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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It was the busiest week since last year with all sorts of things going on – have fun browsing!
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https://www.ausdoc.com.au/news/plaintiff-lawyer-says-gps-should-record-every-telehealth-consult
Plaintiff lawyer says GPs should record every telehealth consult
Nick Mann says it will help doctors defend any medical negligence claims made against them
24th March 2022
A plaintiff lawyer is encouraging GPs to routinely record telehealth consultations, saying it can short-circuit medicolegal proceedings by removing arguments over what transpired in a consult.
Nick Mann, from the civil law firm Polaris Lawyers, says that over the past five years, an increasing number of his clients have told him they record their medical consultation without informing the doctor.
“Sometimes it’s because of medicolegal concerns but other times, they’re just stressed about remembering and want to be able to play it back,” he said.
“So, for doctors, I think the better way forward is to flip it, and to say, with your permission I will record the consultation.
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https://www.ausdoc.com.au/news/wanted-1000-gps-willing-stress-test-racgps-fellowship-exam-software
Wanted: 1000 GPs willing to 'stress test' the RACGP's fellowship exam software
They will be asked to work through a series of clinical questions for 45 minutes
23rd March 2022
The RACGP wants 1000 members to sit a written clinical exam on their computers next month so it can put its new exam software to the ultimate pressure test.
The mock assessment on April 5 will form part of a series of trials ahead of the college’s return to online fellowship exams, which is expected to occur later this year.
Any college member can sign up as a candidate. They will be asked to work through exam questions to test the platform’s functions for 45 minutes.
It’s unclear whether doctors who take part will receive results, but they will be asked to give feedback on what they think of the process.
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SafeScript NSW
SafeScript NSW is now available in your area.
Dear David More
To begin using SafeScript NSW, the real-time prescription monitoring system for
NSW, you need to register. Registration is simple and will take less than
5 minutes.
Visit the SafeScript NSW education and training webpage to access resources that cover:
· how and when to use the SafeScript NSW system
· information about monitored medicines and clinical practice
· communication and care for patients using monitored medicines
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https://wildhealth.net.au/beware-big-pharma-bearing-free-consults/
24 March 2022
Beware Big Pharma bearing free consults
Preconception multivitamin supplier Elevit launched a free text chat service last week that allows Australian women who are planning a pregnancy to talk to healthcare professionals online.
Elevit is Bayer’s leading prenatal brand, with Bayer Australia sole sponsor of the “Ask a Doctor” chat service. Bayer says enquiries about Elevit products should be directed to Bayer’s medical information team.
But while Elevit emphasises the Ask a Doctor service is not set up to directly spruik the company’s preconception multivitamins products – and notes the service is not intended to replace a face-to-face medical consultation – RACGP President Dr Karen Price warned such online services warrant concern.
“There are numerous risks and downsides to opportunistic services like this offering ‘GP services’ via telehealth or online,” Dr Price told Wild Health.
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https://www.itnews.com.au/news/bupa-elevates-digital-data-chief-to-apac-executive-team-577830
Bupa elevates digital, data chief to APAC executive team
By Staff Writer on Mar 25, 2022 6:45AM
Role filled by Belong’s former CTO.
Bupa has formally named Natalie Field as its chief digital and data officer for Asia Pacific, noting her role elevated the technology-based functions to the health insurer’s executive team.
Field joined Bupa in November last year; she was previously the chief technology officer for Telstra’s budget brand, Belong.
The insurer said in a LinkedIn post on Thursday that the chief digital and data officer role is newly created and that it came with a seat on the Asia Pacific executive leadership team.
“In her new role, Natalie will focus on supporting our customers and people to thrive in a digital world,” Bupa said in the post.
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Monday, 21 March 2022 11:43
InterSystems Health Connect Cloud automates operations to improve healthcare services
InterSystems unveils the Health Connect Cloud, a platform-as-a-service which streamlines interoperability and data integration between clinical systems and applications while managing the entire infrastructure.
Health Connect Cloud provides data automation and management capabilities to help improve patient outcomes.
Seventy percent of organisations have migrated some of their workloads to the cloud.
InterSystems says in healthcare, migrating and storing data in the cloud is a sensitive process that requires a high level of security.
“Health Connect Cloud meets healthcare organisations at the intersection of the cloud and data exchange, providing them with the integration engine required to automate the secure delivery of patient data across multiple disparate systems,” says InterSystems director of healthcare commercial initiatives Alex MacLeod.
