Here are a few I have come across the last week or so. Note: Each link is followed by a title and a few paragraphs. For the full article click on the link above title of the article. Note also that full access to some links may require site registration or subscription payment.
General Comment
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A very interesting week on the ADHA front with the value of the #myHR seemingly not able to be made manifest and the re platforming program now to last a decade apparently!
A fair bit of other news this week also.
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Revealed: The 4.5 studies allegedly showing My Health Record isn't a waste of time
It took a Freedom of Information request to obtain them from the Australian Digital Health Agency
9th November 2020
Back in November last year, in days that now seem long-forgotten, a distant memory before COVID-19 and a world turned-upside-down, Australian Doctor was awaiting what it expected would be big news.
It was the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) review of the My Health Record system and its judgement on whether taxpayers' dollars have been wisely spent, or, as some claim, tipped into a large black hole in the ground.
The most recent figures we had showed that GPs had uploaded almost three million documents to the system in a single month, partly a result of the Practice Incentive Program and partly in the hope that it would bring clinical life to a $1.4 billion policy monster.
Yet, it turned out 99.6% of them were destined for the void, because over the same month, fewer than 20,000 GP documents were actually read by any other health practitioner.
Despite such stats, the ANAO concluded the rollout of My Health Record, which actually began back in 2014, had been “largely effective” and that the plans to measure its impact on patient care were also “largely appropriate”.
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https://www.innovationaus.com/govt-responds-to-mhr-inquiry-two-years-later/
Govt responds to MHR inquiry, two years later
Denham
Sadler
Senior Reporter
9 November 2020
The federal government has responded to a parliamentary inquiry into My Health Record more than two years after it was tabled, rejecting a recommendation to make passwords the default setting and to strengthen protections against the commercial use of sensitive health data.
The Labor-led Senate Community Affairs References Committee tabled its report in the My Health Record (MHR) system in October 2018, calling for a number of changes to be made to the electronic health record in order to shore up security and privacy and block access by employers and insurance companies.
The federal government did respond in part by introducing a handful of amendments, including allowing for the permanent deletion of MHR data and strengthening of privacy for young people, to the MHR scheme later in that year.
But for more than two years the government did not respond to the other recommendations included in the Senate committee report, until late last Friday afternoon.
In its response, the government notes or rejects most of the recommendations from the report that it has not already implemented, including for a PIN to be in place for a MHR by default.
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https://www.ausdoc.com.au/news/uk-telehealth-giant-announces-move-australia
UK telehealth giant announces move into Australia
Doctor Care Anywhere is exploring options as it prepares to list on the ASX
10th November 2020
A UK-based telehealth corporate called Doctor Care Anywhere says it is exploring opportunities to offer GP services in Australia following its listing on the ASX next month.
The company says it wants to raise $102 million through the share offer to expand its current business.
In September, it appointed former RACGP council chair Dr Leanne Rowe as a non-executive board member.
The company was set up seven years ago and now employs 193 GPs and 22 other doctors in the UK, providing about 20,000 consults a month.
Its major sales pitch is it links GP, diagnostic services and non-GP specialists through one shared electronic record which it says reduces waiting times, costs and unnecessary tests.
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SA Health scores $200m to complete ehealth records system rollout
By Justin Hendry on Nov 11, 2020 5:56PM
Statewide deployment gets govt go-ahead after trial.
SA Health has scored just under $200 million to finish the rollout of the state’s long-delayed Allscripts Sunrise electronic medical record (EMR) and patient administration system (PAS).
Budget papers handed down on Tuesday reveal the government will spend $198.6 million over the next three years deploying the systems across metropolitan Local Health Networks.
It follows a successful rollout at the Royal Adelaide Hospital and Mount Gambier and District Health Service (MGDHS) last financial year.
The funding is the first major investment in the state’s electronic medical health record project since the government’s electronic patient administration system (EPAS) reset in 2018.
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Scott Morrison says a national vaccination policy has been endorsed by National Cabinet. This is what he said
Posted 13 Nov 2020 8:52pm
Australia's national vaccination policy has been endorsed by the National Cabinet.
