The ATUG Blog

ATUG - in the here and now, looking to the future

As we all know, it's a particularly exciting time in the Australian telecommunications landscape. The NBN has been announced and is the focus of much discussion - access regimes, pricing structures, coverage maps and percentages, with the odd foray into relevant and practical policy making behind these, and many more issues concerning the NBN.

The "what type" and "how" are now dealt with - FTTP, wireless and satellite. What should now become the important discussion point is "what for" - the applications and uses of the NBN. 100Mbits is a fantastic speed and is a key that has the potential to unlock many doors across many "rooms" - Education, Health, Commerce, Government, Social Interaction, Environment etc. All of these aspects of our society will reap the benefits of true broadband speeds. However, access must be affordable and universal.

ATUG feels that the NBN is a necessary and important step toward Australia's future. We are holding a future forum series dedicated to nutting out the issues surrounding the NBN. ATUG are very interested in getting member's views and thoughts on this and welcome you to our forums or to post comments on the blog.

Click the links to be a part of the Regional Conference or the Digital Economy Future Forums.

Future Forum Podcast

Here is a recording of the ATUG Future Forum held in Sydney on May 5th. The file is 50MB.

Download A0100505 1

Each speaker presented a think piece followed by question and answers.

Katherine Sainty - 4' 25"

Rick Clark - 18' 32"

Eric Hamilton - 46' 47"

David Havyatt - 81' 41"

Discussion - 120' 36"

Tell ATUG your International Roaming war stories!

ATUG Roam Fair Campaign
ATUG has been working to convince the Australian Government that International Roaming prices MUST be reduced. ATUG’s Crusade Campaign for 2008 is Roam Fair. Background on this campaign is available here

In the latest development, a Parliamentary Inquiry has been announced with responses due by 15 August 2008
Click Here

“Anybody who has travelled overseas and used their mobile phone knows how useful it can be to reach loved ones and conduct business using international mobile roaming. They also know the significant cost they pay for this privilege. The House of Representatives Communications Committee is inquiring into whether international mobile roaming charges are fair. The Committee will look at:

• whether retail international mobile roaming charges reflect the underlying costs;
• whether the information available on international mobile roaming costs are adequate;
• whether new technologies and commercial initiatives will reduce international mobile roaming charges; and
• whether consumer information on international roaming is adequate.”

Members can write directly to the Committee to encourage them to act on reducing the costs. Contact the Committee Secretariat at coms.reps@aph.gov.au. In the meantime, tell us your war stories for ATUG’s submission to the House of Reps Communications Committee.

ATUG is planning to hold forums in each State during July to discuss the issues and impacts of international mobile roaming charges on end users.
Melbourne – 15^th July, The Naval and Military Club, 27 Little Collins Street, 4:30 to 6:30pm
Canberra – 17^th July,  National Press Club, 16 National Circuit, Barton 5:00 to 7:00pm
Newcastle – 24^th July,  JB Hunter Technology, Unit 3, 24 Portside Crescent, Maryville, 4:00 to 6:00pm
Sydney – 29^th July, The Sydney Room, City Tattersalls Club, Level 2, 198 - 204 Pitt Street Sydney, 4:00 to 6:00pm 
Brisbane – 29^th July, DLA Phillips Fox, Level 29, Waterfront Place, 1 Eagle St, 5:30 to 7:30pm

To RSVP for an event, please email Patrick Sinclair at patrick.sinclair@atug.org.au

ATUG appreciates the support from our colleagues, TUANZ, from “across the ditch.” See their blog here

To post a comment please Click Here

Tags: International+Roaming, User+Forum, Mobile+Termination+Rates, Submission, Communications+Committee

Fibre to the farm alive and well in northern Sweden

The post below is taken from the TUANZ blog and was written by TUANZ CEO, Ernie Newman