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'Magic': NSW's eTOC goes live at Prince of Wales Hospital, saving time and reducing errors
The rollout of eTOC continues across the state, with eHealth NSW's head Dr Zoran Bolevich saying it improves clinical productivity and patient care.
By Lynne Minion March 21, 2022 03:30 AM
Sydney's Prince of Wales Hospital has gone live with the Electronic Transfer of Care platform, a first of its kind innovation in Australia that speeds up medications information sharing between intensive care units and general wards.
The first ICU patient transfer using eTOC at Prince of Wales occurred on Wednesday, 2 March, with a doctor describing the system as "magic" after using it for the first time.
WHY IT MATTERS
Dr Zoran Bolevich, Chief Executive of eHealth NSW and CIO of NSW Health, said web-based eTOC ensures patients' medication details are available when they are moved from ICU to wards in a way that reduces the chances of errors and saves valuable time.
"Historically, this was a time-consuming manual process reliant on clinicians' physically transcribing details into different systems. eTOC was developed to resolve this, improving both clinical productivity and patient care," Dr Bolevich told Healthcare IT News.
Faster transfers and reducing the potential for medication errors are other advantages to the system, which digitally transfers medication orders from the electronic record for intensive care (eRIC) to the Cerner EMR used in NSW public hospitals.
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Omniscient Neurotechnology backed by Gina Rinehart set to reach unicorn status
4:30AM March 23, 2022
Gina Rinehart-backed start-up Omniscient Neurotechnology was the star of the show at last week’s South by Southwest innovation festival in Texas and is shaping up to be Australia’s next tech unicorn, with investors lining up to back the company that uses AI and big data to provide personalised maps of connections within the human brain.
Backed by billionaire investors Gina Rinehart and Will Vicars, and co-founded by Dr Charlie Teo, Omniscient’s technology gives doctors a detailed view of each person’s brain networks, and can build a personalised precision brain map from a standard MRI in less than one hour.
The company last week took out SXSW’s 2022 Innovation Award and chief executive Stephen Scheeler, the former boss of Facebook Australia, says he sees parallels between the huge global potential he saw in Facebook years ago, and with this new start-up.
“The guy at the heart of Omniscient is American neurosurgeon Michael Sughrue, and he’s a genius. I’ve worked with Mark Zuckerberg, and he and Mark are in the same kind of category. They’re just translational geniuses who can cut across domains,” Mr Scheeler said.
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Hope for quadriplegics as ‘miracle treatment’ gets green light from regulator
7:36PM March 21, 2022
In a major step forward for treating victims of paralysis, Australian regenerative medicine company Orthocell has won regulatory approval for a groundbreaking nerve repair device.
The news heralds an opportunity for thousands of quadriplegic patients to receive potentially life-changing treatment with the device, Remplir, deemed primarily effective for restoring the use of arms and hands in patients.
Clinical trials of Remplir (formerly known as CelGro) found 82.6 per cent of recipients regained use of the muscles controlled by the repaired nerve after 24 months of treatment.
Remplir is a collagen membrane that mimics the outer layer of the peripheral nerve.
Surgeons join a damaged nerve with a healthy one – taken from another part of the body – using minimal tension, and wrap the device around the area to create a ‘healing chamber’ that allows the nerve endings to reform organically, eventually restoring muscle function.
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Tuesday, 22 March 2022 11:54
Snowflake launches Healthcare & Life Sciences Data Cloud
Data cloud specialist Snowflake has launched its Healthcare & Life Sciences Data Cloud, said to be a single, integrated, and cross-cloud data platform that eliminates technical and institutional data silos.
Healthcare & Life Sciences Data Cloud is intended to allow organisations to securely centralise, integrate, and exchange critical and sensitive data at scale
Customers including Anthem, IQVIA, Komodo Health, Novartis, Siemens Healthineers, Spectrum Health, and others, are using Healthcare & Life Sciences Data Cloud to to deliver improved patient outcomes and care experiences, optimise care delivery, and enhance clinical and operational decision-making, the company said.
And life sciences organisations such as Novartis are using it to improve omnichannel engagement, accelerate time-to-market, and collaborate more closely than ever with their healthcare partners.
