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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Interesting to see ongoing funding for the #myHR announced to help Accenture keep is all going. Not sure why?
Lots of NBN news with the Annual Report released.
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https://itwire.com/business-it-news/security/ransomware-attacks-on-the-rise-report.html
Thursday, 11 August 2022 15:33
Ransomware attacks on the rise: report
By Staff Writer
There has been a significant increase in global ransomware attacks in the second quarter of 2022, with attacks up 24% from the three months of the first quarter this year.
The report on a global rise in ransomware from security company Avast in its Q2/2022 Threat Report released today reveals that the comany’s researchers also uncovered a new zero-day exploit in Chrome, as well as signals how cybercriminals are preparing to move away from macros as an infection vector.
According to the Avast report, the highest quarter-on-quarter increases in ransomware risk ratio occurred in Argentina (+56%), UK (+55%), Brazil (+50%), France (+42%), and India (+37%).
“Consumers, but especially businesses should be on guard and prepared for encounters with ransomware, as the threat is not going anywhere anytime soon,” explains Jakub Kroustek, Avast Malware Research Director.
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https://medicalrepublic.com.au/were-walking-blindly-towards-capitation/74728
11 August 2022
We’re walking blindly towards capitation
Voluntary patient enrolment is a new term for a failed model that I believe risks harming our patients.
Over the past two decades both Labor and Liberal governments’ main agenda for primary care funding has been cost cutting, big data collection, and increased bureaucratic control.
These objectives are best met in a capitated system.
A capitated system may be good for government in the short term (by meeting
those needs), but it is bad for patients and the GPs who care for them. This is
also bad for government in the long term. Mark Butler recently stated: “The most terrifying statistic
in health, which is an area replete with terrifying statistics, is that less
than 15% of medical graduates are choosing general practice as their career.”
Making general practice an even less appealing choice for graduates is unlikely to improve this statistic.
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https://www.itnews.com.au/news/adha-extends-accentures-my-health-record-support-deal-for-100m-583751
ADHA extends Accenture's My Health Record support deal for $100m
By Justin Hendry on Aug 9, 2022 11:42AM
As records move to Microsoft Azure.
The federal government will pay Accenture $100 million to continue its support of My Health Record for another three years, as it looks to progressively decommission legacy infrastructure supporting the system.
The Australian Digital Health Agency entered a contract with the consultancy on Friday, bringing the total cost of the national infrastructure operator (NIO) arrangement to $741.2 million over 13 years.
The new deal replaces a decade-long contract for the design, build and integration of the system that expired at the end of June following two extensions: one for two years in October 2019 and another for a year in July 2021.
Accenture has held the lucrative NIO contract since 2011, when My Health Record was known as the Personally Controlled Electronic Health Record (PCEHR). It works with a consortium of suppliers, including Oracle and Orion Health, to support the system.
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ADHA extends Accenture's contract as My Health Record infra operator
This comes as the agency continues to modernise its national infrastructure.
By Adam Ang
August 09, 2022 09:27 PM
The Australia Digital Health Agency has extended Accenture's contract as the national infrastructure operator of My Health Record for another three years.
This is the third contract extension given to the IT consultancy, which has held the contract since 2012.
WHY IT MATTERS
While no new services will be added under the new A$100 million ($70 million) contract, the agency decided to extend its contract with Accenture "to ensure the continued secure and reliable operation of the My Health Record system," it said in an emailed statement.
As its operator, Accenture is supporting over 60 technology infrastructure components that make up the core of the My Health Record system.
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https://www.australiandefence.com.au/news/cloudera-joins-consortium-for-adf-e-health-project
Cloudera joins consortium for ADF e-health project
12 August 2022
Hybrid data company Cloudera has been selected as a strategic data partner and will play a role in the transformation of the Australian Defence Force’s (ADF’s) e-health management system.
Under the recently awarded contract for the JP2060 Ph4 Project, the Department of Defence selected Leidos Australia to lead a consortium, which includes Cloudera, to deliver the ADF’s Health Knowledge Management System.
The project, valued at $299 million, provides for the replacement of the ADF’s legacy electronic health record product with a modern, patient-centric health solution. The new system will record, store, aggregate and analyse health data and information for the ADF population, with the aim to unify multidisciplinary primary and occupational care with emergency and hospital care to enable better clinical decision-making.
Cloudera says it will deliver private-cloud-native data engineering capabilities using its CDP Data Engineering solution. CDP Data Engineering will be responsible for ingesting data from multiple sources, including legacy systems and new data streams. It will reportedly also create secure data products that streamline and operationalise the data contained in the Health Knowledge Management System, as well as provide fast reliable data that will enable data scientists to extract value faster, regardless of workload, to support improved decision-making.
