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Telstra Adds To Enterprise Offerings With App-Developer Acquisition

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Telstra has acquired Australian application development and software-focused consulting and managed services provider Readify, adding to its suite of enterprise services.Readify provides enterprise cloud application solutions, big data and IoT solutions, which Telstra states will provide further scope for it to “drive digital transformation for its enterprise customers in domestic and global markets”.

Telstra executive director global enterprise and services Michelle Bendschneider stated that the acquisition will complement the telco’s recent acquisition of cloud migration services provider, Kloud.

“As we know, apps and software in general are playing an increasingly important role in businesses,” Bendschneider commented.

“Readify is recognised globally for its innovative software solutions and will further help us create software-led digital transformations with our customers.”

Bendschneider stated that the acquisition “will enable Telstra to add incremental value to customers in enterprise cloud applications, API-based customisation and extensions, as well as business technology advisory services”.

NBN Satellite Sky Muster II Launching October 5

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NBN Co’s second satellite will soon be taking to the skies, with Sky Muster II to launch on October 5.Sky Muster II will take off from the French Guiana Space Centre in South America, joining Sky Muster, which launched in October last year, in orbit.

Weighing in at 6,400 kg, NBN Co states that Sky Muster II is one of the world’s largest communications satellites, with it to support additional data capacity in regional and remote Australia amid the rollout of the NBN.

“The technology will help bridge Australia’s digital divide for around 400,000 homes and businesses in regional and remote Australia by providing them with better access to distance online education and healthcare services as well as the ability to run more efficient agribusinesses from our outback farms,” NBN Co states.

Sky Muster II will launch into space adorned with an array of Aussie faces via artwork printed on the rocket’s nose cone.

NBN Co states that the artwork represents “the millions of people in every corner of Australia which will be connected to the NBN network”, with the mosaic-style image “made up of more than 700 lucky Australians who won the chance to include an image of their face on this historic piece of national infrastructure”.

Julia Dickinson, NBN satellite architect, stated that the Sky Muster service “is transforming the day-to-day lives of people from all over the country”.

“We are already seeing how access to fast broadband for small businesses and farms in the most remote outback and offshore locations can improve productivity by better enabling the ability to store files in the cloud and avoid lengthy business trips by communicating with customers and suppliers through more reliable video conferencing,” Dickinson commented.

“To ensure every Australian, no matter where they live, could have the chance to be a part of this history-making moment, we held a nationwide callout for people to win the opportunity to ‘blast their face into space’.

“Representing the millions of connections made through the NBN network, the winners’ faces make up a national portrait of our country, which will be printed on the nose cone of the rocket that will launch the Sky Muster II satellite into the sky.”

NBN Ready-For-Service Premises Pass 2 Million Mark

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NBN has today released its 2016 third quarter results, revealing that the number of premises ready-for-service has reached 2.01 million.In total, a further 338,287 homes and businesses were added to the NBN network footprint over the three months, with 902,948 premises having an active NBN service as of March 31.

During the quarter, 166,896 new homes and businesses signed up to the network.

NBN’s revenue for the quarter was $111 million, up 158 per cent year-on-year. Average revenue per user of $43 was up 10 per cent year-on-year.

EBITDA came in at a loss of $383 million, as opposed to a loss of $288 million in last year’s corresponding quarter.

NBN CEO Bill Morrow noted that, on average, 14,000 new premises are being connected each week.

“We continue to demonstrate our ability to scale and deliver against increasingly challenging targets,” Morrow commented.

Morrow stated that reaching the 2 million premises ready-for-service mark is “a huge achievement”.

“We are successfully integrating the final components of our technology mix in the NBN network, with the Sky Muster service now launched and the HFC product on track to launch in the coming months,” he commented.

NBN has also released figures showing the impact of video streaming a year on since the launch of a number of platforms, with the average download per month on an NBN service increasing 56 per cent from March last year to 114 GB per month in March this year.

NBN states NBN users consume approximately one third more data than the national average connection, at 112 GB per month, as at December 2015, compared to the Australian Bureau of Statistics national average of 83 GB per month at the same time period.

ACCC Decision Could See Call And SMS Savings For Consumers

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Cheaper phone calls and text messages are expected following the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s (ACCC) decision to lower the rates mobile network operators can charge other operators for receiving calls on their networks, while also setting a price for text messages.Upon announcement of the decision today, ACCC commissioner Cristina Cifuentes stated that while the ACCC does not regulate retail SMS or call charges, it expects that savings from the two decisions will be passed on to consumers.

Cifuentes noted that savings may be delivered “by way of lower charges or through improved call and SMS inclusions in retail plans”.

The ACCC has decided that the wholesale price of terminating calls on an Australian mobile network should be lowered from the current rate of 3.6 cents per minute to 1.7 cents per minute, while setting the price mobile network operators charge to receive SMS messages at 0.03 cents per SMS.

“The final regulated rates reflect the costs of terminating calls and SMS messages on Australian networks and is based on benchmarking the costs of these services against those in other countries,” Cifuentes commented.

Cifuentes noted that in Australia the majority of mobile calls and SMS are carried on 3G networks, which she stated “are more efficient than the 2G networks which are used to a larger extent overseas”.

“The mobile networks in Australia also carry a much larger amount of data traffic than overseas networks,” she commented. “These features reduce the cost of terminating calls on Australian networks and have been taken into account in the decision.”

The rollout of voice over 4G technology could also result in cost reductions.

“The ACCC will monitor the planned rollout of voice over 4G technology, which could be as soon as later this year,” Cifuentes stated. “If there is evidence of voice over 4G take-up which affects the costs of terminating calls on Australian networks, the ACCC may review the regulated rates.”

