Communications Alliance Pty Ltd

2012 Broadband and Beyond Conference
The Seamless Connected Environment

Sydney, 23 January 2012 - Communications Alliance today unveiled a stellar speaker line-up for the 2012 Broadband and Beyond conference to be held in Sydney on Wednesday 22 February.

The conference will explore in depth the push toward seamless connectivity and converging content for all Australians. The cast of Australian and international industry leaders and innovators speaking at Broadband and Beyond 2012 includes:

• Selina Lo – serial technology entrepreneur and President and CEO of Ruckus Wireless
• Steven Wood – CEO, Tennis Australia
• Mark Scott – Managing Director, ABC
• Justin Milne – Chairman, Quickflix and pieNETWORKS
• Michael Malone – CEO, iiNet
• Hugh Bradlow – CTO, Telstra
• Peter Bourke – CIO, Westfield Holdings
• Pippa Leary – Director of Strategy and Market Insights, Fairfax Media
• Adam Ferrier – Founding Partner, Naked Communications

Other speakers include Google’s Head of Public Policy and GA, Iarla Flynn; Huawei CTO, Peter Rossi; Alcatel-Lucent Managing Director, Sean O’Halloran,  Mastercard Head of Market Development Matthew Barr; and Austin Bryan, Director, Optus Digital Media. Our moderators include Tony Malligeorgos, VP Sales and Marketing Ericsson; James Halliday, Partner, Baker & McKenzie; and Peter Mercieca, Partner, KPMG.

Communications Alliance CEO John Stanton said this year’s conference would explore the vision of seamless connectivity and the accelerating progress toward making it a reality.

“The new environment is already changing the way we interact with content. The debate is at last moving away from the relative merits of specific access platforms, toward recognition that all next-gen technologies have a role to play, and what really matters is consumers’ ability to be connected whenever and wherever they wish.”

“Broadband and Beyond will traverse this new landscape, looking at how current media will adapt, how consumer expectations will be met, what will happen on the device-front and how convergence will change lives in Australia and throughout the world.”

Media are welcome to attend the conference. For media registration please call Lucy Mudd at Kreab Gavin Anderson 02 9552 8920 or 0402 106 613 by 20 February.

DATE     Wednesday 22 February 2012
TIME      8.45 am – 5.00 pm
VENUE   The Auditorium, 37 Reservoir Street, Surry Hills NSW

For further information about the conference, please visit www.broadbandandbeyond.com .  

ABOUT COMMUNICATIONS ALLIANCE

Communications Alliance is the primary telecommunications industry body in Australia. Its membership is drawn from a wide cross-section of the communications industry, including carriers, carriage and internet service providers, content providers, search engines, equipment vendors, IT companies, consultants and business groups.

Its vision is to provide a unified voice for the telecommunications industry and to lead it into the next generation of converging networks, technologies and services. The prime mission of Communications Alliance is to promote the growth of the Australian communications industry and the protection of consumer interests by fostering the highest standards of business ethics and behaviour through industry self-governance. For more details about Communications Alliance, see www.commsalliance.com.au.

Media information contact:

Kreab Gavin Anderson

Amanda Buckley abuckley@kreabgavinanderson.com 0419 801 349
Lucy Mudd lmudd@kreabgavinanderson.com 0402 106 613

Communications Alliance to revise industry’s Quality of Service (QoS) guidelines to enhance consumer experience when using the NBN

Sydney, 20 December 2011 - Communications Alliance will revise the telecommunications industry’s Quality of Service (QoS) guidelines for internet protocol (IP)-based services, to help ensure that consumers can enjoy a high quality experience when using the National Broadband Network (NBN).

Communications Alliance CEO, John Stanton, said the advent of the NBN made it timely to revise two key Communications Alliance guidelines, introduced in 2007, that service providers use to minimise quality-degrading factors such as delay, jitter and packet loss on IP- based services.

“Most IP services used by Australian consumers until now have run on copper-based networks. The existing guidelines have worked well to help deliver the best available service quality over copper, but the shift to fibre-based services via the NBN will change the classes of traffic being carried and a number of parameters within the access network,” Mr Stanton said.

“Therefore we need to ensure that the industry guidelines fully reflect the game-changing aspects of the shift to fibre and continue to foster the best possible end-to-end service quality for everyone using services carried over the NBN.”

