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ATUG thinks that the important discussion about a future high capacity communications capability for Australia, and the role of new technologies in that future, has been wrongly focused on regulation. Australia should be thinking and planning for future communications needs and networks without accepting arguments that competition rules should be rolled back.

ATUG is proposing a broadly based discussion on Australia’s Communications Future starting with the needs and interests of end users in all parts of the economy and community – finance, retail, construction, transport, health, education, community services, media, and services companies.

ATUG’s work on “Australia’s Communications Futures Forum” will be a multi-party dialogue to explore the issues from many perspectives, starting with end user needs, bringing together global thinking and experience, and developing options that will bring the benefits of a high capacity communications future to Australia as a whole.

The group will hold four meetings during 2007 and report back to ATUG’s Annual Update Conference in March 2008.
If you are interested in participating in the Forum please contact ATUG by emailing elizabeth.lawler@atug.org.au

MEETING PROCESS
• Each meeting will be preceded by a call for Papers from the wide group of interested discussants. Abstracts of these papers and links will be provided for pre-meeting preparation.
• Each meeting will be divided into segments with short presentations followed by discussion. Meetings are expected to be three hours. A summary will be circulated in draft form after the meeting.
• The meetings will be open meetings with a wide range of views represented.
• ATUG Convenors will be asked to convene committee meetings in Branches for members and other interested parties to discuss the issues and refer any comments to ATUG for consideration in preparing an overview of each meeting topic.
• At the end of the four topic meetings, a Draft Report will be prepared for discussion by the Steering Group and Convenor Committees. This report will then be circulated to the wide group of attendees for comment. The final report will be prepared in January 2008 for release at ATUG 2008.

Meeting Four - Forum Outline

Time and Venue
Melbourne - 19th February - 3:30pm for a 4:00 start - 6:30pm
Austrade Offices,
Level 31, 140 William Street
Melbourne

Chair– Prof. Mark Armstrong, Network Insight
Featuring
Colin Goodwin - FTTH Council
Allan Horsley - ATUG Member
Prof. Peter Gerrand - Telecommunications Journal of Australia
Neil Tuckwell - Telecommunications Advisor
Andrew Skewes - Multimedia Victoria

Presentations

Sydney - 20th February - 3:30pm for a 4:00 start - 6:30pm
City Tattersalls Club
198 - 204 Pitt Street
Sydney

Chair– Prof. Mark Armstrong, Network Insight
Featuring:
Mark McDonnell - BBY
David Havyatt - Havyatt Associates
Paul Brooks - Layer 10 Advisory

Presentations

Meeting Three - Forum Outline

Time and Venue
Sydney - 5th December - 4:00pm - 7:30pm
The Coles Room,
State Library of New South Wales
Macquarie Street, Sydney

Chair - Professor Mark Armstrong, Network Insight
Featuring:
Malcolm Alder - KPMG
Malcolm Roe - Nextgen Networks
Katherine Sainty - Sainty Law
Colin Griffith - NSW Department of Commerce

Presentations

Melbourne - 6th December - 4:00pm - 7:30pm
KPMG Building
Level 5, 161 Collins Street, Melbourne

Chair - Professor Mark Armstrong, Network Insight
Featuring:
Peter Griffiths - KPMG
John Burton - Netcomm
Kit Wignall - Gibson Quai-AAS Consulting
Matthew Dummett - Multimedia Victoria

Presentations

Meeting Two - Forum Outline
Our focus: High Capacity Communications Everywhere
Our question: How do we get there from here?

Time and Venue
5th July - 11.30 for 12:00pm – 5pm
The Board Room
DLA Phillips Fox Solicitors
Level 1, 54 Marcus Clarke Street, Canberra

Chair – Professor Mark Armstrong, Network Insight

Session Rapporteur– Dr Paul Brooks, Layer 10

The moderator will facilitate a panel discussion and then an open group discussion of the issues raised in each session.

Program

Meeting One - Time and Venue
10th May - 8:30 for 9:00am – 1:30pm followed by a light luncheon
Trade and Investment Centre
Department of State and Regional Development
Level 47 MLC Centre, Cnr Martin Place & Castlereagh Streets, Sydney

Topic
Demand Drivers and Impediments
• Local research and case studies
• Overseas experience
• Business, Government, Community

Chair – Mark Armstrong, Network Insight

Session Rapporteur– Dr Paul Brooks, Layer 10

Each presenter has 5 minutes to:
• provide a strategic scenario for their sector needs over the next 10 years
• identify the drivers towards high speed broadband; and
• any barriers they see that might impact availability, take-up and use

The moderator will facilitate a panel discussion and then an open group discussion of the issues raised in each session.

