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Status quo aren’t going to make a difference in my lifetime - Drury

Posted Thu 31 May 2007 @ 4:27 p.m. by Sarah

Entrepreneur Rod Drury’s recent trip to Wales provided further proof of just how far behind New Zealand is in telecommunication infrastructure. As he accessed fast, effective broadband from every hotel room he realised much further ahead that tiny nation is in terms of connectivity. “They’ve got it all over us... I felt sick to the pit of my stomach,” he told delegates at the Telecommunications Day this afternoon. Drury whose latest venture, a Software as a Service (SaaS) product...

Categories: Innovation | Regulatory

Web Casting - Walking the Talk

Posted Thu 31 May 2007 @ 3:53 p.m. by Ernie

Nice touch here at the Telecommunications Day! TUANZ Board member Pat O'Connell, CIO of Carter Holt Harvey, is overseas so he delegated the task of delivering a presentation on behalf of the company to colleague Graham Harris. As Graham took the stage, a text arrived to say his boss was checking up - watching CityLink's Web cast of the event from a hotel room in Memphis!InsIncidentally, the Web cast is coming across to a very acceptable standard on my I-mate. Excellent picture and sound.

Categories: Education | Events | Innovation | Light relief | Wireless carriers

TUANZ Board announced

Posted Thu 31 May 2007 @ 2:36 p.m. by Sarah

At the TUANZ AGM today, Doug Wilson from the New Zealand Automobile Association was welcomed to the TUANZ Board. He takes the place of Don Wallace, who after many years on the board hasn’t sought re election. At a special dinner for Don Wallace yesterday evening, he handed TUANZ a key in recognition of the organisation’s 21st birthday this year. It’s an apt metaphor, not only for TUANZ, but for the entire sector. The far reaching reforms now underway may finally mean NZ telecommunications is reaching...

Categories: TUANZ policy

Photos from Telco Day

Posted Thu 31 May 2007 @ 12:37 p.m. by Sarah

The announcement of a new telecommunications commissioner, the final speeches at Telco Day by Theresa Gattung and Douglas Webb, and a thought provoking keynote address from Ilsa Godlovitch. It's been quite a morning.TUANZ Chairman Merv Altments welcomes delegates.Keynote speaker Ilsa Godlovitch, Head of Regulatory AffairsTelecom CEO Theresa Gattung's last speech at a TUANZ event.Communications Minister David Cunliffe announces the new telecommunications commissioner.The incumbent Telecommunications...

Categories: Fixed line carriers | Regulatory | TUANZ policy | Wireless carriers

When will the telcos market number portability?

Posted Thu 31 May 2007 @ 12:06 p.m. by Sarah

At the Telco Day panel discussion today Ernie Newman asked the telcos when they would market number portability. Telecom CEO Theresa Gattung says they’ve taken a cautious approach to advertising because, after the Go Large fiasco, they wanted to be confident the technology was robust. Vodafone commercial services GM Tom Chignell said the company is cautious around system stability. At morning tea I caught up with him about the issue of number portablilty, in particular I was interested in his...

Categories: Fixed line carriers | Wireless carriers

Cunliffe on Separation - "We WILL NOT Go Back"

Posted Thu 31 May 2007 @ 11:49 a.m. by Ernie

"Let me state this carefully and for the record. We will not go backwards and reverse the Telecommunications Amendment Act or be changing what is a fundamentally sound, best practice regulatory framework."That's Minister Cunliffe's message to Telecom, delivered at the TUANZ Telecommunications Day this morning."Does that rule out some form of structural separation? No."TUANZ will say "hear hear" to all that.

Categories: Events | Fixed line carriers | Innovation | ISPs | Regulatory | TUANZ policy

STOP PRESS - New Comissioner Announced

Posted Thu 31 May 2007 @ 11:31 a.m. by Ernie

OK so those of you who entered our sweepstake were all wrong. David Cunliffe here at the TUANZ Telecommunications Day, a few seconds ago announced the new Telecommunications Commissioner.He is Dr Ross Patterson, a New Zealand lawyer, currently working as a partner of Minter Ellison in Sydney where he heads the competition and regulatory practice. He'll take up the post on 12 July.

Categories: Fixed line carriers | Innovation | ISPs | Light relief | Regulatory | TUANZ policy | Wireless carriers

Future proof regulation – Telco Day Keynote Speaker

Posted Thu 31 May 2007 @ 9:53 a.m. by Sarah

New Zealand is five years behind in LLU – but we could just squeak ahead of the pack if the separation of Telecom – whether it’s operational or structural – is handled correctly and regulation is futureproofed . That’s the message keynote speaker Ilsa Godlovitch, head of regulatory affairs for the European Competitive Telecommunications Association (ECTA), has just left with delegates at TUANZ Telecommunications Day. Godlovitch says there are few precedents internationally for incumbent separation,...

Categories: Fixed line carriers | Regulatory

Sweepstake - Who will the New Commissioner Be?