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Beamtree (ASX:BMT) accelerates international growth with first NHS contracts
Yvette Ogilvie Markets Reporter 22 March 2022 16:51 (AEDT)
- Beamtree (BMT) secures its first NHS (National Health Service) contracts worth about $540,000 in combined annual revenue with four hospital trusts in England
- The contracts represent the first international clients for the company’s RippleDown decision support technology as well as the first time its coding and analytic services have been used in England
- Beamtree says applications of the RippleDown technology and data analytics at the UK hospitals will include automating the coding of clinical records as well as a trial implementation to automate clinical documentation such as discharge summaries
- The company expects the initial contracts will lead to multi-year agreements and hopes to spread its services into Europe, the Middle East, the US and Asia via similar international partnerships
- BMT shares up 3.03 per cent to 34 cents
Beamtree (BMT) has nailed down its first NHS (National Health Service) contracts worth about $540,000 in combined annual revenue with four hospital trusts in England.
The company said the NHS trusts were the first international clients for its proprietary RippleDown decision support technology in hospital-based care.
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Thursday, 24 March 2022 10:55
Engineers develop surgical glove built with sensors for surgeon trainees
A glove which gives surgical trainees instant and accurate feedback and could also be used by musicians and artists is being trialled at Liverpool Hospital.
Engineers at Western Sydney University have invented a surgical glove built with low-cost sensors which can record hand movements in fine detail, giving trainee surgeons and their mentors actionable data to evaluate and improve on intricate surgical procedures.
Researchers are working with surgeons and students at Liverpool Hospital to develop the technology. The gloves
will augment rather than replace traditional surgical training.
Dr Gough Lui who leads the research believes the device
could measure intricate hand manoeuvres of surgeons to give clear feedback to
trainees.
“Training surgeons in a more objective and evidence-based manner ensures evidence-based competency,” says Dr Lui. “Teachers will be able to give precise feedback on minute details post-surgery, and students can analyse their performance.”
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https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-022-12939-x
Data sources for precision public health of obesity: a scoping review, evidence map and use case in Queensland, Australia
BMC Public Health volume 22, Article number: 584 (2022) Cite this article
Abstract
Background
Global action to reduce obesity prevalence requires digital transformation of the public health sector to enable precision public health (PPH). Useable data for PPH of obesity is yet to be identified, collated and appraised and there is currently no accepted approach to creating this single source of truth. This scoping review aims to address this globally generic problem by using the State of Queensland (Australia) (population > 5 million) as a use case to determine (1) availability of primary data sources usable for PPH for obesity (2) quality of identified sources (3) general implications for public health policymakers.
Methods
The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR) was followed. Unique search strategies were implemented for ‘designed’ (e.g. surveys) and ‘organic’ (e.g. electronic health records) data sources. Only primary sources of data (with stratification to Queensland) with evidence-based determinants of obesity were included. Primary data source type, availability, sample size, frequency of collection and coverage of determinants of obesity were extracted and curated into an evidence map. Data source quality was qualitatively assessed.
Results
We identified 38 primary sources of preventive data for obesity: 33 designed and 5 organic. Most designed sources were survey (n 20) or administrative (n 10) sources and publicly available but generally were not contemporaneous (> 2 years old) and had small sample sizes (10-100 k) relative to organic sources (> 1 M). Organic sources were identified as the electronic medical record (ieMR), wearables, environmental (Google Maps, Crime Map) and billing/claims. Data on social, biomedical and behavioural determinants of obesity typically co-occurred across sources. Environmental and commercial data was sparse and interpreted as low quality. One organic source (ieMR) was highly contemporaneous (routinely updated), had a large sample size (5 M) and represented all determinants of obesity but is not currently used for public health decision-making in Queensland.
Conclusions
This review provides a (1) comprehensive data map for PPH for obesity in Queensland and (2) globally translatable framework to identify, collate and appraise primary data sources to advance PPH for obesity and other noncommunicable diseases. Significant challenges must be addressed to achieve PPH, including: using designed and organic data harmoniously, digital infrastructure for high-quality organic data, and the ethical and social implications of using consumer-centred health data to improve public health.
