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Senator Conroy: Priority National Broadband Network investment for regional Australia
ATUG is delighted to see progress on the NBN with the Minister’s announcement today about the competitive backhaul tender. ATUG notes many of the initial priority areas have been Regional Roadshow towns over the past 5 years. The Government’s Regional Backbone Blackspots Program is fast-tracking investment of $250 million to improve regional broadband competition and services. A competitive tender to construct, operate and maintain the backbone links was called today – with construction expected to begin by September.
The initial priority locations to receive investment are:
- Emerald and Longreach, Queensland.
- Geraldton, Western Australia.
- Darwin, Northern Territory.
- Broken Hill, New South Wales.
- Victor Harbor, South Australia.
- South West Gippsland, Victoria.
“Backbone links are the broadband highways that connect our cities, towns and rural areas to the wider world,” Senator Conroy said.
“Access to competitive backbone infrastructure on an open access, equivalent basis will allow retail broadband providers to expand further into regional areas.”
Click Here
ATUG 2009 Regional Communications Roadshow
ATUG would like to thank
and 
for their support of the 2009 ATUG Roadshow. Stay tuned for the announcements of towns and dates.
ATUG Submission to NBN: Regulatory Reform for 21st Century Broadband Discussion Paper - Click Here
ATUG 2009 Future Forums - Australia's Digital Economy
ATUG would like to invite you to the second of its Future Forums on Australia's Digital Economy for 2009 on June 25 with discussions following in all states.
ATUG will use the Future Forum discussions to focus attention on the needs of businesses operating in a Digital Australia for policies and programs which:
- reflect new platforms,
- encourage innovation
- provide a strong integrity and assurance framework
and will support business, government and community organisations working in an information rich, videocomms friendly, interactive, transaction-intensive economy.
To find out more, Click Here
ATUG Welcomes Fibre National Broadband Network and Telco Sector Reform
Speaking at ATUG’s 7th Annual Regional Communications Conference, Managing Director, Rosemary Sinclair, said the group welcomed the Government’s commitment to a Fibre to the Premises National Broadband Network for Australia. The use of wireless and satellite technologies in difficult terrain and remote areas would mean much faster broadband services for all Australians at affordable prices.
For more information please Click Here
Senator CONROY: Address to ATUG Regional Conference
"We share the desire for improved outcomes in areas such as broadband access and pricing, encouraging investment and developing services in regional Australia.
Broadband will transform our regions. It will assist the development of economies by opening up new employment and trading opportunities. It will provide social benefits such as improved access to healthcare and education. It will strengthen communities by providing new and enhanced communications."
For more information please Click Here
Senator MINCHIN: Australia's broadband market should be subjected to productivity commission inquiry
The Australian broadband market should be subjected to a thorough Productivity Commission inquiry before Labor risks billions of taxpayer dollars on its National Broadband Network Shadow Minister for Broadband , Communications and the Digital Economy Nick Minchin said yesterday.
For more information please Click Here
ACCC: Address by Graeme Samuel to ATUG Regional Conference
On 7 April, the Australian government made two announcements that are likely to have a major impact on competition in the telecommunications industry in Australia. The first, of course, is that the government will build a national fibre-to-thepremise broadband network. The government has committed to extending this network to 90 per cent of premises across Australia, reaching regional centres with around 1000 people. The second announcement is that government is considering a number of wide ranging reforms to the structure of Telstra and the existing competition regime, in order to improve the conditions for robust competition in the transition period to a fully operational NBN. I am going to talk about both announcements today and the ramifications of each for the industry and telecommunications regulation.
For more information please Click Here
This will be the 7th annual conference focused on regional communications strategies and services.
This year speakers include: Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy, the Shadow Minister, Senator Nick Minchin, ACCC Chairman, Graeme Samuel, AO, Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman, Deirdre O’Donnell, and Keith Besgrove, First Assistant Secretary DBCDE.
To view the program, please Click Here
To register for the conference, please Click Here
Budget 2009 - DBCDE Outcomes and Programs 2009-2010
Achievement of the Department’s outcome is supported through major new measures within the 2009-10 Budget, together with significant initiatives continuing from previous years. To continue reading, click here.
April 7 2009 - ATUG welcomes the Commonwealth Government's vision for Australia's game changing National Broadband Network. Click Here
FOR MORE ARTICLES, PRESS RELEASES AND TRANSCIPTS RELATED TO THE NATIONAL BROADBAND NETWORK, Click Here
Senator Conroy: Address to the National Press Club
“Just as electricity has changed the way we live over the past one hundred years, digital technologies will have untold influence on our lives for the next century. The Rudd Government is not alone in our recognition of the profound potential of digital technologies.
Digital technologies, or Information and Communications Technologies as they are commonly known, offer massive opportunities:
• to improve quality of life,
• to drive market efficiencies and productivity, and
• to create jobs today – and the jobs of the future”
Click Here
ATUG
Roam Fair Campaign Update - Report into international mobile roaming released
The House of Representatives Standing Committee on Communications’ Report into international mobile roaming, Phoning Home has been released. The Report examines the reasons why Australians pay so much for international mobile roaming and makes a number of recommendations to industry, Government and regulators.