Posted Thu 31 May 2007 @ 8:50 a.m. by Ernie

Radio New Zealand has flagged this morning that within his speech to the TUANZ Telecommunications Day this morning, David Cunliffe will be announcing the name of the new Telecommunications Commissioner. So I thought we'd run a sweep on the blog. There will be a prize for the first person to guess the right name. Entries will close when David Cunliffe starts to speak at the event.Here are a few possible names to get you thinking:- Tex Edwards- Theresa Gattung- Taito Philip Field- Hon. Maurice Williamson-...

Categories: Light relief

TUANZ "Uncomfortable" if Government Bought Back Access Network

Posted Thu 31 May 2007 @ 8:41 a.m. by Ernie

TUANZ would be uncomfortable if the government were forced to buy back Telecom’s access network, TUANZ Chairman Merv Altments told 140 attendees when opening the annual TUANZ Telecommunications Day this morning.Merv also reiterated the key elements of the TUANZ submission on the issue, as follows: - Government should proceed with its operational separation work, while at the same time fleshing out how a voluntary structural separation model could...

Categories: Events | Fixed line carriers | Innovation | ISPs | Regulatory | TUANZ policy | Wireless carriers

Big six on Telco Day panel

Posted Wed 30 May 2007 @ 2:57 p.m. by Sarah

A top panel of telco CEOs is confirmed for tomorrow’s TUANZ Telecommunications Day in Wellington. Theresa Gattung, Allan Freeth and Tom Chignell will be joined after morning tea by Martin Wylie from CallPlus, Geoff Hunt from Kordia and Paul Clarkin from WorldxChange. As there will be an opportunity for delegates to ask questions of any - or all - panel guests, a lively debate is expected. Following the panel, Communications Minister David Cunliffe has signaled he will be delivering a “scene-setting...

Categories: Fixed line carriers | ISPs | TUANZ policy | Wireless carriers

Mobile Roaming Prices - the Extent of the Excesses Revealed

Posted Wed 30 May 2007 @ 6:02 a.m. by Ernie

The European Commission has released examples of the vast discrepancy between the prices charged by mobile operators for international roaming, and the new "Eurotariff" introduced by regulation last week. (See my recent posting "70% Price Reduction for International Roamers.")You can see from the Commission's statement just what a rip-off this has been. A German business person visiting the UK used to pay E6.36 (NZ$11.14) per minute to call back home; a Romanian E9.52. (NZ$16.67.) Under...

Categories: Regulatory | TUANZ policy | Wireless carriers

Centre for Mobile Computing

Posted Tue 29 May 2007 @ 6:01 p.m. by Sarah

Research into advanced applications for mobile technology acquired a significant boost with the official opening of the Centre for Mobile Computing (CMC) at Massey University’s Albany campus today. TUANZ CEO Ernie Newman launched the centre by sending a text message at the beginning of his presentation and, as his speech progressed, mobile beeps and squawks punctuated each sentence as everyone in the audience received it. It was fun gimmick that belied the serious endeavour of the CMC, which has...

Categories: Innovation | Wireless carriers

Posted Mon 28 May 2007 @ 5:09 p.m. by Sarah

Kiwibank was the victim of a phishing attack this morning. I know this because I received an email at 11.40am asking me to check my account details. Not being a customer, I phoned Kiwibank spokesperson Bruce Thomspon to find out more. He confirmed it was a phishing attack and told me it was the second time the bank has been hit this year. As the fraudster who created the phishing email had copied the branding of Kiwibank and linked to a website that looked identical to the real thing, Thompson...

Categories: Fixed line carriers

Rod Drury and Xero Hit the Jackpot!

Posted Sat 26 May 2007 @ 8:52 p.m. by Ernie

Yahoo! Congratulations to Wellington entrepreneur Rod Drury for his stunning win in the International Technium Challenge in Wales, a competition among 19 start up IT businesses around the globe. I'm sitting with Rod at Hong Kong Airport on my way back from the INTUG and OECD meetings and have just learned of his success.He's pretty pumped up - and rightly so! A success of that nature is good not just for his company Xero, but does wonders for the reputation and standing of New Zealand as a serious...

Categories: Events | Fixed line carriers | Innovation | Light relief | Vendors

70% Plus Price Reduction for International Roamers

Posted Fri 25 May 2007 @ 3:13 a.m. by Ernie

Mission completed! After eight years of strenuous lobbying led by the International Telecommunications Users Group (INTUG) legislative action by the European parliament is about to result in a huge victory for users. International mobile voice roaming charges across Europe are to be regulated, reducing the present extortionate charges to consumers in many cases by 70% and more. It will undoubtedly impact roaming charges in other countries over time.It was very exhilarating yesterday, by coincidence,...

Categories: Innovation | Regulatory | TUANZ policy | Wireless carriers

Major Users Should be Preparing for NGN

Posted Thu 24 May 2007 @ 4:05 a.m. by Ernie

Preparation for next generation networks is an issue that large users, not just carriers, must be involved with. That realisation was strengthened for me today when British Telecom and others presented to the INTUG meeting I am attending here in London.BT has fostered the establishment of Next Generation Network Ltd, a joint consultative group where interested parties get together to plan the implementation of BTs 21st century network. A vast number of items of customer premises equipment is...

