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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Just what do you think it is with Digital Health in the Deep North that the can’t stay out of the news for all the wrong reasons. The latest effort of information suppression is almost worthy on the ADHA!
Otherwise all sorts of things going on – read on!
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LNP slams 'shocking' Queensland Health email ordering IT upgrade halt
By Stuart Layt
November 1, 2019 — 5.17pm
The Queensland opposition says a directive from the Health Department to halt updates to key hospital software during parliamentary sitting weeks is “shocking”.
An email was sent to staff ordering them not to do updates on the troubled integrated electronic medical record (ieMR) system without express approval.
It specified that updates were not to be done during parliamentary sitting weeks, where the Premier or Health Minister could be publicly asked questions about any problems which arose.
Confronted with the email on Wednesday, Health Minister Steven Miles said he had never seen it before and did not order any such directive to be made.
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Exclusive: 'Inappropriate' email reveals Queensland Health's ploy to avoid political scrutiny of hospital IT outages
6:30pm Oct 31, 2019
Government decides against Queensland health upgrade
Damning emails have revealed a government plan appearing to prioritise politics over the care of Queensland hospital patients.
Messages and emails obtained by 9News prove Queensland Health staff were ordered not to perform vital upgrades to critical digital hospital systems during parliamentary sitting weeks – when government ministers or the Premier would be forced to answer questions.
Queensland's digital hospital and IT systems have been a recurring headache for the government following hundreds of millions of dollars in budget blowouts; medical supply companies going unpaid due to technical glitches; and state-wide outages of the digital hospital system.
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Leaked Queensland Health email reveals order to halt IT upgrades during Parliament
By Lucy Stone and Rob Morrison
October 31, 2019 — 7.35pm
Queensland Health staff have been directed to cancel planned changes to the department’s IT software during parliamentary sitting weeks, according to leaked correspondence.
It follows weeks of scrutiny over a slew of Queensland Health IT problems, from repeated crashes of the statewide $1.2 billion integrated electronic medical record to its new $135 million ordering system collapsing.
When confronted with the leaked missive on Wednesday, Health Minister Steven Miles denied he had any knowledge of the order, which was issued through an internal government email.
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Queensland Health's troubled year of bungles, crashes and crises
By Lucy Stone and Stuart Layt
October 31, 2019 — 9.32pm
Revelations that Queensland Health staff were asked not to perform critical IT updates during upcoming parliamentary weeks have capped a turbulent year for the department.
On Thursday Health Minister Steven Miles denied he had any knowledge of an internal government letter that told staff not to go ahead with planned updates during parliament’s sitting weeks.
The key IT project, an ambitious rollout expected to see the ieMR [integrated electronic Medical Record] implemented in nearly all public hospitals before 2025, had been hit with concerns from clinicians for months.
In January, a Brisbane Times investigation revealed senior clinicians had been fighting for months behind the scenes to raise their fears about patient safety after a series of blunders was revealed.
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Queensland Health blocks personal staff emails, cites malware fears
By Lucy Stone
October 28, 2019 — 9.07pm
Queensland Health has blocked staff from accessing personal email accounts out of concern about the high threat of hacking.
Four days ago, the Australian Cyber Security Centre issued an alert that EMOTET malware was targeting businesses and individuals through emailing attachments or website links that appeared normal.
When clicked or opened, the malware allows hackers to take over computers and access or control devices.
A Queensland Health spokesman said the department's priority was "patient safety and privacy and our cyber security teams are not aware of any Queensland Health information being compromised".
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The role of the IT leader is 'pretty basic': eHealth Queensland CEO
IT leaders need to transform into digital business enablers, says Damian Green.
The role of IT leaders is still a “pretty basic one” that involves constantly listening, eHealth Queensland CEO Damian Green said during a panel discussion at this year's Gartner IT Symposium at the Gold Coast.
If you are a good listener, you’ll probably work to create really good solutions, he told the audience.
To support clinicians and consumers, IT people also need to transform into digital business enablers. Working and focusing on the people, be those patients, families or carers, is the key to deliver healthcare services and achieve better results, Green said.
One way of achieving this, he says, is understanding that a conversation about digital transformation in healthcare cannot exist without a strategy conversation.
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ACSC issues national alert over trojan linked to Vic Health attack
Gone phishing for the weekend.
The Australian Cyber Security Centre has started banging its urgent cyber alert gong over a torrent of trojans now being aimed at business and government users, saying at least 19 organisations have been hit by ‘Emotet’ malware.