Note: Found the #myHR not much use
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https://au.hudson.com/jobview/aps-6-complex-services-manager/e596dbb6-5902-4d18-83c7-4ff81cd02b77/
APS 6 Complex Services manager
Full time
$100,000 - $114,800 Annually Total Package
· Brisbane, Canberra or Sydney based role
· Ongoing position
· High profile national program
The APS6 Complex Services Manager reports to the Director, Customer Support and provides operational oversight and governance of consumer support operations. The APS6 Complex Services Manager will be expected to offer knowledge and training tools for escalations case work, allocate time-sensitive work tasks, monitor and report on team activities, research and respond to feedback and complaints, and review requests, recommendations and decisions regarding access to My Health Records. They also provide expert knowledge, guidance and advice to other teams within the Agency.
About the Agency
The Australian Digital Health Agency is responsible for national digital health services and systems, with a focus on engagement, innovation and clinical quality and safety. Our focus is on putting data and technology safely to work for patients, consumers and the healthcare professionals who look after them.
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https://www.digitalhealth.gov.au/careers/program-support-officer
Program Support Officer
APS4
($84,807 - $89,609)
Digital
Strategy Division > Programme Management
Brisbane,
Canberra, Sydney
Closing - 27 Mar 2022
Division Overview
Digital strategy – responsible for national digital health design and strategy, underpinned by strong clinical governance and digital health standards.
Primary purpose of position
Supporting the Digital Strategy Division, the APS4 Program Support Officer will coordinate the Agency’s data request process which includes the monitoring and managing of the team mailbox, triaging data requests, prioritising requests for action and providing responses and outcomes according to service levels agreements. The Program Support Officer is accountable for:
- Assisting, supporting and coordinating corporate activities within the team including but not limited to monitoring expenditure against budget, coordinating IT and infrastructure resource requirements.
- Undertaking procedural, clerical, administrative support or operational tasks including some research and analysis activities.
- Maintaining and applying a general understanding of the outcomes required by the Director and other senior managers; providing support for the preparation of meetings, including coordinating documentation, agendas, briefing notes, presentations etc.
- Understanding of relevant legislation and policy frameworks.
- Identifying operational, financial, and administrative issues impacting on the Team; ensuring relevant leaders are consulted and informed; providing advice to contribute to the resolution of issues and problems.
- Building rapport and liaising with internal and external stakeholders on moderately complex operational and administrative matters.
- Resolving moderately complex enquiries from stakeholders and providing information and advice as a representative of the work area.
- Working closely with others within the Branch, Division, and the Agency, seeking cooperation, negotiating outcomes, resolving moderately complex issues; raising more complex issues with Manager for review and decision.
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CSIRO and Nvidia sign agreement to accelerate Australia's AI capabilities
The move is expected to expand the country's efforts around AI research and the national AI centre.
Written by Aimee Chanthadavong, Senior Journalist
on March 25, 2022 | Topic: AI & Robotics
Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and Nvidia have signed a collaboration agreement to ramp up the country's AI capabilities and adoption of the technology across industry, academia, and the public sector.
Some of the specific initiatives under the agreement include the development of AI and machine learning capabilities that are focused on a national AI upskilling approach aimed at students, researchers, and industry professionals, and applying quantum computing and digital twins for use cases across climate action and genomic medicine.
A working group made up of members from both organisations will also be established to identify further opportunities for co-innovation under the agreement.
"This is an exciting step for Australia's expanding artificial intelligence capabilities. CSIRO has been using Nvidia's accelerated computing platform for over a decade, and I envisage that this new collaboration will expand our efforts around AI research, start-ups and industrial ventures, grow a more robust local AI ecosystem and support the launch of our new National AI Centre," CSIRO CIO Brendan Dalton said.
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New Zealand's COVID-19 shared care record creates GP outcry as cases soar
Changes have been made to NZ’s new information sharing platform in response to claims it "alienated GPs" during a surge in COVID-19.
By Lynne Minion
March 21, 2022 12:29 AM
After two years of astonishingly low COVID-19 levels, New Zealand is dealing with a wave of Omicron cases and a new government COVID-19 care platform has been adding to the burden for GPs.
As the controversy over the Covid Clinical Care Module (CCCM) grew in tandem with the surge in COVID-19 cases, in early March the Ministry of Health conceded there were "issues with the speed" of the shared care record system used by GPs and other health providers.
"Depending on demand, the links between other systems and the CCCM are not always providing a real-time view about people with COVID-19 that require support," a ministry statement said.
"During the past 10 days, the increasing number of cases and multiple concurrent changes to IT systems that support the care of COVID-19 cases has resulted in intermittent delays in notifying cases."