Categories: Events | Fixed line carriers | Innovation | ISPs | Regulatory | TUANZ policy | Vendors | Wireless carriers

Huge Boost in British LLU

Posted Wed 23 May 2007 @ 11:38 p.m. by Ernie

I'm in the UK this week at meetings of INTUG and the OECD Communications Infrastructure and Services Working Party. I'll post a few blogs as I go along.But I was delighted to see the explosion in uptake of local loop unbundling since the three way operational split of BT. Consider this piece of history:2000 - BT's local loop unbundledFeb 2006 - BT split; Openreach establishedNov 2006 - 1 million lines unbundledApr 2007 - 2 million lines unbundled.Powerful evidence that the combination of unbundling...

Categories: Fixed line carriers | Innovation | ISPs | Regulatory | TUANZ policy

Broadband testing for Next Generation services

Posted Wed 23 May 2007 @ 5:31 p.m. by Sarah

In addition to ISPs, large enterprises looking to install VoIP and video conferencing applications require an accurate, independent assessment of their network capability. MediaLab CEO Phil Shepherd says it isn’t only about speed – there are a series of performance measures that need to be tested before Next Generation services can be installed. These include latency, jitter, packet loss and web browsing throughput. He says Waikato University has developed a test regime which includes a set...

Categories: Fixed line carriers

Spare me the Stats Spats!

Posted Wed 23 May 2007 @ 2:51 a.m. by Ernie

First day back from holiday and what do I spot but a seriously silly media fracas about the credibility of the OECD's broadband statistics. It seems that a newish Australian research company Market Clarity has claimed the OECD work has basic deficiencies. The OECD has released a very credible rebuttal.You'd think that would be the end of the matter. But oh no! Obviously suffering a slow news week an Aussie newsletter continues to run the "story" presumably expecting readers to assume that where...

Categories: Fixed line carriers | ISPs | Light relief | TUANZ policy

Why mobile pricing matters

Posted Mon 21 May 2007 @ 1:10 p.m. by Sarah

The connection between economic prosperity and the ubiquitous use of mobile phones is usually one that’s argued at the macroeconomic level. That is, the correlation is made between the number of phone users and an increase in GDP. But as The Economist reported this month; cheap, accessible mobile technology can benefit local economies by resulting in higher profits, cheaper consumer goods and the promotion of an environmentally sustainable economy. In this case, a group of villages on the Indian...

Categories: Regulatory | TUANZ policy | Wireless carriers

Does Telecom have inside information on the next government?

Posted Mon 21 May 2007 @ 11:32 a.m. by Sarah

At the Auckland After 5s last week, TUANZ board member Jane Hindle in her conclusion to Matt Crockett’s presentation commented on the fact that Telecom was trialling its ADSL+2 technology at the Pakuranga exchange. To the great delight of the audience, she asked Crockett if this was in response to Maurice Williamson's complaints in the 1990s regarding the Pakuranga exchange’s lack of services, and if so, was this a sign they were anticipating a change of government? “If indeed National is...

Categories: Light relief

Should there be a Crown Research Institute for ICT?

Posted Thu 17 May 2007 @ 10:36 p.m. by Sarah

There are nine Crown Research Institutes in New Zealand and they received a funding boost of $16 million in this year’s Budget. It’s a significant sum that recognizes the essential role that R&D plays in the country’s economic future, so maybe it’s time to consider a tenth CRI – one devoted to ICT? Earlier this week I visited MediaLab in Wellington where I spoke to CEO Phil Shepherd and CTO Peter Chappell. MediaLab functions as a kind of mediator between high level ICT research and practical...

Categories: Fixed line carriers | Innovation

Spectrum auction delayed

Posted Wed 16 May 2007 @ 12:43 p.m. by Sarah

The auction for the 2.3GHz spectrum band has been deferred while the Government considers submissions on a recent discussion paper. Communications minister David Cunliffe announced in a media statement today that due to the complexity of the issues, the auction – which was to have gone ahead this month – has been temporarily deferred."The issues are complex and we are carefully considering submissions received from stakeholders."As reported in a previous Downstream blog the 2.3GHz spectrum will enable...

Categories: Regulatory | Wireless carriers

Clarification on TUANZ position re Telecom separation

Posted Wed 16 May 2007 @ 11:56 a.m. by Sarah

Chairman of TUANZ Merv Altments has released an official media statement today clarifying TUANZ's position on Telecom's proposed separation. In it he confirms the Association’s view that the government should give serious consideration to Telecom’s proposal of structural separation.“TUANZ believes that the proposal from Telecom, if modified to comply with the legislative framework of the Telecommunications Act and the general principles of the government’s detailed proposals for operational...

Categories: Fixed line carriers | Regulatory | TUANZ policy

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