The Communications Alliance Network Reference Panel took the decision to revise the two guidelines (G632 and G633), which cover quality of service parameters and testing arrangements for IP-based services.

Communications Alliance will work closely with NBN Co and other relevant stakeholders in revising the guidelines and will also take account of changes to relevant International Telecommunications Union (ITU) recommendations.

Mr Stanton said the working committee undertaking the revision aimed to complete its tasks by mid-2012.
He said the QoS guideline revision was one of several activities underway through Communications Alliance on behalf of the industry to enhance the consumer experience when using the NBN.

“Comms Alliance is also developing an Operations Code in cooperation with NBN Co to ensure appropriate intra-industry coordination, so that processes such as customer transfer between services providers is smooth, user-friendly and pro-competitive,” Mr Stanton said.  

ABOUT COMMUNICATIONS ALLIANCE

Communications Alliance is the primary telecommunications industry body in Australia. Its membership is drawn from a wide cross-section of the communications industry, including carriers, carriage and internet service providers, content providers, search engines, equipment vendors, IT companies, consultants and business groups.

Its vision is to provide a unified voice for the telecommunications industry and to lead it into the next generation of converging networks, technologies and services. The prime mission of Communications Alliance is to promote the growth of the Australian communications industry and the protection of consumer interests by fostering the highest standards of business ethics and behaviour through industry self-governance. For more details about Communications Alliance, see www.commsalliance.com.au.

Media information contact:

Einsteinz Communications

T: (02) 8905 0995

E: jennifer@einsteinz.com.au

E: pru@einsteinz.com.au

E: karen@einsteinz.com.au

Communications Alliance comments on Convergence Review Interim Report

Sydney, 15 December 2011 - The Convergence Review Interim Report recommendations put Australia at risk of missing the full benefit of the growth of the digital economy, Communications Alliance said today.

Communications Alliance CEO John Stanton welcomed elements of the draft report, and in particular the proposed move to a market-based approach to spectrum allocation – and acknowledged the difficulty and complexity of the issues with which the Review is grappling.

However, he expressed concern that the recommendation to expand Australian content requirements to cover new digital platforms and players may stifle the growth of innovative new content sources and place Australian content entrepreneurs at a global competitive disadvantage. 

“The prospect of seeking to impose Australian content requirements on international content suppliers might also deter the supply of some sources of content to Australian consumers,” commented Mr Stanton.

“The beauty of the digital economy is the explosion of new content types and sources it engenders.  A converged regulatory framework should celebrate and support that growth. 

“Although the parameters around the proposed “Content Service Enterprise” regulation are not precisely defined in today’s report, there is a real risk that imposing old-style content requirements on emerging digital platforms will stifle growth,” Mr Stanton said.

Communications Alliance also expressed wariness about the recommendation for a new ‘super regulator’ to replace the ACMA, with very broad and so far undefined rule-making powers.

“The Convergence Review started with the objective of minimising regulation – we are concerned that some of its interim recommendations seem to be heading in the opposite direction.

“The interim report also does not appear to recognise the detrimental impact of some legacy telecommunications regulation which weighs heavily on converged telecommunications and internet companies also entering or playing in this converged content space,” said Mr Stanton.
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ABOUT COMMUNICATIONS ALLIANCE

Communications Alliance is the primary telecommunications industry body in Australia. Its membership is drawn from a wide cross-section of the communications industry, including carriers, carriage and internet service providers, content providers, search engines, equipment vendors, IT companies, consultants and business groups.

Its vision is to provide a unified voice for the telecommunications industry and to lead it into the next generation of converging networks, technologies and services. The prime mission of Communications Alliance is to promote the growth of the Australian communications industry and the protection of consumer interests by fostering the highest standards of business ethics and behaviour through industry self-governance. For more details about Communications Alliance, see www.commsalliance.com.au.

Media information contact:

Einsteinz Communications

T: (02) 8905 0995

E: jennifer@einsteinz.com.au

E: pru@einsteinz.com.au

E: karen@einsteinz.com.au

Communications Alliance publishes NBN pit and pipe specification for greenfield developments

Sydney, 12 December 2011 - Communications Alliance today published its Fibre Ready Pit and Pipe Specification for Real Estate Development Projects (G645:2011) to provide greater certainty to developers and the communications industry on fibre requirements for rolling out  the National Broadband Network (NBN), particularly in greenfield developments.