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https://newsroom.unsw.edu.au/news/health/digital-tool-helping-cancer-survivors-cope-fear-recurrence
A digital tool is helping cancer survivors cope with fear of recurrence
12 Aug 2022
Ben Knight
A self-guided digital intervention is showing promise for helping cancer survivors manage their post-treatment uncertainty.
Half of all cancer survivors experience clinically significant fear of recurrence. Photo: Shutterstock.
One of the most common worries cancer survivors have after treatment ends is that their cancer will return. For many, this fear can be debilitating and can significantly affect their wellbeing and ability to enjoy life. Now, a team led by UNSW Sydney researchers is investigating ways to increase access to much-needed treatment for fear of cancer recurrence through e-health.
Dr Ben Smith, Cancer Institute NSW Career Development Fellow and Senior Research Fellow at South West Sydney Clinical School, UNSW Medicine & Health, and Dr Adeola Bamgboje-Ayodele at the Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research led a national team of clinicians, researchers and cancer survivors to develop a digital intervention to help survivors manage their post-treatment fears.
The program, iConquerFear, is a self-guided online tool for managing fear of cancer recurrence. It is an adaptation of ConquerFear, a therapist-delivered treatment for fear of recurrence – originally developed by the Psycho-Oncology Co-operative Research Group, a national cancer clinical trials group – which has been shown to be effective in reducing psychological distress.
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Friday, 12 August 2022 12:08
Digital tool helping cancer survivors cope with fear of recurrence
A team led by UNSW Sydney researchers is investigating ways through e-health to increase access to much-needed treatment for fear of cancer recurrence.
Dr Ben Smith, Cancer Institute NSW Career Development Fellow and Senior Research Fellow at South West Sydney Clinical School, UNSW Medicine & Health, and Dr Adeola Bamgboje-Ayodele at the Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research have led a national team of clinicians, researchers and cancer survivors to develop the digital intervention to help survivors manage their post-treatment fears.
UNSW says the “self-guided digital intervention” is showing promise for helping cancer survivors manage their post-treatment uncertainty - and one of the most common worries cancer survivors have after treatment ends is that their cancer will return - while for many, this fear can be debilitating and can significantly affect their wellbeing and ability to enjoy life.
The program, iConquerFear, is a self-guided online tool for managing fear of cancer recurrence. It is an adaptation of ConquerFear, a therapist-delivered treatment for fear of recurrence – originally developed by the Psycho-Oncology Co-operative Research Group, a national cancer clinical trials group which has been shown to be effective in reducing psychological distress.
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Northern Territory project to enhance digital health tools deployment in indigenous communities
It aims to develop virtual care models based on the preferences of consumers and healthcare providers.
By Adam Ang
August 10, 2022 03:16 AM
A new project led by NT Health and the Menzies School of Health Research aims to develop virtual care models that meet the specific needs of indigenous communities in the Northern Territory.
WHAT IT'S ABOUT
Based on a media release, this three-year project under the Digital Health Cooperative Research Centre (DHCRC) will evaluate how existing and emerging technologies could be best deployed in remote indigenous communities.
It will identify the preferences of consumers and healthcare providers regarding virtual care, as well as address the lack of knowledge in deploying digital tools. "Recommendations will be based on needs and preferences identified by both consumers and health professionals, with a particular focus on integrating multiple professional groups working in remote [primary healthcare service]," explained Menzies professor John Wakerman.
The project also involves the participation of several organisations, including the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care, the University of Sydney, Healthdirect Australia, and the NT Primary Health Network.
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https://www.itnews.com.au/news/australian-digital-heath-agency-loses-inaugural-digital-chief-583662
Australian Digital Heath Agency loses inaugural digital chief
By Justin Hendry on Aug 8, 2022 6:39AM
The Australian Digital Health Agency has lost its chief digital officer of more than three years Steven Issa.
Issa recently exited the agency responsible for the My Health Record system for “personal reasons”, a spokesperson confirmed on Friday.
His departure was first reported by Pulse+IT.
Issa joined the ADHA as its first CDO in January 2019 after four-and-a-half years at Service NSW, where he managed face-to-face and digital customer service channels at service centres.
He also spent time managing alternative channels and middle office at Service NSW, as well as its accelerated distribution strategy program.
