttH – Broadband, Telecommunications / By /

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 …

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Agriculture ICT and travelling in Outback Queensland

Digital Media Apps & Services, NBN – FttH – Broadband, Telecommunications / By /

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 …

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Vale Brian Perkins

Telecommunications / By /

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 …

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Smart cities want to co-design change with Telcos

Smart Cities Smart Energy, Telecommunications / By /

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 …

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The incredible telehealth transformation

Digital Media Apps & Services / By /

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 …

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The digital economy is spreading out more broadly.

Digital Media Apps & Services / By /

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, …

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Are we building a mediocre NBN for the ‘average user’?

NBN – FttH – Broadband / By /

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 …

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City-as-a-service – new business and investment model

Smart Cities Smart Energy / By /

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 …

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Internet of Things requires a rethink of business models.

Mobile Communications, Telecommunications / By /

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 …

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Nano networks set to revolutionise edge computing

Digital Media Apps & Services / By /

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, …

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New push for cheaper energy costs and a much more efficient energy industry.

Smart Cities Smart Energy / By /

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 …

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Innovative entertainment industry will bounce forwards after Covid

Digital Media Apps & Services / By /

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 …

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Digital economy essential for regional Australia

Digital Media Apps & Services, NBN – FttH – Broadband, Smart Cities Smart Energy, Telecommunications / By /

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 …

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Building independent Gig Cities: this happens when you have a 2nd rate NBN

NBN – FttH – Broadband, Smart Cities Smart Energy / By /

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, …

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Encouraging online lessons from the corona crisis

Digital Media Apps & Services, NBN – FttH – Broadband, Telecommunications / By /

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 …

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NBN Co is giving in to pressure to stop competing with its own retail customers.

NBN – FttH – Broadband / By /

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 …

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The role of FttH in the development of 5G

Mobile Communications, NBN – FttH – Broadband / By /

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, …

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Broadband driven Smart Energy Developments

NBN – FttH – Broadband, Smart Cities Smart Energy / By /

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, …

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The power of data in smart city developments

Blog, Smart Cities Smart Energy / By /

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 …

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Full fibre NBN back on the agenda

NBN – FttH – Broadband / By /

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 …

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Power, Hope and Social Change: The Rise of the City?

Blog, Smart Cities Smart Energy / By /

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 …

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Smart devices ready to flood the energy market to force prices down.

Smart Cities Smart Energy / By /

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 …

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Successful smart cities require significant ICT infrastructure

Smart Cities Smart Energy / By /

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 …

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Australia leads the South East Asian data centre market

Telecommunications / By /

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 …

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Australia’s NBN makes slow progress

NBN – FttH – Broadband / By /

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 …

Australia’s NBN makes slow progress Read More »

Successful smart cities require significant ICT infrastructure

Smart Cities Smart Energy / By /

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 »