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Lessons from history
by Peter Hitchiner
 It
has been a long time since I showed any empathy for Henry Ford’s quote
that “history is bunk”. I have plenty of experience to know that history
is a great teacher that we ignore at our peril. History tells us that
innovation occurs through inspired leadership – inspired by history, I
hope.
I had the opportunity to attend NICTA’s function to
formally farewell David Skellern on his retirement as CEO. David made
his mark in the information, telecommunications and electronics industry
through the work that led to the formation of Radiata and its world
leading wireless LAN technology.
This work had been pioneered by
CSIRO scientists and engineers. The breakthrough was made possible via
the technology provided by fast fourier transform chips, developed
originally with processing radio astronomy data in mind. The ability of
the chips to process multipath wireless signals, an innovative step
identified by the wireless LAN team, gave the Radiata technology the
ability to realise a practical wireless LAN.
It’s worth
considering in the context of the emerging opportunities for the Square
Kilometre Array (SKA) and what spin-off work might be applied from it to
commercial telecommunications. The importance of a radio-quiet zone for
leading radio astronomy is well known and challenging to achieve.
Signal processing technology, developed out of the need to cancel
interference to the SKA, might find application in improving the
performance of wireless communications systems. Just as developments in
chip technology made fast fourier transform chips a practical
proposition in commercial systems, viable signal processing could be
used to deliver more efficient broadband wireless.
I also had the
privilege of being able to attend the memorial ceremony celebrating the
life of Emeritus Professor John Bennett AO. Bennett’s work at the
University of Sydney, which brought him back to Australia from UK, was
inspired through the School of Physics under Professor Harry Messel.
Messel had recognised the importance of pioneers such as Bennett in
enabling the foundation and development of computing science (and
engineering) at academic institutions and the skills and research base
that allow Australia to become a leader in the ICT industry.
Bennett
studied in civil, electrical and mechanical engineering and mathematics
and worked on early stored program computers at Cambridge University
where he was awarded a doctorate for his dissertation Some engineering applications of digital computations. It recognised the importance of stored program computing to engineering at an early stage.
Such
leadership may continue in such areas as photonics and quantum
computing in physics departments today. We cannot be leaders in all
facets of ICT and electronics, but we must build on the leading skills
we have to provide a foundation for future industry.
History
confirms the importance of fundamental research in physics and it
illustrates the essential role of engineering in delivering value out of
that research. Engineers are those who are able to convert the
pioneering work of physicists into practical outcomes as we have seen in
the areas of wireless LANs; computer science; photonics, more recently;
and perhaps soon in quantum computing.
Unfortunately, there are
trends that seem to be diminishing the value of ICT and electronics
training, simply because the recognition of that value does not reflect
the increasingly pervasive nature of ICT and electronics in all
industries. The importance of investing in training (in particular for
graduate and postgraduate studies) and inspiring young people to enter
ICT engineering careers is the responsibility of those who include
members of the ITEE College. Please help!
This column also appears in the ITEE College Board Chair blog: please post your feedback.
Peter Hitchiner is the ITEE College Chair 2011
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Providing relief power
Volunteers
from the Queensland chapter of the ITEE College of Engineers Australia
and young engineering volunteers from Engineers Without Borders teamed
up with Cdif Group, providing immediate flood-relief power for affected
residents and organisations of the southeast Queensland suburb of
Goodna.
The consulting firm set up a solar trailer to allow
residents affected by power outages to charge their mobile phones and
laptops and remain in contact with others. The trailer also had the
ability to provide temporary street lighting, and functioned as a
wireless hotspot.
The solar trailer, provided by J1-LED, ran on
12V DC. A solar regulator controlled the voltage and current supply as
well as the trailer’s battery recharging rate. This then fed a 1500W
inverter to provide 240V AC for domestic use. The trailer had 880Ah of
battery backup and could last up to a week without sunlight under the
anticipated loads. The equipment had short circuit, thermal and over
current protection.
The phone chargers and 3G wireless router
were installed in a waterproof compartment in the trailer. Optus World,
Queen St Mall, supplied the chargers and the router.
Local state
MP Jo-Ann Miller and her staff were among those who made use of the
trailer after they were flooded out of their offices. Journalists from
the ABC 612AM program also used the wireless capabilities of the trailer
to update their Twitter feed with news on the flood as they broadcast
nearby.