“Those of us who have travelled overseas will have no doubt about the utility of international mobile roaming, a service that allows you to use your own phone and phone number wherever you are in the world,” Ms Belinda Neal MP (Robertson, NSW), the Chair of the Committee, said. “Many of us also have our own stories of the shock of the mobile phone bill after travelling overseas.”
ATUG supports the recommendations and welcomes the Committee’s Report
ATUG ‘s response is here
ATUG Award Winnners
ATUG would like to congratulate all of the Excellence and National Awards for the Effective Use of Broadband award winners and hghly commended recipients.
For a list of the Excellence Awards winners, please Click Here
For a list of the National Awards for the Effective Use of Broadband winners, please Click Here
ATUG 2009 Conference
Once again, the annual ATUG Update Conference as come and gone. This year was exciting as ever, with all speakers presenting interesting and insightful information.
For presentations from the Conference Click Here
For ATUG Managing Director's, Rosemary Sinclair, speech, please Click Here
ATUG would like to thank
and 
for their support of ATUG 2009.
ATUG 2009 Gala Awards Networking Evening
ATUG's 24th Annual Awards Ceremony was followed by a night of networking – a new format for ATUG which provided a vibrant and exciting pre-cursor to the ATUG 2009 conference. The evening was a great success and enjoyed by all.
For a list of the Excellence Awards winners, please Click Here
For a list of the National Awards for the Effective Use of Broadband winners, please Click Here
ATUG would like to thank 
for their Media Partnership
ATUG 2009 Excellence Awards - Nominations have closed.
ATUG would like to thank 
for their support of the ATUG Excellence in Communications Management Award in 2009.
ATUG would like to thank Innovation and Business Skills Australia (IBSA) 
for their support of the ATUG Innovation in Communications Award in 2009.
ATUG would like to thank 
for their support of the ATUG Carrier Of The Year Award in 2009.
ATUG 2009 Broadband Awards - Nominations have closed.
ATUG would like to thank 
for their support of the ATUG Broadband Awards in 2009.
Roadmap to advance Australia’s digital economy
The Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy, today released a consultation draft on the future directions of Australia’s digital economy.Click Here
ROAM FAIR Update - Report highlights international mobile roaming concerns
International mobile roaming charges have the potential to confuse
consumers and result in expensive phone bills, the Minister for Broadband,
Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy, said today. "International
roaming charges are the subject of complaints where prices are high, making
it very expensive to make mobile phone calls while overseas. This issue deserves
attention particularly as mobile data services grow and businesses come to
rely even more on cross-border access", Senator Conroy said. Senator Conroy
said a KPMG report, commissioned by the Department of Broadband, Communications
and the Digital Economy, highlighted concerns about excessive international
mobile roaming charges. The report is at http://www.dbcde.gov.au/communications_for_consumers/mobile_services/mobile_roaming
Rosemary
Sinclair's comments on International Mobile Roaming from the ATUG
Blog
ATUG now has the bill information from our trip to new Zealand - a 2 minute
call back to Australia cost $5.280. A 1 minute call from Australia TO New Zealand
cost 70cents! The charges seem to ATUG to be completely distance INDEPENDENT!Some ATUG "heart stoppers" -
2 minutes to Australia in Belgium was $11; 4min 30seconds in France $14.849;
1 minute in UK was
$3.299; SMS in France,
Belgium and UK (9 different operators) was 50 cents everytime; 70 KB of data
was $1.40 - that makes 1MB of data, $20!! A 1 minute call from Australia TO
the UK by comparison is 70c. Interesting that the charging has to be by the
minute but can appear on the bill to the third decimal place!!
ATUG 2009 Focus Policies
Every year ATUG releases its Focus Policies. For this year's policies
please Click Here
ATUG Broadband Awards Archive
For an archive of all of the previous ATUG Broadband Award winners, please Click Here
25 Year History of
ATUG
ATUG is celebrating its 25th year anniversary in 2006 with the release
of the 25 year history of ATUG booklet. Click Here to read on...
ATUG Members Directory
The ATUG Members Directory is a new initiative to help members locate
one another when they need help, guidance or advice on telecommunications
issues. To participate in the directory, your company needs to be
a financial member of ATUG and have filled in the online application
form. Click Here for
more information.
ATUG Meetings - Australia Wide
ATUG has a very active, state based representation which meet to discuss topical issues that are of interest to all who are
in the telecoms industry. These are
a great networking opportunity with the leaders of our dynamic industry.
These meetings are open to ATUG members and non -members. Click
Here for more information, including a events list sign
on.
ATUG Events Archive
This is an archive of past ATUG events, which include presentations, photos
and event information. Click
Here
ATUG Membership Kits
If you would like to receive a membership kit, which includes all information
regarding becoming a member of ATUG, Click
Here
ATUG Focus
Written by Rosemary Sinclair, Managing Director of ATUG, Focus highlights
a topical issue in telecommunications. To read past issues of ATUG Focus, Click Here
ATUG Benchmarking Service
The concept behind benchmarking is to provide participants with an external
frame of reference to compare their use of telecommunications services
with other like
organisations. Take control of your company’s phone costs! Learn
more...