It outlines that there'll be a national system to monitor immunisation levels and individual vaccination status.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison says Australia needs to be ready for when vaccines have been approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA).
And with forecasts that a vaccine could be available in Australia from early 2021, it's likely going to happen sooner rather than later.
Here's what we know so far about how a successful COVID-19 vaccine would be rolled out in Australia.
NSW pushes its QR code app ahead of digital contact tracing mandate
By Justin Hendry on Nov 11, 2020 4:21PM
Businesses 'strongly encouraged' to adopt before November 23.
Hospitality venues and other businesses in NSW have been urged to adopt Service NSW's in-app Covid Safe check-in tool ahead of the introduction of mandatory digital registration in two weeks' time.
It comes a week after Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced a deadline of November 23 for businesses to introduce systems to capture contact details electronically for contact tracing.
Customer Service Minister Victor Dominello on Wednesday said that select businesses that had not introduced any system for digital registration by this date would face a penalty.
In situations where customers don’t have a smartphone or there is an outage, businesses will be able to manually record contact details and the time of entry on a device using Excel, for example.
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https://www.afr.com/technology/stop-the-steal-supporters-restrained-by-facebook-turn-to-parler-20201111-p56dr3
'Stop the Steal' supporters, restrained by Facebook, turn to Parler
Elizabeth Dwoskin and Rachel Lerman
Nov 11, 2020 – 6.30pm
Washington | Facebook and other social media platforms are facing a wave of conservative backlash over their crackdowns on efforts to delegitimise the results of the presidential election.
Facebook and Twitter are banning hashtags, individuals and groups – including President Donald Trump's former chief strategist Stephen Bannon and groups affiliated with him – altering search results, labelling posts, down-ranking problematic content and implementing a host of measures to ward off misinformation.
That is driving millions of new users to Parler, an alternate social media platform where conspiracy theories can thrive. The app, which has a free-speech doctrine, became the top new app download over the weekend on Apple's App Store.
Social media reflects the fragmented nature of the current political divide, as many liberals celebrate a new President-elect while some conservatives hope to use tech platforms to sustain and organise a movement to challenge the election outcomes.
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Implanted device brings movement hope to paralysis patients
Thursday, 05 November, 2020
Thanks to the implantation of a tiny device, patients with upper limb paralysis are now able to text, email and shop online.
The paper-clip-sized device — called Stentrode — was developed by researchers from The University of Melbourne, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Monash University and Synchron Australia.
In a trial published in the Journal of NeuroInterventional Surgery, Stentrode was implanted successfully in two patients suffering from severe paralysis due to motor neuron disease (MND) — also known amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) — neither of whom had the complete ability to move their upper limbs. The device was able to wirelessly restore the transmission of brain impulses out of the body.
Professor Peter Mitchell, principal trial investigator and Neurointervention Service Director at The Royal Melbourne Hospital, said the findings were promising and demonstrate that the device can be safely implanted and used within the patients.
“This is the first time an operation of this kind has been done, so we couldn’t guarantee there wouldn’t be problems, but in both cases the surgery has gone better than we had hoped,” Professor Mitchell said.
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https://medicalrepublic.com.au/stigmatised-groups-least-trusting-of-my-health-record/37027
12 November 2020
Stigmatised groups least trusting of My Health Record
MyHealthRecord Policy Technology TheHill
Discrimination is likely to turn patients off digital health services, undermining the uptake in programs like My Health Record.
Despite costing more than $1 billion, doubts persist over the level of engagement clinicians and patients have with My Health Record.
Earlier this year, researchers at the University of NSW interviewed more than 2200 people this year to better understand how people in stigmatised communities interacted with digital health. Of the respondents, 600 were in populations affected by blood-borne viruses and STIs. These included people with HIV, trans and gender-diverse people, sex workers, and gay and bisexual men.
These individuals reported the most frequent experiences of stigma and had the lowest levels of trust in digital technologies and other health services.
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https://www.itnews.com.au/news/cto-wanted-to-run-my-health-record-555854
CTO wanted to run My Health Record
By Justin Hendry on Nov 13, 2020 12:20PM
And other national health systems.
