Opportunities in technological diversity

Congratulations to the ARCIA Perth team for hosting the first industry dinner for 2018. A new venue overlooking the Optus stadium was a great success. Members and guests enjoyed a great night and the buzz in the room was tremendous. Our guest speaker, Myriota’s Dr Alex Grant, gave a fantastic insight into satellite-based IoT technology his company is pioneering; it is always tremendous to see people innovating.

I had the opportunity to attend IWCE in Orlando this year and, of course, there was a lot of new information and products for FirstNet. Clearly there will be an incredible effort by the public safety community, vendors and industry supporters to embrace new technology options that LTE provides. However, it is interesting to note there is also an upswing in investment in LMR in many markets. The challenge for us all in the critical communications world is the diverse range of geographies, spectrum, governance, coverage, security and user requirements that exist. In my view, trying to fit all of this into one technology platform does not make sense.

So we think associations have an important part to play in bringing users and vendors together. In addition to running all the normal events in 2018, ARCIA will continue to work with the ACMA on spectrum and legislative matters, but we will also advocate on behalf of our public safety members and users on public safety mobile broadband. You will see these key themes throughout 2018 and I welcome feedback from members on these important discussions.

Our event season now moves east to Auckland and Sydney, and I am sure there will be many members attending our sister organisation’s RFUANZ dinner in Auckland. It is great to see that FirstNet is sending representatives to both the Auckland and Sydney Comms Connect events. Sharing information and lessons learned, and, importantly, developing standards for the benefit of all in the public safety arena are key to success. The direction and leadership shown by FirstNet and its willingness to work on standards, the application ecosystem and certification programs will have global implications. So I do hope everyone involved in these markets makes the time to attend Comms Connect, the RFUANZ and ARCIA events.

ARCIA continues to work with the ACMA. The draft legislation to replace the Radio Communications Act is out for comment. We understand the government plans to have this into parliament by the end of 2018. The real work will begin with the implementation of the new Act, and this is where our relationship with the ACMA will become very important. There will be many opportunities to improve many areas of the industry.

Finally, a quick reminder. Our regular Brisbane event will be held on Thursday, 26 July, again at the Rydges Hotel in South Brisbane, with Comms Connect during the day and our dinner in the spectacular rooftop venue that evening. With this noted in your diary, it is also time for you to think about nominations for the Industry Professional of the Year for Queensland. Nominations can be made through the ARCIA email, info@arcia.org.au.

Hamish Duff, President

Australian Radio Communications Industry Association

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