Program

Suggested issues for speakers:

Drivers:
Why does high capacity communications matter for your sector?
What capabilities/markets/efficiencies would be enabled?
What do your customers expect?

Impediments:
What barriers/impediments exist which could impact your vision?
Within your sector?
Within the communications sector?

Suggested questions for facilitated discussion:
What role can the sector play?
Should we just expect the communications sector to fix this?
Should we just expect the government to fix this?
How much do you expect to pay?
Do you see real productivity /market growth benefits?
What will happen if you don’t move to high capacity communications?
How important is consistent nationwide access?

Papers

Pacific Internet has released its 6th report (since 2003), the Pacific Internet Broadband Barometer Australia October 2006, on the adoption and use of Internet technologies in Australia’s small and medium businesses (SMBs). The 2006 survey is based on a sample of 514 SMBs. The report shows broadband becoming a commoditised technology with 92% of Internet-connected SMBs using broadband – up from 79% in 2005. The report is available at http://www.pacific.net.au/broadbandbarometer/index.php

ALCATEL
Strategy White Paper
User Centric Broadband Services: Demand Drivers and Market Opportunities
In today’s increasingly competitive environment, borders between communication, information and entertainment are becoming blurred. Nevertheless, telecommunication operators are striving to deliver differentiable services that provide them with a sustainable competitive advantage and help to expand their market share.
http://www.ftthcouncil.org/documents/341609.pdf

OFCOM
The Communications Market: Broadband
Chapter 3 Take-up and Use
This report is part of a series which supplements our annual Communications Market Report publications, focusing on specific areas of the UK communications landscape. It aims to provide a comprehensive overview of recent trends in the broadband industry and consumer use of broadband. We hope it will provide a useful source of data at a time when broadband is rapidly becoming a core part of the communications environment, transforming traditional industry structures and consumer behaviours.
http://www.ofcom.org.uk/research/cm/broadband_rpt/

ACIL Tasman
Regional Economic Impacts of Broadband Adoption in Victoria
This report presents the results of an analysis of the economic and employment impacts of the adoption and use of broadband technology in Victoria at the regional level. It expands on our previous study of the economic impacts of broadband at the whole of state level.
http://www.mmv.vic.gov.au/uploads/downloads/RegionalBbandImpactsFinal.pdf

IPTV: Order, Chaos and Anarchy
The future of any commercial IPTV system in Australia is fundamentally hamstrung by a grossly under-resourced national broadband infrastructure. The vacuum created by enormous audience demand for internet-delivered video programming is being filled by audience-driven solutions such as YouTube and BitTorrent. As audiences discover these new channels, the broadcasting incumbents find themselves increasingly marginalized; the audience has seized control of distribution. In this new and anarchic environment, chaos rules. Mark Pesce addresses the questions of whether it may already be too late to bring commercial IPTV to Australia.
http://smartinternet.com.au/ArticleDocuments/121/IPTV-Final-March-2007.pdf.aspx

The Digital Lifestyles Monitor
Authored by Senior Researcher Darren Sharp provides analysis of Internet-based services like social networks, blogs, wikis and media-sharing platforms. It examines the significance of ‘Web 2.0’ related social tools and explores the impact of RSS feeds, mashups, Web services, social bookmarking and folksonomies in the context of broader trends in user-led innovation. The report concludes with an assessment of the value of Web 2.0 developments to CRC stakeholders through service overviews, discussion of market leaders; list of major competitors; strategic principles; followed by a concise opportunity evaluation.
http://smartinternet.com.au/ArticleDocuments/121/P07_038_paper.pdf.aspx

ATUG was also pleased that industry itself is starting to progress discussion of the issues which would arise around access to the FTTN network through the Communications Alliance. The Alliance recently held a workshop on FTTN following its successful discussions last July on Future Fibre http://www.commsalliance.com.au/Events/Archived_Events/Future_Fibre

Last updated 19-Nov-2008