The federal government agency in charge of the country’s $2 billion My Health Record is looking to fill its top IT role ahead of the planned replatforming of the system.
The Australian Digital Health Agency has kicked off the search for a chief technology officer to take charge of the infrastructure operations division that oversees its health systems.
The CTO role effectively replaces the national health chief information officer position that was held by Ronan O’Connor until last month.
O’Connor is the latest in a string of top executives to leave the agency since the departure of former ADHA chief Tim Kelsey in December 2019.
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https://itwire.com/security/cyber-security-centre-warns-of-rat-targeting-healthcare-sector.html
Friday, 13 November 2020 11:43
Cyber security centre warns of RAT targeting healthcare sector
The Australian Cyber Security Centre has issued a warning to the health sector, saying it has seen increased targeting by attackers using the SDBBot remote access trojan.
In a statement, the ACSC said the malware had three components: an installer which established persistence, a loader which downloaded additional components, and the RAT itself.
"Once installed, malicious actors will use SDBBot to move laterally within a network and exfiltrate data," the agency said.
"SDBBot is a known precursor of the Clop ransomware."
The ACSC said while it had seen activity targeting the health sector, all networks should review their controls against ransomware as per its recommendations.
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GPs ‘need telehealth funding confidence’
Many doctors are still lacking confidence that telehealth will stick around for the long term, according to the chief executive of telehealth software outfit Coviu, who is calling on more commitment from the government in for permanent telehealth reimbursement items.
Speaking to The Australian ahead of an appearance at the Vogue Codes Summit on Tuesday, Silvia Pfeiffer said that the transition towards telehealth amid COVID-19 had been tricky across the board, given that for GPs in particular, many practices had not been set up for video consultations in mind.
“They don’t have the necessary equipment set up,” she said. ”And clinicians gravitate to using the telephone because it’s what they know. There can sometimes be a perception that video calls are ‘too difficult’, but of course this isn’t the case and with better education, training, and funding, we can overcome this.”
According to Dr Pfeiffer, there is currently a lack of confidence among doctors in telehealth that funding will last long term. She said introducing telehealth into a practice‘s workflow is an investment requiring not only technology and training, but also learning different workflow.
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https://www.afr.com/technology/leaked-documents-expose-toll-accenture-it-car-crash-20201105-p56bs5
Leaked documents expose Toll-Accenture IT car crash
Aaron Patrick Senior correspondent
Nov 10, 2020 – 12.00am
An ambitious financial reporting system designed for logistics giant Toll by Accenture was "built without financial logic", according to a scathing internal report that exposes a long list of failures with the project.
Confidential Toll documents show the Melbourne-based company, chaired by transport veteran John Mullen, had only integrated 17 financial functions out of a planned 300 when the second stage of the project was supposed to go live last year.
The problems were caused by design failures and incorrect data, according to an internal Toll PowerPoint presentation that provides insights into Toll's struggle to gain greater control over its sprawling businesses through a single company-wide financial system known as an ERP – enterprise resource planning.
"There is no ability to identify, trace and report transaction at any steps of processing, causing incorrect transaction processing, delays in issue resolution [and the] requirement for having very qualified resource to support the processing," the presentation says.
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CSIRO and DXC land medical terminology server deal with UK's National Health Service
By implementing CSIRO's Ontoserver framework, NHS will ensure healthcare organisations across the UK speak the same language.
By Aimee Chanthadavong | November 10, 2020 -- 00:58 GMT (11:58 AEDT) | Topic: Enterprise Software
The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and DXC Technology have secured the contract to supply the United Kingdom's National Health Service (NHS) with its interoperability terminology system to ensure healthcare systems across the UK speak the same language.
Under the deal, valued at just under £10 million, according to initial tender documents, CSIRO will deliver its Ontoserver framework to the NHS, with the support of DXC as a managed service provider.
CSIRO e-health research centre CEO Dr David Hansen explained that healthcare organisations often use different software and terminologies, but Ontoserver has been designed to be a fast healthcare interoperability resources native terminology service that supports a number of international standard medical terminologies, such as SNOWMED CT.