Improving data quality in your practice – Immunisations Quality Improvement
Event details
When Wednesday,
17 August 2022
11:00am - 11:30am (AEST)
Where Online
Hosted by Australian Digital Health Agency
Contact us
General enquiries
Phone: 1300 901 001
8am - 5pm (AEST/AEDT) Monday - Friday
Email: help@digitalhealth.gov.au
This
30-minute session will provide an overview of the importance of high-quality
patient clinical records and practical examples of how to improve your General
Practice’s data quality, through an influenza immunisation quality improvement
activity. This training will support practices to align their daily data
habits with the PIP QI Improvement Measures relating to influenza immunisation
and diagnosis data (measures 5 and 6).
This session will aim to guide General Practice administrative and
clinical staff in gaining a foundational understanding of:
- The clinical risks of poor data;
- The importance of coding clinical information to ensure quality diagnosis and medical history/observations data;
- Importance of medical terminology; and
- The benefits of up-to-date and accurate data within clinical software and when uploading documents to the My Health Record
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https://www.itnews.com.au/news/gov-scraps-covidsafe-contact-tracing-app-583771
Gov scraps COVIDSafe contact tracing app
By Justin Hendry on Aug 9, 2022 11:51PM
Asks users to delete app.
The federal government has scrapped its much-maligned COVIDSafe contact tracing app, with health minister Mark Butler deeming it “no longer required” to control the spread of the virus.
The Department of Health said COVIDSafe was “being decommissioned” in an update on the Apple and Google app stores on Tuesday afternoon, and asked users to begin uninstalling the app.
“This app is no longer being used in contact tracing,” release notes for the latest update on the COVIDSafe app listing reads.
“This update removes functionality of the app so no information is stored or collected. This will enable decommission process [sic] of COVIDSafe.”
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Thursday, 11 August 2022 08:46
COVIDSafe app killed off, helped detect 2 cases at $10m a pop
By Sam Varghese
The Federal Government has killed off the COVIDSafe app that was built by the former Liberal administration, describing it as "wasteful and ineffective".
A statement issued by Health Minister Mark Butler noted that while more than $21 million was spent on the app, only two COVID-19 cases were found through the app that had not been found through the regular process of contact tracing.
Seventeen close contacts of COVID-19 cases that had not been found through manual contact tracing were found by the app.
Butler's statement pointed out that 7.9 million people had registered and downloaded the app between April 2020 and May 2022.
The app is still present on the Google Play Store but on installing it and opening it, the screen seen on the right, below, comes up, advising that it is not being used any more.
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Australian gov't decommissions COVIDSafe contract tracing app
It is asking users to delete the app on their phones.
By Adam Ang
August 10, 2022 03:13 AM
The Australian Department of Health and Aged Care is asking users to delete the contact tracing app COVIDSafe on their mobile phones as it is decommissioning the app after two years.
In a note to users, the department said the app is getting scrapped as it is "no longer required" to prevent or control the spread of COVID-19.
The COVIDSafe app is now unavailable to download on major app stores.
As the data store administrator, the department is also working to delete all COVIDSafe app data, including registration information, encrypted user IDs, device diagnostic information and contact data, from the National COVIDSafe Data Store. Deleting the app will automatically remove all information from a user's device.
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COVIDSafe app finally axed but few were on its database anyway
6:24PM August 12, 2022
The Coalition’s COVIDSafe app has been reinforced as a waste of time and money with less than 800 people ever consenting to their data being added to the National COVIDSafe Data Store for contact tracing.
While 7.9 million people downloaded the app between April 2020 and May 2022, very few chose to report they suffered from Covid. The 800 people signing up to the database was a small fraction of the more than 362,000 Covid cases reported in Australia until the end of 2021, according to federal Department of Health figures.
Health Minister Mark Butler revealed new details of the app’s usage in a media statement announcing its demise.
“There was a total of 7.9 million registrations of the COVIDSafe app between April 2020 and May 2022, but fewer than 800 users consented to their data being added to the National COVIDSafe Data Store for contact tracing,” the statement read.
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https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/613929/BioSticker-trials-monitor-patients-in-the-community.htmm
BioSticker trials monitor patients in the community
Thursday, 11 August 2022
NEWS - eHealthNews.nz editor Rebecca McBeth
Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand Counties Manukau and South Canterbury Districts have gone live with trials of BioStickers for remote monitoring of patients in the community.
Health Minister Andrew Little visited Timaru on 12 August to announce the 6-month-long trials.
“Technology has the potential to really change the way we do things – to do things that are better for patients and at the same time ease pressure on the health system,” he said.