It says that the attachment-borne payload is the same that preceded a hobbling ransomware attack against regional Victorian hospials and health services that was attributed to Ryuk malware.
The public facing arm of the secretive Australian Signal’s Directorate on Friday escalated its warnings on the phishing based attack, with ACSC chief Rachel Noble issuing a national alert.
“Due to the scale of the campaign, and the risk of economic impact, the National Cyber Security Committee (NCSC) has activated the national Cyber Incident Management Arrangements (CIMA) to Level 3 – Alert”.
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Friday, 25 October 2019 11:15
ACSC warns of Windows malware Emotet spreading in Australia
An infection of Windows systems by the Emotet malware was the precursor to the recent ransomware attack on Victorian hospitals, the Australian Cyber Security Centre says, as part of a warning that Emotet, which has been around since 2014, is being spread in Australia by malicious emails.
The ACSC named the ransomware as being Ryuk. According to the Israeli firm Check Point, Ryuk is used only for tailored attacks.
"In fact, its encryption scheme is intentionally built for small-scale operations, such that only crucial assets and resources are infected in each targeted network with its infection and distribution carried out manually by the attackers," the company said in a research note issued last year.
"This, of course, means extensive network mapping, hacking and credential collection is required and takes place prior to each operation."
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Telehealth changes improve remote Australians’ access to a doctor
Australians in some of the most remote parts of the country will soon have greater access to a doctor, with the Australian Government investing $45.5 million in GP telehealth consultations.
Date published: 29 October 2019
Media type: Media release
Audience: General public
Australians in some of the most remote parts of the country will soon have greater access to a doctor, with the Morrison Government investing $45.5 million in GP telehealth consultations.
Minister for Health Greg Hunt said, “From 1 November 2019, GPs will be able to conduct regular telehealth consultations with their patients in remote areas, with rebates available through the Medicare Benefits Schedule.”
“This expansion of Medicare rebates for telehealth will help improve the quality and continuity of care for patients in areas classified as Modified Monash Model 6 and 7, which encompasses remote parts of Western Australia, the Northern Territory, Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania.”
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GP telehealth set to expand in the bush
Doctors will be able to claim new MBS items on 1 November
29th October 2019
By Kemal Atlay
GPs will gain access to four new Medicare items for telehealth consults with patients in remote areas, under an update to the MBS that will take effect on Friday.
From 1 November, doctors will be able to claim the new items 2461, 2463, 2464 and 2465 to conduct regular consultations with patients in areas classified as Modified Monash Model (MMM) 6 and 7.
The items will have the same clinical requirements and rebates as standard attendance items — for instance, item 2463 will be the telehealth equivalent of a level B consult (item 23), applying to consults less than 20 minutes and worth $38.20 (see box).
Federal Minister for Health Greg Hunt said the changes would be worth $45.5 million over three years from the 2019/20 financial year.
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New telehealth funding ‘a good start’
But the Chair of RACGP Rural believes fewer restrictions and further expansion is required to ensure every Australian can access quality healthcare.
29 Oct 2019
The additional $45.5 million in Federal Government funding – to be spread out over three years – will enable GPs to access Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) payments for telehealth consultations with patients based in remote areas of Australia.
To be eligible for subsidised telehealth consultations, patients are required to:
To be eligible for subsidised telehealth consultations, patients are required to:
- live in a Modified Monash Model (MMM) 6 or 7 location
- have an existing clinical relationship with the GP providing the telehealth consultation (defined as three face-to-face consultations in the past 12 months)
- be at least 15 km by road from the GP.
RACGP Rural Chair Associate Professor Ayman Shenouda told newsGP that while the college welcomes any initiative to give rural and remote patients access to their GP, he remains hopeful the service will be made available in more areas in the future.
‘The criteria are a bit restrictive, but it is still a good start and hopefully with the success of this program it will expand in the future to cover more rural communities and give access to rural patients,’ he said.
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‘The criteria are a bit restrictive, but it is still a good start and hopefully with the success of this program it will expand in the future to cover more rural communities and give access to rural patients,’ he said.
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Fears over government plans to share PBS and MBS patient data
The government says it wants to make it easier for researchers to access its information
31st October 2019
A plan for the government to share more health information with researchers might deter privacy-conscious patients from seeking medical treatment, the AMA says.
In August, psychiatrists raised concerns about the use of health data after 50,000 patients received letters inviting them to join a study on bipolar disorder.