"Ideally, we like to think everyone speaks the same language, but we know that's not the case," he told ZDNet.
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Tuesday, 10 November 2020 12:20
Optus partners with Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation to support telehealth model of care
Optus is expanding its Donate Your Data program in a partnership with Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation to support the foundation’s telehealth services network.
Australia’s second largest telco, Optus says the partnership will help ensure that young Australians who do not have sufficient data to access services, or are unable to visit a hospital, can receive quality care remotely.
“With so much of the world taking place online, this program was born out of Optus’ commitment to working towards closing the digital divide in Australia for young Australians in need,” Optus said in a statement on Tuesday.
“Having received over 2 million donations from customers to date, the program has enabled those in need to access the Internet and opened the door for them to learn, create and connect in a way that wasn’t previously possible.”
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https://www.miragenews.com/smart-sensors-make-homes-safer-for-older-australians/
November 10, 2020 9:06 am AEDT
Smart sensors make homes safer for older Australians
Older Australians living independently at home will be able to send real-time data to their healthcare providers through a seamless, secure and transparent new health monitoring solution developed by CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, and now licensed to Australian company HSC Technology Group Ltd.
CSIRO’s Smarter Safer Homes technology is Australia’s leading evidence-based platforms with demonstrated clinical and health service benefits.
The sensor-based in-home monitoring system with a patent pending algorithm will be integrated into HSC Technology Group’s TALIUS Smart Analytics platform, servicing the aged care and supported living sectors.
With Australia’s ageing population predicted to rise to 22 per cent by 2056, and more than 80 per cent of senior Australians over 60 opting to live at home, aged care facilities and the broader healthcare system will face increasing pressure to provide transparent, high quality care.
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https://itwire.com/health/csiro-licenses-new-health-mnitoring-system-to-hsc-technology-group.html
Tuesday, 10 November 2020 21:09
CSIRO licenses new health monitoring system to HSC Technology Group
A new health monitoring solution developed by the CSIRO has now been licensed to Australian company HSC Technology Group.
The licensing agreement will see the sensor-based in-home monitoring system, with a patent pending algorithm, be integrated into HSC Technology Group’s TALIUS Smart Analytics platform, servicing the aged care and supported living sectors.
CSIRO’s Smarter Safer Homes technology is Australia’s leading evidence-based platforms with demonstrated clinical and health service benefits.
HSC Technology Group says that with Australia’s ageing population predicted to rise to 22% by 2056, and more than 80% of senior Australians over 60 opting to live at home, aged care facilities and the broader healthcare system will face increasing pressure to provide transparent, high quality care.
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https://www.itnews.com.au/news/son-of-mygov-platform-to-embed-digital-id-before-end-of-2020-555708
Son-of-myGov platform to embed digital ID before end of 2020
By Justin Hendry on Nov 10, 2020 2:49PM
As complex myGov integration rolls on.
The federal government will integrate its digital identity service with a working beta of the social media-inspired government digital services platform that will replace myGov before the end of the year.
Government services minister Stuart Robert revealed the timeline for the planned integration during his keynote address at the Digital Transformation Agency’s digital Summit on Tuesday.
He said the digital ID functionality would be rolled out in time for the end of the year as part of a third release of the myGov beta platform, which will also bring other additional improvements.
"We expect another release before the end of the year, which will bring in additional improvements and the integration of digital identity," he said.
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https://www.itnews.com.au/news/nib-adopts-machine-learning-for-claims-processing-555752
Nib adopts machine learning for claims processing
By Tess Bennett on Nov 11, 2020 12:09PM
Reduces manual data entry.
Nib has implemented a new machine learning engine to process claims submitted via its app in less time by reducing the amount of manual data entry required behind the scenes.
Five years ago the health insurer introduced a new feature that let members take a photo of their receipt and submit a claim via the app.
While that improved the customer experience, it became a challenge to process the information at the backend as the volumes of photos increased, said nib's CIO Brendan Mills.
“We created a great customer experience but we then also caused ourselves some pain in processing photos because we're then taking a whole heap of flat images and having to rekey all the data [such as] provider number, customer number…it was quite an intensive process,” Mills told iTnews.