BioStickers are 85mm long, made of soft flexible material and are worn on the upper left chest. They capture medical-grade data, such as skin temperature, heart rate and respiratory rate.
The devices sync with an app pre-installed onto a mobile
phone, which securely transfers patient data from the BioSticker to the
BioCloud, where it can be analysed to give early indications of adverse trends.
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https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/613699/MidCentral-selects-iMedX-for-clinical-documentation.htm
MidCentral selects iMedX for clinical documentation
Tuesday, 9 August 2022
NEWS - eHealthNews.nz editor Rebecca McBeth
Te Whatu Ora Health NZ – MidCentral will implement the iMedX
digital dictation and clinical documentation workflow solution later this year.
Robyn Shaw, MidCentral planned care and administration services manager, says
the district went to tender for a new solution because the technology currently
in use is older and can benefit from replacement.
This is a high priority in order to avoid delays in getting correspondence,
such as clinic letters, to primary care providers and patients about their
clinic visit.
“We had some very manual systems and processes in place and it could be slow,
and we wanted to make sure we were meeting our target of letters being sent
within ten days after a clinic,” says Shaw.
The district was looking to digital technologies to improve the speed of
clinical communication, enhance efficiency for clinicians, and support an agile
response to future transition to digital outpatient communication strategies
and platforms.
MidCentral selected the iMedX solution, which is an
end-to-end clinical documentation solution, powered by industry leading
secure-cloud and speech-recognition technology.
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Roundup: Te Whatu Ora pilots BioStickers in New Zealand and more briefs
Also, Australian disability support service Scope is transitioning to a cloud-based contact centre system.
By Adam Ang
August 12, 2022 12:26 AM
Te Whatu Ora tries out BioStickers for remote patient monitoring at home
Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand is trying out a new remote patient monitoring device for COVID-19 patients and residents in rural communities.
The US FDA-approved BioStickers by American medical device maker BioIntelliSense are currently being tested in Counties Manukau and South Canterbury for six months.
The device, which is worn on the upper left chest, continuously captures vital parameters, such as skin temperature, heart rate, and respiratory rate.
Early feedback from the trial reported that users are more likely to stay at home than go to a hospital.
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https://www.fnarena.com/index.php/2022/08/08/dr-borehams-crucible-4d-medical/
Dr Boreham’s Crucible: 4D Medical
Small Caps | 10:27 AM
This story features 4DMEDICAL LIMITED. For more info SHARE ANALYSIS: 4DX
Dedicated lung imaging pioneer 4D medical sees itself as a software company, with lots of future potential, including from the US military.
ASX code: ((4DX))
Market cap: $201.7m
Shares on issue: 294,491,837
Chief executive officer: Prof Andreas Fouras
Board: Bruce Rathie (chair), Prof Fouras, Lilian Bianchi, Dr Robert Figlin, John Livingston, Julian Sutton, Evonne Collier
Financials (June quarter 2022): customer receipts of $207,000, cash burn -$8.25m, cash balance $51.1m, quarters of available funding six.
Identifiable major shareholders: Velocimetry Consulting (Prof Fouras) 29.5%, Perennial Value Management 6.7%.
By Tim Boreham
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Australian court finds insurer not liable for ransomware clean-up costs
By Ry Crozier on Aug 9, 2022 6:31AM
Victim left on the hook.
An Australian lawsuit over ransomware insurance cover has ruled the victim, automotive distributor and services firm Inchcape, can’t claim costs it incurred in the clean-up and recovery from the attack, such as for forensics, incident response and replacement hardware.
The judgment, handed down by the federal court last week, declares such costs as decisions taken by the victim, rather than as costs directly incurred from the attack and therefore not claimable under the insurance policy it held.
Only a small subset of costs relating to “blank media” and the copying of data onto that media are deemed claimable under the insurance policy that Inchcape Australia had with Chubb Insurance Australia.
As with all court cases, the decision is, to a large extent, specific to the parties, to the circumstances of the case, and to the specific wording of the insurance agreements.
Much of the case revolved around establishing the meaning of the phrase “direct financial loss resulting directly from”, which appears repeatedly in the insurance policy terms as a limitation to the insurer’s liability.
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https://www.digitalnationaus.com.au/news/good-news-for-ransom-payment-reimbursement-583647
Good news for ransom payment reimbursement
By Velvet-Belle
Templeman
Aug 5 2022 12:30PM
The tide may be turning for ransom payment reimbursement according to Andrew McCoomb, litigation partner at Norton Rose Fulbright.