"Did you know that 200 villages in remote northern Sweden are covered by a fibre to the home network, with 80% coverage of the region’s homes and farms? That was my biggest “wow” from a riveting day here in Stockholm where I’ve been at a seminar on “An Open Telecoms Society” organized jointly by INTUG and the Swedish telecommunications user association, Telekomförening NTK. Lars Hedberg,Secretary General of the Swedish Urban Network Assn, was my informant and for me, the stand out speaker of the day. He’s previously “been” to New Zealand by video link where he presented at a conference in Wellington several years ago. Isolated areas aside, urban fibre networks have been the key to Sweden’s attaining tenth spot in the OECD for broadband uptake – up there with the likes of Korea despite the fact that northern Sweden has a population more sparse than the Sahara Desert. Over 150 of Sweden’s 290 municipalities have urban MUSH networks. About 85% of these are owned by the power lines company, council, or both, while the balance are typically public private partnerships. Fibre is just everywhere! Here in Stockholm there is 1 million KM of fibre owned by Stokab, one of the largest metro nets in the world. Stokab is in the dark fibre, open access business, selling to all comers including incumbent TeliaSonera. No wonder the broadband in my hotel room is super-fast and free. By the end of next year 100,000 apartments in Stockholm will have speeds of 100Mbps, and this will extend to 400,000 (90% of Stockholm’s apartments) by 2012. I asked Lars about the factors that had taken Sweden to the forefront. Strong early government leadership in the form of tax breaks for the purchase of home computers were key, he said. Also the timing, in that the initiative got in early before there was a whole lot of privately-owned fibre to complicate matters. But the point that blew me away was when Lars cited Sweden’s low population density as a key success factor. On the face of it you’d think it was a hurdle, but he said the imperative to get heavily into distance learning was a crucial driver in the project’s success. Ever so logical when you think about it, and what an insight for New Zealand! I’ve been privileged this year to visit several countries and cities where MUSH networks have taken off – Amsterdam and Manchester among them. But for sheer inspiration, look no further than the resourceful and visionary Swedes. They were pioneers in creating something truly special and their people will be the better as a result for a century to come."

Using the internet to make the world a better place

"How can the internet make the world a better place?" This is the question the OECD is asking the public on YouTube. YouTube users can share their opinion with the leaders and opinion shapers attending the OECD Ministerial meeting on the "Future of the Internet" in Seoul, Korea on 17-18 June 2008.

The best videos uploaded to www.youtube.com/futureinternet will be shown to minister and VIPs at the event. They will be invited to react and their answers will be uploaded on YouTube during the meeting.

For full details of how to participate, see www.youtube.com/futureinternet

ATUG 2008 Conference Videos

At this year's ATUG Annual Conference, ATUG recorded interviews with key speakers from the panel. We have interviews from ATUG Managing Director, Rosemary Sinclair, ACCC Chairman, Graeme Samuel AO, Sydney Research Lab Director NICTA, Dr Terry Percival and Communications Analyst/Economist with the OECD, Dr Taylor Reynolds.

To view the interviews, click on the name of the speaker you wish to view.

ATUG Future Forum

ATUG are planning another series of Future Forum events where we will be discussing our Submission on the NBN Regulatory Issues - due on 25 June. Get your thinking cap on and keep an eye out on the ATUG website for information on these events.

ATUG Regional Conference

ATUG had a great discussion this week in Canberra on regional communications. Weighing heavy on all our minds was the RFP for the NBN and what this means for regional users. Some thoughts which were developed from the conference are below.

Competing Networks

There was overwhelming support for the concept of infrastructure competition as a means to ensure effective service competition and end user choice. The current focus on the need for multiple competitors in the Supermarket sector and also in the Banking industry are compelling examples of what is considered to be necessary to bring about effective competition and end user choice. End users will expect the Government to spell out a competitive policy for telecommunications in the Fibre Future.

Facilitating Deployment

The cost of an FTTP network can be significantly reduced using low input overhead cable – from $3000 to $500. ATUG supports the development of this idea as it goes to Affordability, a key requirement of the Fibre Future especially if that future is foist upon end users. The approach, if feasible, may need new Carrier Immunities and Powers rules. Skills issues and quality of work also need to addressed to meet the five year timeframe laid down by Government. The use of existing Government infrastructure will also need to be factored into planning to ensure affordability and timely deployment. Continuing cross jurisdictional efforts – at National Online and Communications Council and beyond at COAG – will be necessary to achieve real outcomes here. The conference discussed an “outside in” approach to the Fibre deployment to secure the benefits early for regional users and to minimize the risk of stranded assets.

Australian Broadband Guarantee

The new scheme as outlined was welcomed by Conference participants. DBCDE was very open to discussions with industry players and end users about the DRAFT Guidelines and the registration processes over coming weeks. ATUG is pleased to see a technology neutral approach and will be making a submission by the deadline of 28th May.