Communications Alliance CEO, John Stanton, said the publication is an important part of the industry’s work to enable the rollout of the NBN.

“The Specification has been designed to ensure the rollout of new fibre infrastructure in greenfield development sites is both consistent and in line with industry best practice,” Mr Stanton said.

Phil Smith, General Manager of Opticomm and Chair of the Greenfields Working Committee that developed the Specification, said the publication is a good outcome for industry, real estate developers and consumers.

“The document delivers certainty for stakeholders in greenfield developments,” Mr Smith said.  “Now everyone can get on with their business of connecting up new property developments with confidence.”

The document is designed to complement amendments to the Telecommunications Act 1997 and arising from the Telecommunications Legislation Amendment (Fibre Deployment) Bill 2011 by:

• Outlining the minimum industry requirement for telecommunications pit and pipe installation for it to be considered a ‘fibre-ready facility’; and
• Describing recommended processes for the design and installation of pit and pipe facilities for use in the deployment of ‘optical fibre lines’.

The Greenfields Working Committee included representatives of NBN Co, Opticomm, Telstra and TransACT, and the Specification incorporates input from representatives of the development and housing industries as well as a number of equipment manufacturers.

G645:2011 is available for download at no charge from the Communications Alliance website – www.commsalliance.com.au/Documents/all/guidelines/g645.  

ABOUT COMMUNICATIONS ALLIANCE

Communications Alliance is the primary telecommunications industry body in Australia. Its membership is drawn from a wide cross-section of the communications industry, including carriers, carriage and internet service providers, content providers, search engines, equipment vendors, IT companies, consultants and business groups.

Its vision is to provide a unified voice for the telecommunications industry and to lead it into the next generation of converging networks, technologies and services. The prime mission of Communications Alliance is to promote the growth of the Australian communications industry and the protection of consumer interests by fostering the highest standards of business ethics and behaviour through industry self-governance. For more details about Communications Alliance, see www.commsalliance.com.au.

Media information contact:

Einsteinz Communications

T: (02) 8905 0995

E: jennifer@einsteinz.com.au

E: pru@einsteinz.com.au

E: karen@einsteinz.com.au

Australia’s Internet Service Providers Propose Scheme to Address Online Copyright Infringement

Sydney, 25 November 2011 – Communications Alliance and five of Australia’s largest Internet Service Providers (ISPs) today unveiled a ground-breaking proposed scheme to combat the growing problem of online copyright infringement.

The scheme is designed to encourage a sustained and positive change in the behaviour of internet users who engage in online activity that may be an infringement of copyright laws and potentially illegal under the Copyright Act 1968, typically via peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing or unauthorised content downloads.

The proposed education-based Notice Scheme flows from discussions held during 2011 between ISPs, the Federal Government and “Rights Holders” - representatives of the movie, music, software, gaming, publishing and other sectors who hold copyright over material that can be accessed online. While those discussions are ongoing and final agreement is yet to be reached, the ISPs have outlined their proposal in a discussion paper available at www.commsalliance.com.au, to further the broader debate on online copyright issues.

The Scheme would require ISPs – in response to evidence provided by Rights Holders - to forward education and warning notices to customers whose internet accounts have been detected undertaking activity that might infringe copyright laws.

The proposed Scheme has a strong emphasis on educating consumers – many of whom may not be aware that their online activity could be illegal.  It is also designed to assist Rights Holders to protect their copyright in cases where internet users persist in improper activity despite repeated warnings.

The proposed Scheme does not provide for termination of consumers’ internet accounts, nor for any punitive sanctions to be imposed on customers by ISPs; and gives consumers the right to appeal if they receive a notice but believe they have not done anything improper.

The proposal was developed by Communications Alliance and ISPs including Telstra Bigpond, iiNet, Optus, iPrimus and Internode, with collaboration by AAPT, Ericsson Australia and the Internet Industry Association (IIA). 

Communications Alliance CEO, John Stanton, said the industry proposal was a positive initiative by ISPs to address a complex and contentious set of issues that society had been struggling with for years.

“We believe the Notice Scheme can greatly reduce online copyright infringement in Australia, while protecting consumer rights, educating consumers about how to access legal online content and helping Rights Holders to protect their rights,” Mr Stanton said.

“Equally important is the need for Rights Holders to ensure that consumers have access to legal and affordable content online, to reduce the motivation to source content in ways that might be illegal.”