For businesses smacked with a cyber attack, paying a ransom largely means never seeing that money again. But in a recent LinkedIn post McCoomb outlined how he, and Norton Rose Fulbright litigation associate Tyler Morrison this week obtained an order for relief from forfeiture for Bitcoin (BTC) reimbursement to be paid to an insurer client.
The client in question paid 11.26024682 BTC ($371,857.60) to high-profile NetWalker affiliate ransomware perpetrator Sebastien Vachon-Desjardins, said McCoomb.
Vachon-Desjardins pleaded guilty to five counts of offences involving extortion, theft of computer data, cryptocurrency ransom payments and criminal organisation activity.
I have read and accept the privacy policy and terms and conditions and by submitting my email address I agree to receive the Digital Nation newsletter and receive special offers on behalf of Digital Nation, nextmedia and its valued partners. We will not share your details with third parties.
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Most Australian and New Zealand Healthcare Organisations Don’t Fully Trust Their Data: InterSystems Analytics Survey
56% lack full trust in data, 51% say data quality hinders analytics and 68% lack holistic data strategy – impeding organisations’ ability to improve patient outcomes at an optimised cost
Sydney, Australia & Auckland, New Zealand – August 9, 2022 – InterSystems, a provider of next-generation solutions for enterprise digital transformation to help customers solve the most critical data challenges, today revealed that most Australian and New Zealand healthcare organisations struggle to use data analytics to support their business objectives.
This is among the findings of The State of Healthcare Analytics & Interoperability Study – Australia & New Zealand. The new study by InterSystems and tech advisory firm, Ecosystm, surveyed 180 healthcare executives across public and private organisations, large and small hospitals, and city and rural locations.
The study found a lack of trust in data, challenges with data quality and the absence of a holistic digital transformation strategy are roadblocks to organisations using data analytics to meet their top business objectives. These include improving clinical outcomes and optimising costs.
Despite 79% of surveyed executives saying data analytics was either intrinsic to all their business priorities or a top priority, only 44% of respondents fully trust their data, and 51% say data quality is a challenge to successfully implementing analytics.
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ResMed eyes insomnia treatments after weathering chip shortage
By Emma Koehn
August 12, 2022 — 9.40am
Medtech giant ResMed is expanding its focus to fighting insomnia as it doubles down on digital health investments after another year of huge demand for its products.
Early on Friday the dual NYSE and ASX-listed company revealed a 13 per cent jump in annual revenues in constant currency terms, banking $US3.6 billion ($5.1 billion). Operating profits were up 8 per cent, with the business declaring a quarterly cash dividend of US44c per share.
The numbers came after a strong final quarter of the year, in which ResMed fought hard for semiconductor chips required to make its sleep apnoea treatment products. Global shortages of component parts have capped the number of units the company can produce.
Chief executive Mick Farrell said he has spent the past few months pleading with suppliers to prioritise ResMed’s orders for healthcare devices over companies wanting the chips for consumer electronics.
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Cost relief on the way as NBN offers cheaper internet
Updated Aug 12, 2022 – 4.19pm, first published at 12.00pm
NBN’s first draft of a new pricing plan under the Labor government would cut the cost of high-speed broadband for business and consumers and phase out unpopular capacity charges for lower speed plans from next year.
Telstra and Optus welcomed the new-look stance from NBN Co, which was made following criticism from the competition watchdog over its previous proposal to lock in price rises of up to 3 per cent above the rate of inflation on some plans.
The new model proposed by NBN Co would initially limit the cost of higher 100mpbs plans, used by 18 per cent of consumers, by between $5 to $7 per month. But, despite this initial drop, consumers and businesses would still have to brace for yearly price increases linked to the inflation rate, which the network says are needed to hit financial and cost recovery targets.
Andrew Sheridan, the Optus vice president of regulatory affairs, welcomed the reset and said the “signposts provide reassurance that we are heading in the right direction”.
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Telstra earnings dip but remains confident to manage economic uncertainty
Julia Talevski (ARN)11 August, 2022 10:59
EBITDA also fell 5 per cent to $7.3 billion.
Telstra’s net profit has absorbed a 4.6 per cent hit down to $1.8 billion while total income sank 4.7 per cent down to $22 billion for the financial year ending 30 June.
Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) also fell 5 per cent to $7.3 billion.
Outgoing Telstra CEO Andy Penn said Telstra’s T22 strategy had set the company up well to manage through the current uncertain economic climate and created the foundation for growth.
“Telstra is a very different company today and while of course there is always more to do, we are much better equipped to face the very exciting digital future ahead,” Penn told shareholders.
