Malcolm Turnbull to present keynote address at RadComms2014

The Australian Communication and Media Authority’s (ACMA) annual RadComms conference in September will see the largest line-up of international and local speakers ever assembled for the event.

The Minister for Communications, The Hon. Malcolm Turnbull, MP, will lead the line-up by providing the keynote address to start the conference. This will be the first opportunity to hear the government’s thoughts about the future of spectrum management in Australia.

“Historically, spectrum utilisation has flown a little below the radar of national consciousness, but this is changing. As new pressures emerge, there’s a growing realisation that spectrum is a key driver of growth, innovation and productivity in our economy and that’s why it’s time to take stock,” said ACMA Chairman Chris Chapman.

“At this conference, we will be hearing about new uses of spectrum in different technologies - for industries such as mining and agriculture. The tensions between making spectrum available for existing and new uses of spectrum have never been more apparent.

“The challenges for how we manage the spectrum resource into the future are on our doorstep. Our international colleagues have already experienced some of these challenges first-hand. I am delighted that we will therefore have the opportunity to learn from their experiences and perspectives at RadComms2014.

“This conference provides an opportunity for all of our stakeholders to take stock of current and emerging challenges, size each of them up accordingly and influence the way that these challenges may be addressed,” Chapman added.

The theme for Radcomms2014 is ‘Spectrum Rebooted - Taking Stock’. It will be held on 10-11 September at the Australian National Maritime Museum in Sydney.

Focus on frequencies

The annual RadComms conference is the leading spectrum management conference in Australia. Organised by ACMA, it has been held every year since 2007 and focuses on spectrum management issues and attracts a wide range of experts and users within the sector.

The session topics for RadComms2014 will cover issues that will help shape the future of spectrum management in Australia. The timing of this year’s conference intersects with a number of developments:

• Completion of the national switchover from analog to digital television.
• Realising the digital dividend available in the 700 MHz band as a result of the switchover and allocating it for use for 4G technologies and services.
• Publication of the results of spectrum research studies that highlight the economic benefits to Australia of the increasing take-up and use of mobile broadband technologies by consumers and business.
• The emergence of new uses and users of spectrum, including the increased proliferation of ‘smart’ applications and devices.
• A review of the spectrum policy and management framework having been recently announced by the government.

ACMA says that the intent of the conference is to take stock of what needs to be achieved in the next tranche of challenges and opportunities; and, to accomplish that, what now needs to be ‘rebooted’. It is expected that discussion will be generated on a number of issues, including:

• How can spectrum regulation be a key driver of growth, innovation and productivity?
• How does the changing regulatory landscape affect how we manage and license radio communications in the future?
• What are the current reform initiatives for radio communications regulation and how can they encourage technology evolution and improve competition?
• What opportunities exist for moving spectrum to its highest value use and providing greater access to spectrum?

Registrations for the conference have opened and can be made via a dedicated registration portal.

The agenda/program can be found here on the ACMA website.