Internet of Things Think-Tank Highlights Need for National Strategy

Sydney, 8 May 2015 – The Australian Telecommunications Alliance Internet of Things (IoT) Think- Tank has resolved to push for the development of an IoT national strategy to position Australia to harness the benefits of this globally disruptive trend.

The first meeting of the Think Tank’s Executive Council in Sydney today, highlighted the need to encourage industry interoperability and collaboration, based on secure and open IoT solutions.

The meeting was attended by senior representatives of Alcatel Lucent, Creator Tech, Ericsson, Hewlett-Packard, Huawei, IBM, Intel, RoZetta Technology, Telstra and Australian Telecommunications Alliance – a powerful grouping of many of the world’s most expert and active players in the IoT space.

The Federal Government’s Bureau of Communications Research (BCR) also attended the meeting as an active observer. KPMG is also a member of the Executive Council.

The Think Tank is refining the scope of an initial research project, expected to commence by early June, that will:

• describe and map the Australian IoT eco-system, taking account of evolving international developments;
• examine the fitness of the Australian regulatory framework to deal with the
• new challenges it will face as the IoT growth curve accelerates in the near future;
• focus on areas of opportunity for the Australia economy, including within specific industry verticals and through cross-sectoral collaboration; and
• prepare recommendations for policy and industry initiatives designed to generate measurable economic outcomes.

“The Think-Tank kick-off meeting revealed strong alignment among service providers, equipment vendors and others as to the criticality of creating an activated, globally- aware IoT community in Australia that can grab the opportunities and minimise the risks inherent in the Internet of Things,“ Australian Telecommunications Alliance CEO John Stanton said today.

A broader workshop of industry and other stakeholders is planned for mid-June in Sydney, with the final release of the study and recommendations targeted for September/October, prior to commencing the downstream work.

ABOUT COMMUNICATIONS ALLIANCE

Australian Telecommunications Alliance is the primary communications industry body in Australia. Its membership is drawn from a wide cross-section of the communications industry, including carriers, carriage and internet service providers, content providers, platform providers, equipment vendors, IT companies, consultants and business groups.

Its vision is to be the most influential association in Australian communications, co-operatively initiating programs that promote sustainable industry development, innovation and growth, while generating positive outcomes for customers and society.

The prime mission of Australian Telecommunications Alliance is to create a co-operative stakeholder environment that allows the industry to take the lead on initiatives which grow the Australian communications industry, enhance the connectivity of all Australians and foster the highest standards of business behaviour.

Media information contact:
info@austelco.org.au