“What we could not have foreseen was COVID and the other seismic economic, political and social changes that have unfolded.
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https://www.itnews.com.au/news/telstra-optimistic-for-a-less-constrained-nbn-co-583861
Telstra optimistic for a less-constrained NBN Co
By Ry Crozier on Aug 11, 2022 12:23PM
Paving way for a price model that might pass regulatory muster.
Telstra is optimistic that NBN Co will soon be freed of some of the constraints that prevent it from breaking from its current pricing and service standards.
In his last full-year results as CEO, Andrew Penn indicated the telco is hopeful that recent intervention by the new federal government into the NBN special access undertaking (SAU) process will result in a meaningful change in direction.
The SAU revision - which sets price and non-price terms through to 2040 - is an all-or-nothing process for NBN Co and the ACCC, which can only improve or reject a proposed variation outright, not try to change or - as Penn put it - “finesse” it.
That limits options in the process and has caused it to become prolonged.
The ACCC does have an option to directly intervene and set price and service standards itself - an option that top retail service providers (RSPs) backed in late May as a kind of circuit-breaker.
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NBN Co backtracks on planned price hikes
August 12, 2022
NBN Co has reversed plans to lock in price rises and will axe its controversial capacity charging model for all plans following heavy backlash from telcos and the competition watchdog.
In a discussion paper lodged with the ACCC on Friday, the company said it will axe CVC pricing for all speed tiers by July 2026, and cut wholesale prices for lower-speed plans, amid a swath of proposed changes to the controversial infrastructure project.
CVC is the charge that service providers pay to cover the amount of bandwidth to their customers, and has long been criticised by retailers, who instead want to play a flat wholesale price per NBN service.
In its previous regulatory submission to the ACCC in March, known as the Special Access Undertaking (SAU), NBN Co had wanted to lock in price rises until 2040, and double the price of entry-tier plans over the next decade, in plans that provoked an angry response from telcos and the ACCC, and led communications minister Michelle Rowland to call for a ‘reset’. The government-owned company currently owes the Commonwealth $6.4bn.
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Telstra has finally cut the NBN earnings anchor and can chart its own earnings course
Business columnist
August 11, 2022 — 3.48pm
Nothing in the corporate world has see-sawed quite like opinions on the performance of Telstra’s outgoing chief executive, Andy Penn. But on Thursday as he delivered his final result in the top job, he must be deeply satisfied he muscled through the detractors to leave the telco on an earnings high note.
His parting gift to Telstra - the first increase in its dividend in seven years - is particularly meaningful because it says everything about the Telstra board’s certainty about the company’s prospects to increase its earnings.
Aspirations and guidance from any corporation can be rubbery and subject to change, but the fact Telstra is paying out more in dividends than it makes in profit is a clear statement of confidence around the growth in future earnings, at least in the current year. Its guidance for the 2023 financial year for underlying earnings is $7.8 billion to $8 billion, up from the $7.3 billion it posted in 2022.
Telstra’s headline earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation, and income, were down 5 per cent and 4.7 per cent respectively, but the underlying earnings result was up 8 per cent. And it is the underlying measure, devoid of lots of distorting impacts including the NBN, which allows investors a closer look into the company’s ongoing performance.
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Friday, 12 August 2022 10:59
Network firm sees adoption of higher NBN speeds becoming the norm
By Sam Varghese
The head of a network company founded by a former NBN Co executive to simplify fibre rollouts claims that the 19% increase in NBN customers adopting plans that are 50Mbps or higher is an indication that take-up of higher speed plans will become the norm.
The comments by Sam Pratt, the chief executive of Render Networks, were based on statistics released by the NBN Co during its FY22 results announcement on Tuesday.
He told iTWire that apart from the local statistics, the proposal by the US FCC to increase minimum broadband speeds to 100Mbps "demonstrates that the connectivity benchmark continues to escalate, further reinforcing NBN's relevance and the need for ongoing investment to keep pace with both demand and global competition".
Render Networks, which was founded in 2014 and has business in Australia and the US, uses GPS technology to track rollout projects, order workflow and reduce wastage and double-up of labour.
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https://www.itnews.com.au/news/nbn-co-proposes-to-axe-cvc-across-all-plans-by-mid-2026-583906
NBN Co proposes to axe CVC across all plans by mid-2026
By Ry Crozier on Aug 12, 2022 12:00PM
Gradual phaseout.
NBN Co has laid out a fresh proposal to scrap separate bandwidth charges and introduce flat-rate pricing across all fixed-line and wireless plans by July 2026.