The patients were targeted because PBS data showed they were prescribed lithium, but psychiatrists reported that some feared their confidentiality had been broken by their treating doctors.
Now, the AMA has warned these incidents could become more common under reforms being considered by the Federal Government.
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Monday, 28 October 2019 11:53
Health insurer nib migrates insurance system of record to AWS cloud
Australian health insurer, nib health funds, has successfully migrated the system of record for its corporate health insurance business, GU Health, to the Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud.
AWS says the migration, completed in September with partner CMD Solutions and the AWS professional services team, is one of the earliest migrations of an insurance system of record to the cloud in Australia - and a major milestone in the Australian cloud technology landscape.
According to AWS the migration was made possible following extensive technical work and ongoing consultation with nib’s regulator, the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA), which defines a system of record as a system which maintains information essential for an institution to determine its obligations to its customers and counterparties.
According to AWS the migration was made possible following extensive technical work and ongoing consultation with nib’s regulator, the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA), which defines a system of record as a system which maintains information essential for an institution to determine its obligations to its customers and counterparties.
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How hospitals in Sydney's south-west are streamlining patient care
7:38pm Oct 29, 2019
Care to be streamlined at South-West Sydney hospitals
Robbie Hart, 57, first came to Liverpool Hospital after falling downstairs but while he was visiting emergency, diagnostic tests revealed the musician from Hoxton Park, in Sydney's west, had a far greater battle on his hands.
Mr Hart was diagnosed with liver cancer and started treatment at the hospital. He's now benefiting from Liverpool's new high-tech tele-health facilities, designed to streamline patient care.
Mr Hart was diagnosed with liver cancer and started treatment at the hospital. (9News) He's now benefiting from Liverpool's new high-tech tele-health facilities. (9News)
Kitted-out with state-of-the-art technology, multiple touch LCD screens, ceiling mounted cameras and multi-directional microphones integrated with the latest digital information including scans and a digital microscope, it enables health teams to make informed decisions about a patient's treatment plan and ensure everyone is on the same page.
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Preparations ramp up for new NSW Health medical imaging system
25 October 2019
NSW Health patients and staff are a few steps closer to benefiting from a new radiology information system and picture archiving and communication (RIS-PACS) system, with clinicians and medical imaging experts recently lending their frontline expertise to how the RIS will be customised for hospitals in Western Sydney and Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health Districts.
Scheduled to go live at the first hospitals in 2020, the RIS-PACS system will improve the way in which millions of medical images are captured, used and archived annually.
Being delivered on an ‘as a service’ basis to 11 NSW Health organisations, the solution is made up of the Sectra PACS, the Kestral (Karisma) RIS, Spok critical results management, and data centre hosting in the NSW Government Data Centres through AC3.
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Google owner Alphabet in bid to buy Fitbit
By Greg Roumeliotis and Paresh Dave on Oct 29, 2019 6:59AM
As it eyes slice of data rich market for fitness trackers and smartwatches.
Google owner Alphabet Inc has made an offer to acquire US wearable device maker Fitbit Inc , as it eyes a slice of the crowded market for fitness trackers and smartwatches, people familiar with the matter said on Monday.
While Google has joined other major technology companies such as Apple Inc and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd in developing smart phones, it has yet to develop any wearable offerings.
There is no certainty that the negotiations between Google and Fitbit will lead to any deal, the sources said, asking not to be identified because the matter is confidential. The exact price that Google has offered for Fitbit could not be learned.
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My Aged Care improvements to lift GPs’ administrative burden
The online information and service portal has unveiled some significant changes designed to improve its usability for GPs and their patients.
29 Oct 2019
The changes to the My Aged Care website, which were presented by the Department of Health at this year’s GP19 , included improvements to the website’s client dashboard, better navigation of the website for patients, and online registration and screening for patients seeking self-service through the website.
But for GPs, the cornerstone change is the development of My Aged Care e-referral, a method of making referrals to the website directly from general practice management software systems.
Dr Rob Hosking, Chair of the RACGP Expert Committee – Practice Technology and Management (REC–PTM), told newsGP that improvements were much needed.
‘[It was a] very, very clunky interface, very labour-intensive, and so it just wasn’t being used, certainly not by busy GPs,’ he said.
The prior referral process through the website was implemented with no GP consultation, resulting in a system Dr Hosking described as ‘not fit for purpose’.
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But for GPs, the cornerstone change is the development of My Aged Care e-referral, a method of making referrals to the website directly from general practice management software systems.