Wholesale Markets

In cases where competing networks are not economically efficient, an 'effective' wholesale market must be created where all service providers including those related to the network provider must have available to them a range of wholesale services which meet a robust and comprehensive 'equivalence' specification covering both price and non price terms and conditions. Work needs to be done by industry in developing the model, systems, processed and procedures to make the concept of equivalence and effective tool for increased user choice.

Affordability and Quality

A comprehensive service specification, setting out all relevant service characteristics of all services being offered by each provider including Quality of Service characteristics is an absolute requirement for properly informed choice by end users. Evidence to date suggests that end users do not have much confidence in the service information supplied by service providers nor the service support delivered after sale. Regulator monitoring and sample testing is essential if reasonable outcomes are to be delivered.

Tolerance

While the concept of 'pre competitive' cooperation between industry players continues to be an essential foundation element of the 'industry self regulation' concept established in 1997, today it may be that new concepts of ‘equivalence’ and 'tolerance' as fundamentals of industry culture may be a better approach. The rebirth of an effective industry Alternate Disputes Resolution system is essential. The level of industry disputation at present is in no ones interest.

Presentations from the conference are available on the ATUG website www.atug.com.au

Tags: Regional+Communications, NBN, Fibre, Technology, Broadband

ATUG’s 6^th annual Regional Conference canvassed a number of BIG ideas on how to get advanced comms to all regional areas. Competitive backhaul was a core theme over the two days – “build the highways, not the driveways.”  FTTN costs are a major concern for ATUG because of our focus on affordability. Planning rules, re-using and sharing infrastructure, cost savings for operators are all ways to ensure affordable services for end users. The NBN was a big topic – with a many different views: it’s just about encouraging investment, what’s “real equivalence”, how will ABG fill in backspots ahead of NBN, market structure matters for effective competition. Much to think about and discuss at ATUG’s next Cross Connect meetings. Presentations are on the ATUG website.

TUANZ - Telecommunications Day

The Telecommunications Users Association of New Zealand held their annual Telecommunications Day yesterday and ATUG Managing Director, Rosemary Sinclair, attended to get all the latest communications news from “across the ditch.”

David Isenberg sought to explode the myth that the internet will run out of capacity when he held up a 864-fibre cable, telling us that each fibre can carry 160 wavelengths. According to Isenberg, each of these 864 fibres has a terabyte capacity.

When he originally sent TUANZ the abstract for his presentation for the programme it was titled the ‘Four Paths to Kiwi Internet Leadership’ and centred on the separation of Telecom. But in the two months the programme was printed and after speaking with various industry people since arriving in the country he decided the four paths have changed, they are now:

Open fibre
Open fibre
Open fibre
Open fibre

One of the highlights of every Telecommunications Day is the panel discussion with the top carrier Chief Executives. This year they were joined by TUANZ CEO Ernie Newman. Plenty of questions around open access, public private investment and the skills shortage.

For more information, visit the TUANZ Downstream Blog

Tags: New+Zealand, TUANZ, Fibre

ATUG's 2008 Regional Conference

To be held on 20–21 May, Canberra at the Australian War Memorial.

Since last year's conference there has been a change of Government, new Minister and new Department name all reflecting a new outlook on communications policy and the answers for regional end users

New policy and funding decisions are now key to current discussions. With the major focus being the National Broadband Network policies and proposals.

Since ATUG 2007 Regional Conference, Local and State governments have continued to work to define and develop their individual role and to coordinate outcomes for end users far more effectively.

ATUG has been part of the journey for communications solutions for Regional Australia - with our Regional Conferences and Regional Roadshows. Starting with Demand Aggregation, HiBIS #1 and the efforts of local communities and governments in working with providers to accelerate and extend access to broadband. Then, with, the Telstra sale legislation passing in 2005 we saw reconfirmation of basic protections -the Universal Service Obligation, Customer Service Guarantee and National Reliability Framework policies, and the introduction of the Telstra Local Presence Plan and the Independent Regional Review process. T3 was also accompanied by a significant increase in funding for services in regional areas.

Now the debate for Regional Australia has taken a significant turn with the issues remaining alive and growing in importance.

Join us in Canberra – May 2008

Tags: Regional+communications, technology