Australian consumers’ ability to legally access content in a timely and affordable manner varies according to the content type (e.g. release of TV programs and movies in Australia can lag months behind US releases). This difficulty, combined with a proliferation of access technologies, such as file-sharing software, has reportedly seen a growth in the frequency of unauthorised access to online content and breaches of copyright laws.

The Scheme proposed by ISPs would be undertaken on a trial basis over an 18 month period and is designed to be implemented rapidly and cost-effectively. The trial would be followed by an independent evaluation of its effectiveness, including whether it produced a real change in consumer behaviour and whether the Scheme should be continued in its initial form or modified for improvement.

Mr Stanton said the evaluation would also be informed by the growing body of international experience in other jurisdictions where varying types of online copyright schemes were being implemented e.g. in the UK, New Zealand, Canada, France and the USA.

Mr Stanton said the proposal by ISPs would require further consultation with Rights Holders, consumer representatives, the Federal Government and the broader ISP sector before full details and an implementation timetable could be finalised. 

Issues for further discussion include:

• How to fairly apportion the costs of establishing and operating the scheme between ISPs and Rights Holders; and
• The creation of a proposed Industry Panel that would be responsible for making educational material available to consumers, and dealing with queries or appeals from consumers who receive education or warning notices but believe they might not be responsible for the internet activity that has been detected.

“We look forward to continuing the discussions with Rights Holders, consumer representatives, the broader ISP community and the Federal Government, then to launching an agreed scheme that is that is efficient, fair and cost-effective for all parties, particularly consumers,” Mr Stanton said.  

ABOUT COMMUNICATIONS ALLIANCE

Communications Alliance is the primary telecommunications industry body in Australia. Its membership is drawn from a wide cross-section of the communications industry, including carriers, carriage and internet service providers, content providers, search engines, equipment vendors, IT companies, consultants and business groups.

Its vision is to provide a unified voice for the telecommunications industry and to lead it into the next generation of converging networks, technologies and services. The prime mission of Communications Alliance is to promote the growth of the Australian communications industry and the protection of consumer interests by fostering the highest standards of business ethics and behaviour through industry self-governance. For more details about Communications Alliance, see www.commsalliance.com.au.

Media information contact:

Einsteinz Communications

T: (02) 8905 0995

E: jennifer@einsteinz.com.au

E: pru@einsteinz.com.au

E: karen@einsteinz.com.au

TIO Annual Report highlights need for revised TCP Code

Sydney, 8 November 2011 – Communications Alliance today welcomed signs of recent improvement in telecommunications complaint figures, against the backdrop of the disappointing overall results outlined in the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) Annual Report.

The TIO Annual Report, released today, showed a 15% reduction in complaint volumes in the fourth quarter of the financial year, compared with the previous quarter.

The TIO report also showed a pleasing 14.8% reduction in the total number of complaints that required investigation by the TIO – a demonstration of improved responsiveness by service providers when complaints are raised.

Communications Alliance CEO John Stanton said the increase in the annual total of new complaints received by the TIO was a disappointing result driven by a range of factors, including high rates of service growth in the sector, the explosion of mobile data usage in Australia and the well-publicised network problems encountered by one mobile provider.

Mr Stanton said he expected the downward trend in complaint volumes to continue in the current financial year. He said the annual result highlighted the urgent need to implement the revised and strengthened Telecommunications Consumer Protections (TCP) Code that has been developed by industry, consumers and regulators over the past year, and which was recently released for public comment.

The new Code includes a strong new compliance framework and squarely addresses the problem areas that are driving complaints to the TIO. Among a swathe of improvements, the Code:

• provides stronger controls over the accuracy and clarity of advertising content;
• imposes tighter deadlines and processes for the resolution of customer complaints;
• provides spend-management tools to help consumers manage their expenditure and avoid so-called “bill shock;
• improves the pre-sale information provided to customers; and
• provides for a unit-pricing system to help consumers more easily make comparisons between different providers and product plans.

Mr Stanton said Communications Alliance would review input received during the public comment period before finalising the Code and submitting it to the ACMA for registration in early 2012.

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ABOUT COMMUNICATIONS ALLIANCE
Communications Alliance is the primary telecommunications industry body in Australia. Its membership is drawn from a wide cross-section of the communications industry, including carriers, carriage and internet service providers, content providers, search engines, equipment vendors, IT companies, consultants and business groups.