The company is also now proposing flat-rate price reductions on plans 100Mbps and above, with the biggest price cuts aimed at its up to gigabit residential tier - a clear nod to its intention to get as many customers with gigabit-capable infrastructure using it to the fullest extent.
In addition, NBN Co said it will place restrictions on its ability to recover sunk costs from its retail prices, cap its prices for a period “on average at CPI”, and enshrine service quality standards in the SAU, instead of leaving them to the wholesale broadband agreement (WBA) process.
How the proposed changes will be received by retailers, the ACCC and the government remains to be seen.
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NBN Co slashes losses on 10pc annual revenue spike following pricing backflip
4:57PM August 9, 2022
NBN Co has slashed its losses, helped by a 10 per cent jump in annual revenue amid strong demand for superfast broadband after recently dumping proposed changes that would have locked in price rises over the next decade.
The government-owned company posted revenue of $5.1bn with underlying earnings up 130 per cent to $3.1bn for the 12 months to June 30, in line with its guidance. Its statutory losses more than halved to $1.5bn from a $3.8bn last year.
NBN also revealed it had repaid a further $6.8bn of the $19.5bn Commonwealth loan in the last 12 months, reducing the outstanding balance to $6.4bn.
Average revenue per user — a crucial metric for the project’s profitability — was flat at $46 from the half-year.
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NBN weaknesses left unfixed risks creating a ‘white elephant’ network
8:32PM August 9, 2022
Tellingly, NBN chief executive Stephen Rue was rattling the tin.
Rue delivered a 10 per cent lift in revenue to $5.1bn in line with guidance. But he knows NBN’s business model is in the hands of the new Labor government.
Frustration with NBN pricing and internet speeds is shared by households, businesses and the telcos that directly face those customers (unlike NBN).
Some 8.5 million homes are connected to the NBN, 76 per cent on 50Mbps or higher and 18 per cent on 100Mbps or higher. The trouble is that lived experience is of much lower speeds than it says on the box.
Even in NBN’s results media release, speeds of 50Mbps are caveated – in small print – as 25 to 50Mbps and those of 100Mbps to being 25 to 100Mbps.
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Wednesday, 10 August 2022 08:50
Affordability remains NBN Co's main problem, says Budde
By Sam Varghese
The NBN Co continues to have a problem with the affordability of its network, independent telecommunications consultant Paul Budde says following the company's announced of its FY22 results on Tuesday.
Budde told iTWire in response to a query that the results were not in any way a surprise. The NBN Co said its revenue had risen by 10%, but it still reported losses of $1.46 billion for the year.
Budde said the key to the NBN Co's problem in becoming profitable was the fact that the average revenue per user (ARPU) had hardly moved. The figure was $45 at the end of FY21 and improved to $46 by the end of the first six months of 2021-22.
"They have predicted year after year that ARPU would move towards $52. This is the clearest indication that we have a problem with affordability," he pointed out.
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NBN says broadband price rise still on the table
By Zoe Samios
August 9, 2022 — 6.01pm
NBN Co boss Stephen Rue has refused to rule out increasing wholesale prices as the telecommunications sector waits on its renewed attempt at a regulatory proposal that determines how it sells internet plans.
Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said last month a policy change – namely leaving NBN Co in public hands for the time being – meant the organisation could create a pricing model that would provide affordable, quality internet.
While Rue on Tuesday declined to comment on the revised discussion paper on the matter, which will be released later this week, he said it was important the National Broadband Network remained “financially resourced.”
“We need to have cash flow so that we can continue to invest in the network to deliver good customer service and meet our obligations. It’s in everyone’s best interest for NBN to be financially resourced,” he said.
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https://www.afr.com/companies/telecommunications/nbn-goes-back-to-the-drawing-board-20220809-p5b8de
NBN goes back to the drawing board
NBN Co’s financial results and commercial expectations have collided with a Labor government that insists it must radically revise its pricing models and work in co-operation with telcos. How likely is that?
Jennifer Hewett Columnist
Aug 9, 2022 – 5.21pm
NBN’s website still promotes its original 2009 mandate to ensure “all Australians have access to fast broadband as soon as possible, at affordable prices, and at least cost”.
But its history is scarred by dramatic shifts and contradictions in government policy that have made it a magnet for constant criticism of its pricing, speeds and structure ever since Kevin Rudd came up with his grand plan to supposedly outfox Telstra and “future proof” Australia.
Naturally, no succeeding prime minister has been able to fully deliver on that promise. Even as technology transformed what was possible in terms of speed, average Australian broadband lagged way behind, often further limited by network congestion at busy times.