For the past six months, the health insurer has been using machine learning algorithms to strip information from the photos and pass it through to the core claims processing system.
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MEDIA RELEASE
9 November 2020
CEO Appointment - Digital Health CRC
Michael Walsh, chair of
the Digital Health Cooperative Research Centre, has today announced the
appointment of new Chief Executive Officer Dr Terry Sweeney, who joined
the organisation this week.
“Dr Sweeney joins us with a wealth of global senior leadership experience in
digital health and combines this with extensive commercial, innovation and
entrepreneurial skills,” said Mr Walsh. “He has worked extensively with
world-leading health and medical research organisations and is considered a top
global talent in the field.”
Dr Sweeney was selected from a very competitive field following an extensive
recruitment process. He was Global Managing Director of IBM Watson Health from
2015 to 2020, where he led significant partnerships including with the Mayo
Clinic and the American Medical Association, formed a billion-dollar
partnership to support China’s Healthy China 2030 national agenda, and more
recently focused on a public-private partnership development of an e-health
platform for Japan.
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Media release - Modernisation of national digital health capabilities to drive innovation
13 November, 2020: Following on from the Request for Information (RFI) inviting stakeholders to contribute to a conversation about the future of the national infrastructure in 2019, the Australian Digital Health Agency (Agency) has commenced a program of work to undertake activities to modernise the national digital health infrastructure to better connect Australia’s healthcare system and deliver significant improvements in the quality and efficiency of healthcare.
Agency CEO Amanda Cattermole said “2020 has demonstrated the tangible benefits of a better connected healthcare system.”
“In addition to the benefits from telehealth and electronic prescriptions, healthcare providers are in increasing numbers using My Health Record as a safe and secure way to upload and access documents to support patient care.”
“The modernisation of the national digital health infrastructure will provide the framework for future innovation.”
The National Infrastructure Modernisation (NIM) program has been developed with feedback from stakeholders to consider what a digital health ecosystem could be over a 10-year horizon. It supports Australia’s National Digital Health Strategy and the connections between state and territory government services.
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https://opengovasia.com/adha-launches-program-to-modernise-national-digital-health-capabilities/
ADHA launches program to modernise national digital health capabilities
Following on from the Request for Information (RFI) inviting stakeholders to contribute to a conversation about the future of the national infrastructure in 2019, the Australian Digital Health Agency (Agency) has commenced a program of work to undertake activities to modernise the national digital health infrastructure to better connect Australia’s healthcare system and deliver significant improvements in the quality and efficiency of healthcare.
The CEO of the ADHA stated that 2020 has demonstrated the tangible benefits of a better-connected healthcare system. In addition to the benefits of telehealth and electronic prescriptions, healthcare providers are in increasing numbers using My Health Record as a safe and secure way to upload and access documents to support patient care. The modernisation of the national digital health infrastructure will provide the framework for future innovation.
The National Infrastructure Modernisation (NIM) program has been developed with feedback from stakeholders to consider what a digital health ecosystem could be over a 10-year horizon. It supports Australia’s National Digital Health Strategy and the connections between state and territory government services.
The Program will deliver three key outcomes for Australian healthcare providers and patients:
- a secure and sustainable digital infrastructure with improved ability to innovate and expand future capabilities and services nationally;
- ensure that digital health needs for all users are further progressed through a modern, future-proofed seamless digital platform; and
- ensure that the benefits of digital health technologies and services supported by the national infrastructure are realised for consumers and clinicians, leading to improved health and wellbeing for all Australians.
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9 November, 2020
Alcidion signs milestone $9.5M deal with South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust for Miya Precision suite & ePMA
Key Highlights
- ALC has signed its largest ever Miya Precision contract representing $9.5M TCV over 5 years
- Second NHS trust to procure both Miya Precision and Better OPENeP solution in the last year
- With $5.48M of TCV to be booked in FY21 from this contract, total revenue now sits at $20.2M able to be recognised in FY21 – vs $18.6M in FY20 with 7 months of the year remaining
Melbourne, Australia – Alcidion Group Limited
(ASX: ALC) is pleased to announce today that it has signed a major deal with
South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (South Tees) for Alcidion’s Miya
Precision solution and the Better OPENeP electronic prescribing and medicines
administration (ePMA) system.