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Use of eMental health increases as industry calls for national hub
Wednesday, 23 March 2022
NEWS - eHealthNews.nz editor Rebecca McBeth
Use of telehealth and digital
tools to provide mental health support is increasing, however not all people
can access these supports easily, a new report says.
In response to “Te Huringa: Change and Transformation. Mental Health Service
and Addiction Service Monitoring Report 2022"
industry body NZHIT is calling for the development of a national digital mental
health and addictions support hub to ease pressure on the mental health and
addictions system.
The Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission has released the report which
monitors the performance of mental health services and addictions services
between 2016/2017 and 2020/2021.
“Our measures show use of telehealth and digital supports is increasing as they
become more available, and access to primary mental health services has
increased, particularly for young people,” it says.
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Roundup: New Zealand lifts vaccine pass, QR code mandate, Nelson Marlborough moves to cloud, and more briefs
Also, latest insights have shown that Australian health information managers have seen gradual increases in their average salary.
By Adam Ang
March 25, 2022 01:24 AM
New Zealand waives vaccine pass, QR code requirements
From 4 April, the use of vaccine passes and QR codes will no longer be required in New Zealand.
In a statement on Wednesday, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced that vaccine passes "will no longer be mandated" after COVID-19 cases came down from their peak.
Yet, the government will still maintain systems in place and update the passes over time to include boosters.
"Should there be a variant that demands it, or a change in circumstances, we may yet need them again," Ardern said.
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Friday, 25 March 2022 10:19
A Deloitte Access Economics report reveals lack of business readiness for 5G adoption
A report from Deloitte Access Economics has warned part of the potential $94 billion boost to Australia’s GDP over the next nine years from 5G technology is at risk from delayed business readiness and slow industry adoption.
The report, titled 5G Unleashed: Realising the potential of the next generation of mobile technology, was commissioned by the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association (AMTA) to examine the economic impact of adoption levels of 5G-enabled technologies and innovations, and the policy and regulatory principles required to support accelerated adoption.
The report found that, while Australia has been a world leader in mobile telecommunications for decades and is currently ranked 3rd globally, it is at risk of falling to 9th by 2025 due to lack of business readiness for change and a policy regime that needs to be recharged.
Australian businesses were found to be slow when it comes to readiness for adoption of 5G despite 62% of businesses leaders across four sectors agreeing 5G will accelerate the growth of their business, with 59% saying they have no strategy to realise 5G and nearly 1 in 3 (30%) having no plans to implement 5G, the report shows.
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https://www.itnews.com.au/news/telstra-mullumbimby-tower-fire-sparks-fury-577546
Telstra Mullumbimby tower fire sparks fury
By Natalie Apostolou on Mar 18, 2022 12:58PM
Town back offline.
Pummelled by rain, decimated by floods and enraged by ineffective government support during a time of social and environmental crisis, the bucolic town of Mullumbimby, part of the Byron Bay Shire, has now suffered another total mobile communications outage following a 3am fire at its Telstra tower.
A truck driver passing the tower alerted authorities and dialled triple zero.
Telstra Regional general manager Mike Marom, this morning confirmed that the fire appeared to have been deliberately lit and described the act as ‘reprehensible’.
NSW Police and Telstra are investigating the blaze at the tower on River Terrace, Mullumbimby, which has caused extensive damage to the top of the tower and destroyed antennas, transmitters and receivers.
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https://www.itnews.com.au/news/telstra-tpg-deal-could-create-regional-5g-monopoly-optus-577857
Telstra, TPG deal could create regional 5G monopoly: Optus
By Richard Chirgwin on Mar 25, 2022 11:05AM
Telco voices opposition to tie-up.
Optus has gone public with its opposition to the proposed infrastructure deal between Telstra and TPG.
Under the arrangement first announced in late February, TPG will decommission more than 700 of its mobile sites and gain access to 3700 Telstra towers.
Telstra will get access to some TPG towers, and the two will get access to some of each other’s 4G and 5G spectrum.
All of which is too much for Optus, which has decided to oppose the deal.
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https://www.itnews.com.au/news/rural-broadband-lobby-hails-nbn-750m-spend-577696
Rural broadband lobby hails NBN $750m spend
By Richard Chirgwin on Mar 23, 2022 12:34PM
Hard work pays off.