At least this Labor government has finally acknowledged the commercial fantasy that required NBN Co to get a financial return on the government’s massive investment while miraculously providing fast speeds and affordable prices for all consumers.
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NBN argues for pricing ‘balance’, analysts tip price rises
Lucas Baird Reporter
Aug 9, 2022 – 5.12pm
NBN Co boss Stephen Rue has downplayed the likelihood that his revamped wholesale pricing proposal will be radically different to earlier submissions, as analysts said broadband prices will still rise in line with inflation.
It means there will likely be little relief for retail consumers as cost-of-living pressures grow, even after internet providers claimed a win in July when NBN Co retracted its proposed pricing model because of government intervention.
The model, which included price rises of inflation plus 3 per cent for some of NBN’s fastest 100mbps plans, was withdrawn after Communications Minister Michelle Rowland told regulators that NBN Co would stay in public hands for “the foreseeable future” amid a rethink of how it recouped its costs.
The comments followed NBN Co’s doubling in underlying earnings and a 10 per cent rise in revenue in the financial year, in line with guidance.
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https://thenewdaily.com.au/finance/finance-news/2022/08/09/nbn-accc-upload-speeds/
10:00pm, Aug 9, 2022 Updated: 10:28pm, Aug 9
‘Dudded’: ACCC calls for action as Australians suffer stagnating NBN upload speeds
Australians are being ‘‘dudded’’ by stagnating NBN upload speeds far below the top rates advertised in their internet plans, new data reveals.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission said its latest National Broadband Network (NBN) report shows there has been ‘‘no significant improvement’’ in fixed-line upload speeds since early 2020.
It means the data rates determining how fast photos, videos and other files are uploading to the internet are still far behind what users pay for.
Average upload speeds on NBN fixed-line connections were just 85.6 per cent of the maximum speeds advertised by retailers over May 2022.
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Tuesday, 09 August 2022 15:18
Broadband download speeds improve but upload speeds remain flat: ACCC
By Staff Writer
Australians who get their broadband through NBN fixed-line connections experienced slightly faster download speeds in May 2022 than they did in February 2022, according to the ACCC’s latest quarterly Measuring Broadband Australia report.
Fixed-line connections are those that have a physical line running to the property, such as fibre to the premises or fibre to the node.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s Measuring Broadband Australia report shows that in May 2022, retail service providers’ average download speed performance was 99.3 per cent of plan speed during all hours (compared to 97.9 per cent in February), and 97.6 per cent of plan speed during the busy hours of 7-11pm (compared to 96.5 per cent in February).
The ACCC also reports that retailers’ average upload speed performance on NBN fixed-line connections in May 2022 was 85.6 per cent of plan speeds during all hours, compared to 84.7 per cent of plan speeds in February 2022.
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Tuesday, 09 August 2022 09:27
NBN Co revenue up 10% for FY22, but red ink remains on balance sheet
By Sam Varghese
The NBN Co, the company rolling out Australia's national broadband network, recorded $5.1 billion in revenue for the full-year 2021-22, an increase of 10% year-on-year. But the company has yet to hit profitability, with the loss for the period being $1.46 billion.
This latter figure was not, expectedly, highlighted by the company in its statement issued on Tuesday listing results for the financial year to June 30. On the plus side, it was well down on losses of $3.8 billion for the previous financial year.
The company said in a statement that 8.5 million residential and business premises were connected to the network, meaning there had been about 316,000 additional activations since the end of 2020-21 financial year.
The average revenue per residential user was $46, the same as at the end of the first half of the financial year; it rose from $45 at the end of the financial year 2021. The NBN Co has said in the past that this figure has to hit $52 for it to show a profit.
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NBN Co sees revenue up, costs and losses down, but ARPU hardly moves
By Richard Chirgwin on Aug 9, 2022 11:17AM
Promises new discussion paper for SAU variation this week.
NBN Co more than doubled its profit between 2021 and 2022, driven by growth in its subscriber base and falling costs, but its high-speed customer base and average revenue per user (ARPU) remain almost unchanged since 2021.
The network operator reported just one percent growth in customers connected to speed tiers higher than 50 Mbps download in the financial year just ended.
Customers’ reluctance to upgrade their speeds inhibited ARPU growth, which was almost unchanged at $46, up from $45 in financial year 2021. That growth was recorded in the first half of 2022.
CEO Stephen Rue said today the ARPU growth was forecast in guidance offered in the 2020-2021 financial results.
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Enjoy!
David.