Its vision is to provide a unified voice for the telecommunications industry and to lead it into the next generation of converging networks, technologies and services. The prime mission of Communications Alliance is to promote the growth of the Australian communications industry and the protection of consumer interests by fostering the highest standards of business ethics and behaviour through industry self-governance. For more details about Communications Alliance, see www.commsalliance.com.au.

Media information contact:
Einsteinz Communications
T: (02) 8905 0995
E: jennifer@einsteinz.com.au
E: pru@einsteinz.com.au
E: karen@einsteinz.com.au

Industry’s New Code Strengthens Protections for Australian Telecommunications Customers

Sydney, 25 October 2011 – Australia’s telecommunications consumers will benefit from improved customer service, better information about the products they use, more responsive complaint handling and a host of stronger consumer protections under a new industry Code released for public comment today by Communications Alliance.

The draft of the Telecommunications Consumer Protections (TCP) Code has been revised and improved by industry players, consumer representatives and industry regulators during recent months and will apply to all service providers supplying telecommunications services to consumers and small businesses in Australia.

The revised draft Code will be open for public comment for the next month and can be downloaded from the Communications Alliance web-site: www.commsalliance.com.au.

Communications Alliance CEO John Stanton urged members of the public to contribute their personal input to the review process and help industry further improve the Code.

The major improvements in the new Code include:

• Unit Pricing – three unit prices (for calls, text message and data use) to be included in all large print advertisements for post-paid, included value mobile plans, to help consumers compare different plans before they buy
• Tighter deadlines for phone companies to acknowledge and resolve customer complaints, with every customer receiving a unique reference number to help track the progress of their complaint
• Stronger restrictions on advertising content to ensure ads are clear and do not mislead customers
• Better pre-sales information – a clear and concise Summary of Offer provided to consumers before they purchase post-paid products, to ensure they have all the necessary information about the products and can easily compare offers from different providers
• Spend management tools – to help customers manage their monthly spend and to prevent “bill-shock”. This includes notifications to tell customers where they stand in comparison to any data usage limits each month and help them avoid any excess charges
• A new independent body – Communications Compliance - to monitor the performance of service providers in complying with the Code rules
• Stronger protection for customers concerning credit and debt management
• New obligations on suppliers in relation to vulnerable customers and meeting customers’ needs

Mr Stanton said the revised draft Code reflected the genuine desire of Australia’s telecommunications companies to provide an improved consumer environment, with greater certainty, higher customer satisfaction and fewer customer complaints.

He said the draft Code had already benefited greatly from direct recommendations from consumer representatives and industry regulators including the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA).

“We are in continuing and constructive dialogue with the ACMA and other players, including the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) on a range of Code issues, and will further refine the Code in the light of inputs received during the public comment period,” Mr Stanton said.

Once the draft Code is finalised and approved by the Communications Alliance Board, it will be submitted to the ACMA for formal registration before coming into force.

ABOUT COMMUNICATIONS ALLIANCE
Communications Alliance is the primary telecommunications industry body in Australia. Its membership is drawn from a wide cross-section of the communications industry, including carriers, carriage and internet service providers, content providers, search engines, equipment vendors, IT companies, consultants and business groups.

Its vision is to provide a unified voice for the telecommunications industry and to lead it into the next generation of converging networks, technologies and services. The prime mission of Communications Alliance is to promote the growth of the Australian communications industry and the protection of consumer interests by fostering the highest standards of business ethics and behaviour through industry self-governance. For more details about Communications Alliance, see www.commsalliance.com.au.

Media information contact:
Einsteinz Communications
T: (02) 8905 0995
E: jennifer@einsteinz.com.au
E: pru@einsteinz.com.au
E: karen@einsteinz.com.au

Communications Alliance files Online Copyright Submissions

Sydney, 12 October 2011 – Communications Alliance has today filed submissions seeking leave from the High Court of Australia to intervene as amicus curiae (friend of the Court) in the Roadshow Films v iiNet Limited case, concerning online copyright.

As the primary industry body for the telecommunications sector, Communications Alliance acted because the High Court's deliberation in the iiNet case has far-reaching implications for all Australian internet users and for all internet service providers (ISPs) in Australia.

