Industry challenges and opportunities in 2015

The South Australian summer bushfires have been a stark reminder of the importance of critical communications, and it was good to see many ARCIA members participating in the firefighting effort by supporting communications networks and urgent equipment fit-outs. When you see the full logistical exercise in operation, it is a tremendous example of community spirit and determination.

Part of ARCIA’s role is to ensure that reliable and timely communications is part of the picture, not only during these times of great stress but also for everyday operations in the various sectors in which our industry plays a role.

The ARCIA Economic study reinforced the very high value that public safety managers place on radio communications and, we hope, highlighted to policymakers that while broadband devices are a definite part of the future across this wide brown land of ours, land mobile radio still has an important part to play. The right mix of technologies, fit for purpose and designed to support the operational needs of the different users groups, is what ARCIA would like to see in the future.

ARCIA kicks off 2015 with a partner meeting and planning days where we set the agenda for the year and do our best to ensure that we are meeting the targets we set for ourselves. Last year the partner day was very successful and well attended, and we hope for the same level of enthusiasm in 2015. The ARCIA committee will also be calling on partners for more engagement on some projects, as we need more people to be working with us in some new and exciting initiatives.

All the major state events are already locked in, kicking off with Perth on 26 March. Make sure you get out there and support your local team. It is also very pleasing that the team from Comms Connect will be supporting regional events with seminars and workshops on the same days at the same venues. We know there is demand for more information out there, so having more horsepower to help make the events more relevant is great news.

In recent times ARCIA has also been communicating with our counterparts in the UK and NZ, the FCS and the RFUANZ respectively. We are keen to share information and ideas about our industry and I am happy to report that we have started work on vehicle installation standards and would hope to have that published by ARCIA in the near future. Although the radio markets are different, we obviously share a lot of DNA; and I certainly think we have a lot to learn from these overseas organisations.

I think that 2015 will be another very busy and challenging year but I look forward to speaking with members and partners around Australia. Our workload is increasing and we hope the initiatives we undertake are relevant to our members. If you have ideas on what we should be looking towards in the future, please talk to us and let us know. After all, ARCIA is your association.

Hamish Duff, President

Australian Radio Communications Industry Association