Dr Rob Hosking, Chair of the RACGP Expert Committee – Practice Technology and Management (REC–PTM), told newsGP that improvements were much needed.
‘[It was a] very, very clunky interface, very labour-intensive, and so it just wasn’t being used, certainly not by busy GPs,’ he said.
The prior referral process through the website was implemented with no GP consultation, resulting in a system Dr Hosking described as ‘not fit for purpose’.
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'Need to be transparent': Call for online reviews of aged care providers
By Judith Ireland
October 31, 2019 — 12.00am
Advocates for older Australians say aged care providers should allow consumers to post public comments and reviews on their websites - like they might for a hotel or restaurant - to boost transparency in the aged care system.
With the aged care royal commission due to hand down its first report on Thursday, the Council on the Ageing wants to see the commission push the sector to provide more information about services, complaints and quality standards.
"The sector needs to be much more transparent," COTA chief executive Ian Yates said. "You don't have to wait for the final [royal commission] report."
The call comes in the midst of a campaign from major media companies, including the publisher of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, against government secrecy and for protection for whistleblowers, including those who revealed information about abuse and neglect in aged care.
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Health dept's Datacom outsourcing deal climbs to $321m
After service consumption change.
The federal Department of Health’s five-year outsourcing deal with Datacom has climbed to more than $321 million to reflects its increased consumption of services.
The IT services company was handed a $67.7 million amendment to the existing infrastructure and support contract early last month.
The amendment is the first secured by Datacom since it signed the original contract in March 2015, which ended IBM’s 15-year reign at the department.
The deal, covering the provision, maintenance and refresh of all hardware and software, was intended to reduce the department's annual IT costs by shifting from traditional IT services outsourcing models to an outcomes-based model with consumption-based pricing.
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VR trial outperforms Skype for remote mental health services
Prompts heightened engagement and commitment.
Virtual reality is shaping up as a promising tool for delivering mental health services to remote areas, with a new study from the University of Wollongong showing the immersive experience outperforms video platforms like Skype.
The research was conducted by Dr Shiva Pedram, who has previously worked with the coal mining industry to develop VR applications for training needs in mines located far from urban centres.
Pedram’s latest research expanded the concept to examine how VR could be used to support workers in high-risk situations like mining who don’t have ready access to mental health services.
“In any workplace there are going to be issues such as bullying, PTSD, anxiety or depression, yet there is no or very limited professional support for those working in remote locations,” she said.
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CSIRO takes genome product to the world on Amazon
Oct 28, 2019 — 12.00pm
The country's national science agency CSIRO has become the first public sector organisation in the world to sell a health product on the Amazon Web Services Marketplace, targeting researchers in conditions like diabetes and Alzheimer's.
The platform called Variant Spark uses artificial intelligence to pinpoint the genes which cause diseases. It was developed by CSIRO's Australian e-Health Research Centre.
By using several hundred computer processing units at the same time, Variant Spark lets researchers drill into complex diseases to look at how the genome might influence the disease.
The Australian e-Health Research Centre's head of cloud computing bioinformatics Dr Denis Bauer, said the tool had begun attracting the attention of researchers around the world since going live earlier this month.
"It's unusual for researchers to take the first step in an area that's usually reserved for commercial entities," she said.
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80% of pharmacies upload dispensing info to My Health Record
So far, 278,000 people have accessed their record online
28th October 2019
By AAP
Eight in ten community pharmacies are uploading dispensing data to My Health Record, Australian Digital Health Agency chief executive Tim Kelsey has told a Senate estimates committee.
The committee also heard that while 23,528 Australians had cancelled their registration since 22 February, 22,129 had opted back in since that date.
Earlier this year, the department said nine out of 10 Australians had a My Health Record.
People had until 31 January before a record was created, with 2.5 million Australians making the decision to opt out of the system.
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Dropping in, and out
Improvements already being facilitated by My Health Record, Department of Health claims, as opt-ins start to equal opt-outs
The My Health Record program is already starting to make a “meaningful impact” on Australian healthcare, Department of Health officials are claiming.
Speaking at the Senate Estimates Community Affairs Committee hearing in Canberra late last week, Tim Kelsey, CEO of the Australian Digital Health Agency, hailed early examples of the programs success.
“Obviously it’s early days but we are seeing very clearly from the clinical front-line very meaningful impact being achieved, particularly through access to medicines information.