South Tees is the largest hospital trust in Tees Valley in the United Kingdom,
with over 1,000 beds and employing approximately 9,000 clinical and operational
staff and providing care for more than 1.5 million people.
In the largest Miya Precision contract Alcidion has signed to date, South Tees
will also be the second NHS trust to procure a combination of Miya Precision
and the Better OPENeP solution following on from early adopter Dartford and
Gravesham NHS Trust.
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Monday, 09 November 2020 12:19
Alcidion signs ‘milestone’ deal with UK’s South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Australian-listed healthcare technology solutions company Alcidion has signed a major deal with the UK’s South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust for use of its Miya Precision solution and the Better OPENeP electronic prescribing and medicines administration (ePMA) system.
In the largest Miya Precision contract Alcidion (ASX:ALC) has signed to date, South Tees will be the second NHS trust to procure a combination of Miya Precision and the Better OPENeP solution in the last 12 months, following early adopter Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust last December.
Under the deal, Miya Precision will enable South Tees to digitise patient care processes and records, while providing a trust-wide orchestration layer to integrate new clinical data with patient data in existing trust systems, using the FHIR standard for data interchange.
“This will allow information currently held in disparate systems to be consolidated and represented in a common format for application of artificial intelligence and advanced clinical decision support. The Better OPENeP solution – a ‘next generation’ ePMA system – will allow the trust to digitise its prescribing and medicines administration processes. The solutions will launch concurrently at the Trust in the first phase of the technology deployment,” Alcidion said in a statement on Monday.
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Wavelink announces Olinqua's hospital communication solution
Monday,
09 November, 2020
Enterprise solutions provider Wavelink has announced the availability of Olinqua’s mobile communication application for hospitals.
Although most hospitals still rely on pagers to communicate with staff, paging technology is ageing, with many systems needing to be upgraded or replaced. Paging is also one-way, with no ability to provide feedback or acknowledge receipt of messages. Without knowing if a message has been read, or even received, it is not possible to escalate messages. The solution is to mass-broadcast messages to a wide audience to increase the chance of a response.
In addition, paging does not facilitate person-to-person communication, which means that many staff members are exchanging information via personal devices using unapproved, potentially unsecured consumer messaging tools such as WhatsApp. This leaves hospitals vulnerable, with no control or access to the communication exchange.
Furthermore, messages received on pagers are not categorised, so the user can’t filter by message type or see multiple messages on a screen; they have to scroll through single lines of text to find a message. This means that a message for a code alarm could be buried amongst other, less important, messages and requests, potentially putting patient lives at risk.
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https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/538068/nHIP-RFI-released.htm
nHIP RFI released
Sunday, 8 November 2020
eHealthNews.nz editor Rebecca McBeth
A Request for
Information for the national Health Information Platform has been released by
the Ministry of Health, detailing seven requirements for tranche one of the
project.
nHIP is described as a wide-ranging programme, which includes the “creation of
digital products and services to enable access to an individual’s health
information throughout the healthcare system”.
The platform will be delivered in multiple tranches. Work on the first tranche
was originally due to begin in June of this year but has been pushed back
to 2021
due to the impact of Covid-19 and is now expected to take 2.5 years, rather
than three, to complete.
Key to Tranche one will be the nHIP data service, which will provide access to
federated sources of data that are stored in a variety of technology
platforms.
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Morrison Government response to the 5G inquiry
The Morrison Government has welcomed the report on “The Next Gen Future” by the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Communications and the Arts and tabled its response to the report.
The Committee considered 538 submissions and held six public hearings, to inquire into and report on the deployment, adoption and application of 5G in Australia.
Minister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts, the Hon Paul Fletcher MP, said he was pleased to deliver the Government’s response and thanked the Committee for their work.