Communications Alliance CEO John Stanton said the Communications Alliance submissions discuss matters of principle and introduce additional arguments around such issues as what does or does not constitute "authorisation" by an ISP of copyright infringement committed by a customer of that ISP.  They also explore what should constitute "reasonable steps" on the part of ISPs to prevent their customers using internet access to infringe copyright.

A copy of the Communications Alliance submissions will be available on the High Court’s website after they are filed.

ABOUT COMMUNICATIONS ALLIANCE
Communications Alliance is the primary telecommunications industry body in Australia. Its membership is drawn from a wide cross-section of the communications industry, including carriers, carriage and internet service providers, content providers, search engines, equipment vendors, IT companies, consultants and business groups.

Its vision is to provide a unified voice for the telecommunications industry and to lead it into the next generation of converging networks, technologies and services. The prime mission of Communications Alliance is to promote the growth of the Australian communications industry and the protection of consumer interests by fostering the highest standards of business ethics and behaviour through industry self-governance. For more details about Communications Alliance, see www.commsalliance.com.au.

Media information contact:
Einsteinz Communications
T: (02) 8905 0995
E: jennifer@einsteinz.com.au
E: pru@einsteinz.com.au
E: karen@einsteinz.com.au

Communications Alliance celebrates Australia’s 10 years of world’s best mobile number portability

Sydney, 26 September 2011 – This week the telecommunications industry celebrates 10 years of Mobile Number Portability in Australia (MNP).  Communications Alliance today congratulated the industry on its collaboration in putting in place the world’s best practice mobile number portability scheme.

Since its launch on 25 September 2001, the ongoing success of Mobile Number Portability in Australia has ensured that Australians can more easily choose the mobile provider they want.   Prior to the scheme, mobile customers could not retain their mobile number if they switched mobile providers.

The 10 year milestone was marked at a celebration in Sydney attended by the Federal Member for Bradfield, Paul Fletcher MP – who as a senior executive at Optus at the time was closely involved in the industry’s work to implement MNP.
Communications Alliance CEO John Stanton said MNP represents a huge investment by the mobile industry in customer service and convenience.

“Almost 11 million mobile ports have taken place under MNP over the past 10 years, with an average of 100,000 ports per month occurring today,” Mr Stanton said.

Mr Fletcher said Australian mobile customers enjoy world’s best practice, with an average porting time of less than one hour.

“The cooperative introduction of MNP demonstrated the Australian telecommunications industry’s maturity and readiness to work together in a self-regulatory framework to achieve good outcomes for consumers,” Mr Fletcher said.

“This 10 year anniversary is a nice opportunity to reflect on the success that MNP has delivered for consumers – and I compliment Communications Alliance for delivering this world leading approach, and the mobile industry more generally for continuing to make this happen,” said ACMA Chairman, Chris Chapman.

From the release of the ACCC Discussion paper on Mobile Number Portability in May 1999, with an MNP implementation date of 25 Sept 2001 being specified by the ACA (now the ACMA) in May 2000, industry worked together under the auspices of Communications Alliance (then ACIF).

The successful introduction of mobile number portability across the industry on time in 2001 was an achievement which demonstrates the ability of the industry to take responsibility for devising a practical solution developed through a co-operative process.  That process included the publication of more than 15 technical and operational documents including a Code, various Network Plans, IT Specifications, Operations Manual, Guidelines, Test Strategy and Test Plans.

Industry agreement on a porting time of a few hours, instead of days as in some other countries, meant that MNP continues to be effective and efficient for end users.

The ongoing success of MNP in Australia is achieved by a collaborative industry group, the MNP Administration Group (MAG), which includes representatives of all MNP participants.  The MAG continually monitors MNP activity to identify performance and other issues and develops and implements changes as required to ensure the ongoing success of MNP in Australia.

ABOUT COMMUNICATIONS ALLIANCE
Communications Alliance is the primary telecommunications industry body in Australia. Its membership is drawn from a wide cross-section of the communications industry, including carriers, carriage and internet service providers, content providers, search engines, equipment vendors, IT companies, consultants and business groups.

Its vision is to provide a unified voice for the telecommunications industry and to lead it into the next generation of converging networks, technologies and services. The prime mission of Communications Alliance is to promote the growth of the Australian communications industry and the protection of consumer interests by fostering the highest standards of business ethics and behaviour through industry self-governance. For more details about Communications Alliance, see www.commsalliance.com.au.