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Western Australians benefit from easier access to pathology results
Wednesday, 30 October 2019
- PathWest becomes the first pathology provider in WA to upload results to My Health Record
- Move empowers people with their own health information
- Makes blood test and other specimen results more easily accessible
PathWest is now fully connected to the My Health Record system, providing Western Australians with convenient access to their pathology results.
PathWest is the only pathology provider in WA connected to My Health Record, uploading results from any blood or specimen collection taken in a public hospital or at a PathWest Collection Centre.
Western Australian patients now have the option to choose a pathology provider that will provide secure access to pathology results via My Health Record, allowing them to work with their clinicians to make informed decisions about their health.
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Media Release: All Western Australian patients and clinicians now have instant and secure access to pathology reports
30 October 2019: The Australian Digital Health Agency welcomes the announcement today from the WA Health Minister, the Hon. Roger Cook MLA, that My Health Record system is playing a critical part in empowering patients to manage and view their personal health information through the connection of PathWest.
“PathWest plays an important role for patients and is a critical part of healthcare in WA. This development provides patients and consumers who choose to use PathWest with an enhanced service” said Minister Cook.
Tim Kelsey, ADHA CEO says “Patients in WA now have the option of choosing a pathology provider that will securely upload their results to their My Health Record. We have heard from patients that control over their own test results is incredibly empowering and helps people to have more-informed discussions with their healthcare providers about their health."
My Health Record keeps important test results safe in one place, where they can be accessed in the future to assist in making more-informed decisions about peoples’ care and wellbeing.
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Monash Uni taps cloud to eradicate malaria
By Matt Johnston on Oct 31, 2019 12:12PM
For rapid, remote detection.
Researchers at Monash University have recently tested a cloud-based platform for malaria detection for rapid deployment into remote areas affected by the disease.
Using two portable infrared spectrometers operated from a laptop computer or a mobile phone, the researchers were able to test blood samples from 318 patients presenting with malaria at four clinics in Thailand.
Data from the spectrometers was sent to the cloud for analysis, drastically reducing the need for compute power and analytical expertise in the field.
Of the 318 patients, 151 samples were found to contain the Plasmodium protozoan that causes malaria and 167 were found to be negative - with 92 percent sensitivity (three false negatives) and 97 specificity (two false positives), according to the research paper published in the Malaria Journal.
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BreastScreen Victoria goes digital
Tuesday, 29 October, 2019
BreastScreen Victoria (BSV), the Victorian Government’s breast cancer screening organisation, has partnered with Vitro Software in a shift towards full electronic records management.
Following a successful pilot at St Vincent’s Hospital, Melbourne, BSV’s paper-based records system will transform to a complete digital system, including processes for mammography and ultrasound. Using the new system, BSV’s clinical team will be able to track client progress in real time during assessment, improving workflow and enabling the clinical team to assume responsibility for electronic record keeping.
The digital system was developed through co-design, testing and implementation by BSV’s radiologists, radiographers, nurse counsellors, data and administrative staff in collaboration with the Vitro Software team.
St Vincent’s BreastScreen Clinical Director, Dr Helen Frazer, is enthusiastic about Vitro’s role as a central mechanism of the organisation’s client-centric care strategy.
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Industry View: Underfunding of health IT systems contributor to recent cybersecurity breach
Tuesday, 29 October 2019
Regular column by Scott Arrol, NZHIT CEO
With New Zealand spending only 50 per cent of global averages on health IT, it’s likely that under-investment includes cybersecurity and a breach was inevitable.
The recent news of a cybersecurity breach at Tū Ora Compass Health clearly raised the issues of data governance, security and privacy.
I’m not often sorry to be proven right but back in January this year I publicly stated that, “It has only been a matter of pure luck that New Zealand’s health system hasn’t yet been subject to a major cybersecurity breach. It’s going to happen, and we’re currently not prepared for it.”
Rather than gloat about having an accurate crystal ball (and rush out to buy a Lotto ticket), I’d rather focus on the positive aspects of the position Tū Ora sadly found themselves in.
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Australian organisations suffering ‘cyber fatigue’
Businesses groaning under weight of alerts, Cisco study says
Australian organisations are struggling to defend against cyber threats according to a recent study.
A total of 209 Australian CISOs responded to the annual Cisco Asia Pacific CISO Benchmark Study on the cyber security landscape with 65 per cent saying they are suffering from cyber security fatigue or are receiving so many daily threats they have given up proactively defending against them.
Australian organisations are receiving a much higher volume daily alerts than the global average, with 69 per cent of respondents saying their organisations received more than 100,000 alerts every single day.