The Better Internet for Rural, Regional & Remote Australia (BIRRR) rural broadband lobby has welcomed a $750 million injection into upgrades to NBN wireless infrastructure.
With $480 million from the federal government as well as $270 million of its own funds, NBN Co will be upgrading fixed wireless links to 5G, extending the fixed wireless footprint deeper into the Sky Muster satellite footprint, and rejigging plan allowances for Sky Muster users.
The Better Internet for Rural, Regional & Remote Australia (BIRRR) has praised the investment as “transformative” for regional users.
The organisation singled out the removal of Sky Muster metering except between 4pm and midnight, expanded Sky Muster data allowances to 90GB per month, and extended range from selected fixed wireless towers from 14km to 29km.
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Wednesday, 23 March 2022 08:33
Government and NBN invest in fixed wireless network
The Australian Government and NBN announced funding of $750 million to improve NBN's fixed wireless network. The Government funding $480 million and NBN supporting this with an additional $270 million.
The funding will go into a program to deliver faster wholesale speeds for regional Australia benefiting thousands of homes and businesses.
NBN Co says it will use the funding to 5G-enable its network of more than 2,200 Fixed Wireless infrastructure sites and more than 22,000 cells in semi-rural areas and across regional and remote Australia. NBN will use the very latest 5G technology to vastly extend the range, speed and capacity of its existing Fixed Wireless network, while reducing latency to deliver the best possible customer experience.
Importantly, as a result of recent advances in 5G technology, and in particular NBN's extensive testing and future implementation of 5G millimetre wave technology, the enhancements will be primarily delivered using the existing network of NBN Fixed Wireless towers, the company stated.
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Tuesday, 22 March 2022 16:03
Throwing money at NBN in regions will not lead to automatic fix: Budde
By Sam Varghese
The Federal Government's announcement of an additional $480 million investment in regional broadband cannot be taken to indicate that the services will automatically improve as the money could just be an election handout, independent telecommunications consultant Paul Budde says.
The announcement, made on Tuesday, indicates the total spend will be $750 million, with the balance, $270 million, coming from the NBN Co, the company rolling out the network.
Budde said in a statement both the fixed wireless and satellite offerings from the NBN Co had been under-performing because of a lack of capacity.
"The extra money will most certainly address that issue and, thus improve the services. The upgrades aim to lift the quality of the network - measured at the busiest time of the day, 8pm - from 6Mbs to 50Mbs, at no extra cost to the user," he pointed out.
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https://thenewdaily.com.au/finance/2022/03/22/nbn-internet-government-upgrade/
10:00pm, Mar 22, 2022 Updated: 6:38pm, Mar 22
Government shrugs off decade of ‘mistakes’ with $750 million NBN upgrade
Sezen Bakan Finance Reporter
Regional and rural internet services are set to receive a boost worth $750 million as the government rushes to make up for past “mistakes” before the election.
Next week’s federal budget will commit $480 million to improve internet speeds in regional, rural and remote areas, and the taxpayer-owned NBN Co will be kicking in an additional $270 million of its funds.
About $60 billion has already been poured into the NBN over the past nine years by federal taxpayers.
“This means more people can be served by NBN fixed wireless; it means higher speed services on the NBN fixed wireless network; and it means higher amounts of data can be used by households and business customers,” Minister for Communications Paul Fletcher said.
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NBN Co coaxed half a million users off 12Mbps and 25Mbps services
By Ry Crozier on Mar 23, 2022 7:00AM
Using its 'Focus on Fast' marketing campaign.
NBN Co had a near 90 percent success rate encouraging 12Mbps and 25Mbps users to upgrade to either 50Mbps or 100Mbps and above services under a recent marketing campaign.
The migration of users out of lower speed tiers under last year’s ‘Focus on Fast’ campaign went largely under the radar until it was made public during NBN Co’s financial results briefing last month.
Focus on Fast was a ‘try-before-you-buy’ scheme that enabled users to be moved up to much faster speed services for free for six months, before being given a choice to pay more, or roll back to their previous speed tier.
Most of the attention around Focus on Fast was initially around upgrades of 100Mbps users to 250Mbps.
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NBN Co reveals the two ways to get invited to upgrade FTTN to full fibre
By Ry Crozier on Mar 22, 2022 12:13PM
And the participating RSPs, with some noticeable absentees.