Media information contact:
Einsteinz Communications
T: (02) 8905 0995
E: jennifer@einsteinz.com.au
E: pru@einsteinz.com.au
E: karen@einsteinz.com.au

10 years of world’s best mobile number portability.

John Stanton, Alexander Osbourne, Paul Fletcher

Communications Alliance Forms New Operations Council

Sydney, 5 September 2011 – Communications Alliance has established an Operations Council, comprised of senior representatives from member companies, to guide and help manage the core operational activities of the Alliance.
 
Operations Council members will include the Chairs of the four existing Communications Alliance Reference Panels and former members of the NBN Project Steering Committee, which will be dissolved.
 
The CEO of Communications Alliance, John Stanton, who will Chair the Operations Council, paid tribute to the NBN Project Steering Committee, which made a vital contribution to the establishment of the National Broadband Network.  Its contribution included using industry expertise to design the original reference architecture for the network and meeting a host of technical and operational challenges during the formative months of NBN Co.
 
“The Operations Council will harness the learnings and accomplishments of the NBN Project during the past 18 months and link these to the existing reference panels and working committee arrangements used by Communications Alliance for the making of industry standards, codes and guidelines,” Mr Stanton said.
 
The Council – which will work in close coordination with the Communications Alliance Board of Directors - includes many leading experts in a range of disciplines from across the communications sector (see attached member list).
 
The Council will set a work program based on priority activities needed to facilitate the early stages of NBN deployment and transfer of existing customers from copper to fibre-based services. It is also responsible for ensuring coordination across the breadth of reference panel work programs and the remaining NBN Working Committee activities in areas such as Early-Stage Deployments, Operations and Consumer Information.
 
The Operations Council will hold its first meeting on 16 September.

Communications Alliance Operations Council

ABOUT COMMUNICATIONS ALLIANCE
Communications Alliance is the primary telecommunications industry body in Australia. Its membership is drawn from a wide cross-section of the communications industry, including carriers, carriage and internet service providers, content providers, search engines, equipment vendors, IT companies, consultants and business groups.

Its vision is to provide a unified voice for the telecommunications industry and to lead it into the next generation of converging networks, technologies and services. The prime mission of Communications Alliance is to promote the growth of the Australian communications industry and the protection of consumer interests by fostering the highest standards of business ethics and behaviour through industry self-governance. For more details about Communications Alliance, see www.commsalliance.com.au.

Media information contact:
Einsteinz Communications
T: (02) 8905 0995
E: jennifer@einsteinz.com.au
E: pru@einsteinz.com.au
E: karen@einsteinz.com.au

Communications Alliance establishes Public Wi-Fi Networks Group

Sydney, 8 August 2011 – Communications Alliance today announced the establishment of a Public Wi-Fi Networks Group.

The Group will explore topics including:

• The future of public wi-fi networks in Australia
• International developments and competing/complementary technologies
• Scope for stronger industry cooperation in the development of business models
• Application development e.g. digital wallet, new marketing channels and strategies
• Implications for potential industry Codes, Guidelines or Standards

Communications Alliance CEO John Stanton said a number of Communications Alliance Members had already indicated their interest in being part of the Group, given the wide-ranging implications of wi-fi developments for stakeholders within the telecommunications sector and the broader community.

“Public wi-fi is an increasingly important component in how Australians stay connected and has a role to play in the development of our Digital Economy.  The time is right to bring to bear collective industry expertise to maximise the potential of public networks,” he said.

Communications Alliance members are invited to register interest in joining the Group by sending their name, company and contact details to info@commsalliance.com.au.  The Group will hold its first meeting in early September.

ABOUT COMMUNICATIONS ALLIANCE
Communications Alliance is the primary telecommunications industry body in Australia. Its membership is drawn from a wide cross-section of the communications industry, including carriers, carriage and internet service providers, content providers, search engines, equipment vendors, IT companies, consultants and business groups.

Its vision is to provide a unified voice for the telecommunications industry and to lead it into the next generation of converging networks, technologies and services. The prime mission of Communications Alliance is to promote the growth of the Australian communications industry and the protection of consumer interests by fostering the highest standards of business ethics and behaviour through industry self-governance. For more details about Communications Alliance, see www.commsalliance.com.au.

Media information contact:
Einsteinz Communications
T: (02) 8905 0995
E: jennifer@einsteinz.com.au
E: pru@einsteinz.com.au
E: karen@einsteinz.com.au