The ACCC has advised that the regulated prices for mobile voice and SMS termination will apply from January 1, 2016 to June 30, 2019.

Optus And Macquarie Establish Cyber-Security Hub

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Optus Business has teamed up with Macquarie University to establish a new cyber-security hub, providing a range of services for government and private agencies.Optus states that the Optus Macquarie University Cyber Security Hub will “support businesses and government to recognise and protect themselves from increasing cyber-threats”, with the hub to provide research, short professional courses and consultancy services.

“The partnership includes degree programs, executive and business short courses, professional recruiting opportunities and thought leadership through cyber-awareness events and international engagements in areas such as intelligence, technology, criminology, finance and governance,” Optus has today advised.

The $10 million investment by the two organisations will “draw on the expertise of Optus and leading Macquarie University academics from various disciplines”, along with that of industry experts, covering three academic areas: Computing & IT, Business & Economics and Security Studies & Criminology.

Optus states the focus will be on “providing a holistic approach to cyber-crime, how it is perpetrated, how it affects the economy and how it impacts policy”.

“As organisations adopt more online and digital channels, they also need to have a fully integrated approach to cyber-security, involving all staff training, management buy-in, effective technology solutions and knowledge of today’s cyber-threats,” John Paitaridis, Optus Business managing director, commented.

“The Optus Macquarie University Cyber Security Hub addresses all these areas, providing businesses and government agencies with a unique and unparalleled cyber-offering to help them navigate a complex landscape.”

Supporting the federal government’s recent cyber-security strategy, Optus states that its workforce will also be a key focus, increasing awareness and equipping and upskilling staff.

“The opportunity to partner with Optus, an organisation that deals with cyber-threats and challenges on a daily basis, was something we welcomed, as it enables us to improve cyber-security education at all levels – from the C-level executive through to every employee,” David Wilkinson, Macquarie deputy vice-chancellor (corporate engagement and advancement), commented.

“By collaborating with industry to tailor our study programs, we give our students a head-start in their careers, placing them at the top of Australia’s cyber-security talent pool.

“These initiatives will also work to support the wider expansion of cyber-security training within organisations to better secure and protect their networks and infrastructure.”

Catherine Livingstone Stepping Down As Telstra Chairman

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Telstra chairman Catherine Livingstone is stepping down, with John Mullen, Asciano managing director and chief executive officer, to take on the role.Telstra has today advised that Livingstone will hand over to Mullen in the coming months, once he is free from his obligations at Asciano.

Livingstone has been chairman since May 2009 and a director since November 2000.

“It has been an extraordinary period of my life to have been part of the team which helped Telstra set a new direction after having transitioned from a corporatised then privatised organisation,” she commented.

“We are now able to consider new growth opportunities alongside our traditional core businesses, looking to extend our footprint in ways that are consistent with creating long-term shareholder value.”

Mullen has been a Telstra director since July 2008.

“It is a privilege in the true sense to be asked to follow in Catherine’s footsteps as chairman of Telstra,” he commented.

“It is a responsibility I take extremely seriously and will transition from my commitments with Asciano at the appropriate time to perform the Telstra role to the fullest.”

Data Republic Secures Qantas, NAB, Westpac Investment

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Sydney-based start-up Data Republic has secured $10.5 million in funding from Qantas, National Australia Bank and Westpac, which it states will help underpin its expansion strategy in the US later in the year.A $10.5 million Series A investment round has seen Qantas Loyalty, NAB’s venture capital fund, NAB Ventures, and Westpac’s Reinventure Fund become strategic equity partners.

Established in 2014, Data Republic’s technology provides companies, governments and not-for-profits with a secure platform for data exchange.

Data Republic states that its tech “offers a marketplace for data exchange between organisations who want to enrich their own customer insights”.

“With this important investor support, we can continue to help businesses unlock the value of their data and drive more relevant products and services, but in a way which prioritises customer privacy,” Data Republic co-founder and chief executive Paul McCarney commented.

“There’s enormous social and business productivity benefits to opening up data for exchange, but the privacy, security and rights of the consumer have to come first.”

Data Republic has partnered with Westpac “to develop the world’s first data banking service”, allowing corporate clients having obtained appropriate customer permissions “to securely separate and store customer information on dedicated bank-grade security infrastructure, while authorising broader data insights for analysis and exchange”.

“Given the increasing prevalence of data sharing between organisations, the creation of ‘banking infrastructure for data’ to enable it to flow as freely, with the same trust, security and privacy as money is critical to moving towards a data-driven economy,” Danny Gilligan, Westpac Reinventure co-founder, commented.

“Both Data Republic and the security which the data bank infrastructure offers are important innovations in this regard.”

NAB Ventures managing director Todd Forest stated that the strategic equity partnership provides “a seat at the table to help develop Data Republic’s capabilities and ultimately improve the experience for NAB customers in the future”.

“We know that banking is undergoing significant transformation in the digital space and the simple aim of NAB Ventures is to help ensure we can embrace the right changes to deliver new customer solutions,” Forest commented.

Qantas Loyalty CEO Lesley Grant stated that Qantas has “seen the benefit that customer-led innovation can provide to businesses and their customers”.

“Co-investing in Data Republic with NAB and Westpac provides a great opportunity for further innovation by allowing us to gain a deeper understanding of what our customers want,” Grant commented.

“We hold the privacy of our customers and their data with the highest respect, so the high level of governance and security that Data Republic applies is highly appealing.”