“2021 will be the Year of 5G. The telcos continue to accelerate the deployment of their 5G networks, and, as we have announced, the Government will hold two 5G spectrum auctions next year,” Minister Fletcher said. “The Government has also launched the 5G Innovation Initiative to enable key sectors across the economy to trial new 5G uses.”
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https://www.zdnet.com/article/users-shift-off-10040mbps-nbn-plans/
Users shift off 100/40Mbps NBN plans
While over 113,000 users took up NBN's 100/20Mbps Home Fast plan in the quarter to September 30.
By Chris Duckett | November 12, 2020 -- 05:45 GMT (16:45 AEDT) | Topic: Networking
Even though they only make up a small portion of its customer base, there has been quite the shift in how users are connecting to NBN on plans offering speeds at or in excess of 100Mbps.
In the latest edition of the ACCC's NBN Wholesale Market Indicators Report, almost 43,000 users moved away from 100/40Mbps during the quarter. At the same time, over 113,000 users moved onto NBN's 100/20Mbps plan that is labelled as Home Fast, over 3,000 took up the 250/25Mbps Home Superfast plan, and the user base of those on 500-1000Mbps/50Mbps plans increased by 2,600.
This is a significant increase on the 45,000 customers that took up the new Home plans in the prior instalment of the report.
Not to be left out entirely, NBN's older fast plans also saw some growth, with 379 extra connections on 250/100Mbps plans, an increase of 90 customers on 500/200Mbps, and 38 extra lines signed up to a 1000/400Mbps plan.
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Selling NBN would be an act of national vandalism
In 1987 Young Warwick Fairfax launched his $2bn bid to reclaim what he saw as his birthright by taking over John Fairfax — then the richest and most powerful media organisation in the country, thanks to its “rivers of classified advertising gold”.
Then ANZ chief executive Will Bailey ticked off on the loan to fund the bid over the phone. Ah, those were the — crazy — days of the 1980s; we are of course so much more financially sober and rigorous these days.
But before Young Warwick’s bid was locked in came that fateful day in October when the market plunged 25 per cent in a single day, indeed in a single quarter of an hour at the open.
Young Warwick had a chance to walk away. Blinded by emotion, ambition and ignorance and spurred on by his mother Lady Mary, he didn’t take it and the rest would be history.
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Thursday, 12 November 2020 11:28
More than 5.2 million consumers now on higher speed broadband, says ACCC
The number of higher speed broadband services in Australia has exceeded 5 million for the first time, jumping from 4.9 million to over 5.2 million last quarter, according to a new report from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).
The ACCC says that as the pandemic continues to increase demand for broadband services, new consumers are continuing to be drawn mainly to the higher speed plans (50Mbps and above) - and within this group, the 50Mbps service remains the most popular plan, accounting for 57.5% of all connections.
The NBN Wholesale Market Indicators Report also reveals that recently introduced premium high-speed products (with speeds of 100Mbps and above) have also experienced a jump in popularity, with connections to such services as “Home Fast” (up to 100/20Mbps), “Home Superfast” (250/25Mbps) and “Home Ultrafast” (at least 500/50Mbps), increased rapidly over the quarter from a low base. They still, however, only represent just over 2 per cent of all services.
“It is good to see a continuing increase in the number of products on offer, giving savvy consumers a range of differing plans to choose from,” ACCC Chair Rod Sims said.
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https://www.afr.com/technology/telstra-splits-itself-up-as-potential-nbn-sale-looms-20201111-p56dqh
Telstra splits itself up as potential NBN sale looms
Paul Smith Technology editor
Nov 12, 2020 – 8.55am
Telstra has proposed a major restructure of its operations, splitting itself into three separate legal entities, with the prospect of buying the National Broadband Network a likely reason.
In an announcement to the market ahead of an investor day on Thursday, Telstra CEO Andy Penn announced Telstra would now be split into three new entities, and was investigating the possibility of becoming an energy provider through its renewable investments.
Under an umbrella Telstra Group, InfraCo Fixed will own and operate Telstra’s passive or physical infrastructure assets such as the ducts, fibre, data centres, subsea cables and exchanges that underpin its fixed telecommunications network; InfraCo Towers will own and operate Telstra’s passive or physical mobile tower assets, which it will look to lease to other mobile operators over time; and ServeCo will focus on creating new products and services.
