NBN will drive mobile broadband sector

James Riley
Monday, 16 November 2009 11:21

IT Policy - Government Tech Policy

The national broadband network will create new opportunities for mobile data, but the main game for the mobile carriers remains access to future spectrum allocations, Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association chief executive Chris Althaus says.

AMTA says there is no more vibrant sector within the general digital economy than mobile broadband, and there were no signs yet of the booming growth in the sector slowing.

The number of broadband subscribers in Australia doubled last financial year, while globally Althaus says more than 9 million subscribers were added every month.

The NBN would deliver more sophisticated, bandwidth-intensive applications into homes and businesses, while mobile broadband providers would continue to deliver the anywhere, anytime component of these new applications.

Althaus said the mobile broadband providers – and their subscribers – would benefit from the improved backhaul services that NBN would deliver, and that bandwidth-intensive applications will require.

"Ultimately when the NBN is built there is a relationship that will see mobile broadband covering off issues of mobility and the anytime anywhere access, while the premises will be serviced by a fixed network," Althaus told iTWire.

"We logically see them as complimentary and as a partnership."

"Looking over the horizon there is no question that the performance of mobile networks and mobile devices combined with the extraordinary increase and diversity of content is all leading people down a path where they are actively seeking mobile engagement with the internet," he said.

The emergence of machine to machine broadband applications – over fixed line and mobile services – would generate enormous new demand in the next several years.

"That's an issue for both mobile and the NBN – machine to machine applications are going to see the traffic levels increase very significantly. The machine to machine uses (of broadband) is set to go through the roof," Althaus

AMTA remained agnostic about the legislative reform proposals that are currently before the Senate, but said access to spectrum remained its biggest priority.

"We do emphasise at every opportunity with Government, with the Minister’s office and with the PM’s office, that you don’t have a more vibrant segment of the digital economy at this moment in time than mobile broadband."

"Of course all of that relates back to infrastructure on the wireless side, which is of course spectrum," Althaus said.

Optus chief executive Paul O'Sullivan said at the weekend the NBN held enormous opportunities for the company in combining home and mobile broadband offerings, particularly in relation to emerging applications like music, picture storage and other multimedia services.