Only 33 per cent of all alerts were found to be legitimate. Australian organisations were able to investigate a higher percentage of them compared to other countries, the study found.
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Fletcher foresees complementary role for NBN and 5G
Australia will be better off with fixed and mobile network technologies competing.
Australian Minister for Communications Paul Fletcher does not see a future where 5G displaces NBN, instead saying on Friday morning that the technologies are complementary to each other.
"With each successive generation of fixed and mobile technology we've seen an increase in the speed and the capacity that each can offer, but fixed in each generation has an advantage and can carry large amounts of data to specific locations cost-effectively," Fletcher said.
"There will be applications, many applications where 5G will be the better service, but there will be many where NBN will be better. I think overall this nation will do better off from having both."
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World's largest 5G commercial services up and running
By Kirsty Needham
November 1, 2019 — 4.43pm
Beijing: China launched 5G mobile phone services on Friday, with analysts saying it is expected to become the world's largest 5G commercial market.
Ten million subscribers had pre-registered ahead of the launch. The technology offers data speeds 100 times faster than 4G.
Carriers China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom began offering 5G in 50 cities, with plan prices tied to speed for the first time, as well as data. China Unicom customers are being offered a top speed of 1Gbps for $US45 ($65) a month.
The cheapest package, based on data volume, offers 30 Gigabytes of data for $US18 a month.
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Friday, 01 November 2019 11:52
Submissions to 5G inquiry claim health hazards, call for halt to rollout
Twenty-eight submissions, practically all from individuals, have been made to the inquiry into 5G in Australia being conducted by the Standing Committee on Communications and the Arts.
And every single one talks about the alleged health effects of the technology, urging the government to stop the rollout until studies have been done to ascertain whether it is safe. A majority of the submissions are from women.
A typical submission, from one Kaye Handley, who is part of a campaign to stop 5G in Bunbury, reads:
"...I make this submission today because I am extremely concerned about the rollout and upgrades to the 5G technology in Australia.
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NBN Co restructures to set up new regional business unit
Combines wireless, satellite and customer ops.
NBN Co is restructuring to separate its regional and remote networks and operations into a new business unit.
The company said that the new regional business unit will be run by Gavin Williams, who was formerly executive general manager of products.
Williams’ new title is chief development officer for regional and remote, and he will report directly to NBN Co CEO Stephen Rue.
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Communications Minister Paul Fletcher backs NBN tactics
Communications Minister Paul Fletcher has rejected allegations NBN Co is overstepping its mark by actively chasing business customers, saying government will not issue new directives to the company.
Mr Fletcher said NBN Co was always designed to offer services to businesses and its activity in the enterprise sector was not coming at the expense of residential customers.
“NBN was always intended to serve business customers, that was part of the business plan from the outset, and it’s clear that more competition is delivering benefits to businesses, which in turn is benefiting the economy.”
Telstra and Vocus have been strident in their criticism of NBN Co exploiting its position as the wholesale monopoly, with both telcos pushing the Canberra to issue a revised statement of expectations.
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Optus snafu prints 50k private mobile numbers in White Pages
Monitor stands across Australia hit by privacy breach.
Australia’s telecommunications bridesmaid, Optus, has given a leg-up to Australia Post’s struggling letters business after it took to snail mail to tell around 50,000 customers their mobile phone numbers had been wrongly published – in the White Pages printed telephone books.
In a thoroughly weird throwback to the days when you were issued a free monitor stand that got smaller every year, Optus has apologised to customers for the data breach using the one communications format proven to be ruggedized against media cut and paste efforts: paper.
Unfortunately many of those details also went into the online telephone book… but they’ve since been deleted, Optus reckons.
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https://itwire.com/telecoms-and-nbn/nbn-business-satellite-service-heralds-new-focus-on-regions.html
Thursday, 31 October 2019 14:58
NBN business satellite service heralds new focus on regions
NBN Co has launched a business-grade satellite service covering regional and remote areas.
The business NBN satellite service is intended to help meet the increasing needs of medium or large businesses, enterprise and government users in regional and remote areas, or businesses that have employees in hard to reach areas, according to the company.
The service will provide access to fast broadband and business-grade support for businesses across Australia.
It caters for locations that do not have an address (unlike the fixed wireless and Sky Muster satellite service), and initially addresses the need for high-data capacity and IoT connectivity. Three service assurance levels will be offered.
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Enjoy!
David.
