Ensuring the future of wireless in Australia

As we look towards the end of 2018, I encourage members and supporters of ARCIA to download the 2018 Annual Report. The report demonstrates the effort that ARCIA is putting into the industry on behalf of members all over Australia. Our industry has a lot to be proud of and the Annual Report is a reminder just how broad an impact wireless has. It is gratifying to be part of a group that advocates in many ways to improve the industry, from spectrum matters to industry participation, from training programs to industry events.

The last ARCIA event was held in Adelaide on 4 October at the National Wine Centre, when some 60 members gathered to celebrate the industry in South Australia. Networking events such as these bring together people from different parts of the industry and the feedback we get is always very positive. I believe it is important to recognise the shared experience of the industry, and these networking events bring people together in great spirit.

The annual Gala Dinner in Melbourne will be held on 21 November at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre. Make sure you get your tickets in early so we can ensure your seats are allocated in good time, as each year there is a last-minute rush for spaces. Many people have no idea how difficult it is to plan and seat over 500 people with the limited resources at our disposal. So make sure you book early in 2018.

Comms Connect Melbourne 2018 will no doubt be a fantastic showcase for the industry, and for the first time ARCIA has helped to organise training sessions as part of the program. We are indebted to RFI for taking a leading role in providing the services of key staff to deliver a program for the benefit of members. My expectation is that ARCIA will be doing more of these in the future across the country. I feel strongly that we must actively help members to train staff and make it easier for business to improve the training levels of staff. At the same time the industry must find a way of attracting new staff, including recognition that the wireless profession has many possible futures.

While we consider the offerings of our industry as a career, over the past couple of months our committee members have been active in school careers events, taking the opportunity to speak to young people about the world of wireless. Out of these events we are now beginning to host students for work experience and this promises good things for our industry. If you are involved in our industry then take time to look at hosting work experience students and talk to a committee member about what is required.

ARCIA continues to be part of the debate around public safety mobile broadband and we expect there will be more streams on this topic during Comms Connect Melbourne. The recent 3GPP event held at Melbourne University was a good demonstration of how groups can work together well for the benefit of government and industry alike. Credit is due to ETSI, the University of Melbourne, ATCFF, TCCA and many others for bringing this kind of information to Australia. Our wireless world is full of possibilities and roadblocks. As Australia begins to understand how we will deal with these critical changes in technology, ARCIA welcomes all industry representatives and users to be part of the discussion and we look forward to further debates on key subjects such as spectrum access.

Hamish Duff, President

Australian Radio Communications Industry Association

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