NBN Co is starting to send invitations to “more than 50,000” fibre-to-the-node (FTTN) customers to initiate an upgrade to full fibre from today.
It has also finally published a list of retail service providers participating in the upgrade program, with Telstra and Aussie Broadband the two largest names.
The list, however, also has some notable absentees, including majors like TPG Telecom, Optus and Vocus.
There are two ways to get invited to upgrade.
First, FTTN users can register their interest directly with NBN Co here and then if they are part of a released area or zone, NBN Co will notify them via email, along with instructions on how to take up the offer.
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https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/the-nbn-is-getting-a-480m-boost-in-rural-areas-20220321-p5a6io
The NBN is getting a $480m boost in rural areas
Lucas Baird Reporter
Mar 22, 2022 – 5.00am
The Morrison government will pledge $480 million to significantly upgrade NBN fixed wireless services in the bush as part of its pre-election budget to shore up its regional support and deliver on advice from a landmark review.
Confirming reports earlier this month in The Australian Financial Review, Communications Minister Paul Fletcher announced the new spending on Tuesday. The government’s contribution will partner another $270 million from NBN Co, with the joint-aim to improve network speed and capacity.
“By using the latest 4G and 5G wireless technology, this upgrade will extend the coverage range from a tower, and allow higher speed services to everyone served by the tower,” Mr Fletcher said.
NBN Co chief development officer, regional and remote, Gavin Williams said the upgrade would take about two and a half years to fully roll out.
“The upgrade will expand the fixed wireless footprint coverage by up to 50 per cent, enabling 120,000 additional premises to access fixed wireless services instead of Sky Muster satellite services.“
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https://www.itnews.com.au/news/nbn-co-takes-5g-leap-with-750m-fixed-wireless-network-upgrade-577653
NBN Co takes 5G leap with $750m fixed wireless network upgrade
By Ry Crozier on Mar 22, 2022 6:28AM
Extends range, boosts speeds to 100Mbps-plus.
NBN Co will spend $750 million on upgrades to and expansion of its fixed wireless network, making it capable of 100Mbps-plus speeds.
The upgrade is backed by a government injection of $480 million, with the remaining $270 million to come from NBN Co’s “own funds”.
The aim is to both boost the speeds but also extend the reach of the fixed wireless network in a bid to “overbuild” part of the Sky Muster satellite footprint.
The company will then encourage Sky Muster users to move to fixed wireless connections instead, in the hope that “frees up capacity on the satellite network”, which can be used to boost data allowances for the remaining customers.
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https://www.itnews.com.au/news/nbn-co-quantifies-how-many-hfc-dropouts-in-a-day-is-too-many-577508
NBN Co quantifies how many HFC dropouts in a day is too many
By Ry Crozier on Mar 21, 2022 12:22PM
And would result in a service ticket being raised and/or a truck roll.
NBN Co has quietly brought HFC under the same performance standard as fibre-to-the-node (FTTN), such that four or more “unexpected dropouts” in a 24-hour period would qualify a service to be investigated.
The company made the change to its operations manual [pdf] on February 22 to a section called PI - performance incident - thresholds.
Performance incidents (PIs) are a relatively recent addition to NBN Co’s operations; although iTnews was unable to determine exactly when they first came into force, the section is not in an operations manual that was effective as of July 2018.
A November 2021 version of the operations manual showed that PIs were for FTTN only; HFC - and indeed all other access technologies - were specifically excluded from the standard at this point.
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Friday, 18 March 2022 11:12
ACCC says NBN fixed wireless consumers enjoy download speeds boost
NBN fixed wireless download speeds have improved significantly over the past year, the ACCC’s latest Measuring Broadband Australia (MBA) quarterly report shows. Speeds in December 2021 were 93.4% of plan speed during all hours and 79.8% of plan speed during the busy hours of 7-11pm.
In December 2020, when the MBA program first started measuring NBN fixed wireless, the corresponding results were 78.5% and 68.4% respectively.
The improvement in download speeds is due to a change NBN Co made in July 2021, which allowed a 15% over-provisioning allowance on the download component of NBN fixed wireless plans. Some retail providers have passed-on this change to their customers.
Upload speeds on the other hand remained quite low, declining slightly from 52.2% of plan speed in busy hours in December 2020 to 48.9% of plan speed in December 2021.
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Enjoy!
David.