ServeCo will own the active parts of the network, which Telstra considers its competitive advantage, including the radio access network and spectrum assets.
"Any restructure is a complex process and this is undoubtedly our biggest and most complex since privatisation. It will take time to work our way through the many commercial, regulatory and operational issues," Mr Penn said.
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Tuesday, 10 November 2020 12:51
New rules on telco customer service commitments proposed by ACMA
Telcos offering fixed broadband services will be required to publish their customer service commitments and details of their associated performance under new industry rules being proposed byAustralia’s telecommunications regulator, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA).
The ACMA made its comments in the wake of its recent research which it says showed that while price was important to many consumers, non-price factors such as issues and faults being fixed or good customer service ranked higher overall.
In a statement issued on Monday, as it opened a consultation process on the proposed rules, which are expected to be in place in early 2021, the ACMA notes that there are currently no requirements for telcos to publish their customer service commitments and the remedies they will provide if commitments are not met, such as rebates or backup modems to maintain connectivity.
The period for feedback on the proposed rules closes on 9 December.
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https://www.itnews.com.au/news/acma-to-ensure-internet-users-see-nbn-rebates-555671
ACMA to ensure internet users see NBN rebates
By Ry Crozier on Nov 10, 2020 6:50AM
Either in 'monetary value' or as 'in kind' benefits.
Australian internet users that experience “unmet connection, fault, appointment-keeping and speed service standards” will receive some form of compensation under new rules proposed today.
The rules for “rebate pass-through” are being proposed by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) and - in the case of the NBN - will be supported by clauses in the upcoming wholesale broadband agreement (WBA4) between NBN Co and its retail service providers (RSPs).
Back in August, under pressure from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), NBN Co agreed to pay daily rebates on slow, congested and underperforming services, as well as for missed appointments and service faults.
An expectation was set at that point that RSPs receiving the rebates would pass them on to impacted customers in some form.
These rules are now starting to be defined.
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NBN Co says consumer demand for higher-speed internet continues
The company building the National Broadband Network says the bumper demand from the COVID-19 pandemic has not subsided, with 80 per cent of Australians selecting superfast plans of 50 megabits-per-second and above.
In its first quarter results for FY2021, the company reported on Monday that 7.66m Australian premises were connected to the network, with 388,000 added in the three months to September 30. It said 11.82 million premises were deemed “ready to connect”.
NBN Co posted total revenue of $1.07bn, up 22 per cent on the same period a year earlier, and earnings before interest, tax, deprecation and amortisation (EBITDA) of $102m, compared to a $435m loss a year earlier.
The company’s capital expenditure came in at $772m, while it also paid $2.4bn in so-called subscriber costs to Telstra and Optus, which it said would be the highest annual level of the payments.
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https://itwire.com/telecoms-and-nbn/nbn-co-boosts-first-quarter-revenue,-earnings.html
Monday, 09 November 2020 10:16
NBN Co boosts first quarter revenue, earnings
The operator of the National Broadband Network, NBN Co, is trumpeting strong momentum and earnings growth, recording quarterly earnings of $102 million in the three months ending September 2020, compared to a loss of $435 million in Q1 FY2020 - and with total revenue of $1.07 billion for three months, up 22% on the corresponding quarter last year.
Releasing its Q1 FY21 financial results on Monday, NBN Co said it had closed the first quarter with strong momentum on activations on the network, with EBITDA before subscriber costs at $571 million, an increase of 61% year on year, with the company paying approximately $469 million in total combined subscriber costs to Telstra and Optus.
In FY20, NBN Co paid approximately $2.4 billion in subscriber costs to Telstra and Optus, “the highest annual level of such payments”.
“As outlined at the Company’s FY20 financial results in August 2020, these costs will significantly reduce from FY21 with payments totalling approximately $1.5 billion due over FY21-24, until such payments cease,” NBN said in its quarterly statement.
The quarterly results report also revealed that capital expenditure for the quarter was $772 million - the largest component of which related to build and connection costs.
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Enjoy!
David.
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