“The importance of having access to social media channels
became prominent as a single status update could provide assurance to
hundreds of friends and family that people in the crisis zone were
okay,” said Cdif director Bolle Borkowsky.
It served as a literal
pillar of light at the Diggers Rest war memorial, at times being the
only street light available in the immediate area. It kept a watchful
guard over donated goods and on one occasion, according to Borkowsky,
enabled staff to spot teenagers who were about to loot provisions
destined for residents and volunteers.
In following the theme of
Engineers Australia’s Year of Humanitarian Engineering, it also
highlighted the importance of links between Young Engineers Australia
and Engineers Without Borders. The cooperation between the two
organisations saw the trailer adequately staffed by volunteers and
relief provided in the critical first-response period.
Solar power from the trailer charges mobile phones, laptops and powers a 3G wireless hotspot for internet connectivity.
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Student to visit space academy
Most
students will jump at the opportunity to see where or how their thesis
is applied in practice. However, for UTS environmental sciences honours
graduate Emily Bathgate, those opportunities are rare given her thesis
is based on searching for evidence of past water activity on Mars.
Bathgate’s thesis, Sub-ice volcanism on Mars,
examines glaciovolcanic features using data obtained from the European
Space Agency’s Mars Express and NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance and Odyssey
orbiters. Her work examines Martian parallels to geological features
found in Iceland, shedding light on whether the northern hemisphere of
Mars could have once hosted an ocean.
While the prospect of
travelling through space to visit the red planet is slim, Bathgate will
experience the next best thing. Over 10 weeks, she will work with a NASA
scientist or engineer as part of the NASA Academy Program, visiting
facilities such as the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Virgin Galactic,
SpaceX and the Kennedy Space Centre. The opportunity is made possible
through the Victorian Space Science Education Centre-NASA Space Prize.
“I
am extremely grateful and humbled by this amazing opportunity to be
involved in the NASA mission by attending the Ames Academy,” she said.
Bathgate
will also work with the Victorian Space Science Education Centre to
share her NASA experience with secondary students and teachers to
inspire Australia’s future scientists and engineers.
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Data centre reform project looks dark
The
former NSW Labor government’s plan to consolidate 130 government data
centres into two energy efficient data centres is looking less likely to
succeed with the loss of another tenderer.
Global Switch has
joined Gresham Property and Plenary Group in abandoning the tender
process. Global Switch was unable to comment on its decision to withdraw
from the process, citing non-disclosure agreements that are currently
in place. Neither Gresham nor Plenary have provided any reason for not
continuing in the process.
The remaining two companies competing
for the tender are Leighton Contractors and Macquarie Capital Group.
Leighton’s partner in its proposal, Springfield Land Corporation, has
also pulled out, leaving Leighton to go it alone. The tender process has
been ongoing since October 2009. It attracted 17 respondents, five of
which were shortlisted in August 2010.
Prior to its 26 March
election win, the Liberal government said it would place greater
emphasis on ICT developments, with the then shadow financial management
minister Greg Pearce saying that ICT needs to be more front and centre
for the government.
The Liberal government is not expected to
halt the project, promising it would honour signed contracts. However,
no contracts have been signed as the tender process has not been able to
progress to that stage due to lengthy delays. The initial expressions
of interest document for the tender indicated that by now construction
should have been close to or completed.
The document indicated
that the expected initial tenants of the data centres – NSW Health and
the Department of Education and Training – have a pressing need for a
new data centre. In addition, results from a 2008 review of data centres
– used as the rationale for the project –showed that projected demands
would significantly surpass the then level of installed data centre
infrastructure.
The tender documents issued to the five short-listed tenderers have not been made available to the public. Furthermore, The Australian
reported on documents obtained by the Liberal government under Freedom
of Information laws in June last year during Labor’s term. These
documents do not appear on the Department of Services, Technology and
Administration’s disclosure log, nor are they being made available to
the public.
e-Monitor has made several unsuccessful requests for
the information and the status of the project since last December. The
department has since stated that it has a blanket no-comment policy on
the process. Coupled with the tenderers’ silence under non-disclosure
agreements, it is unknown what requirements, if any, have changed since
the expression of interest documents were issued or what could have
caused the companies to drop out.
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Creating a Pacific fibre link
A
project to link Australia, New Zealand and the USA over a high-capacity
Pacific Ocean fibre link is emerging as more than just a pipe dream
with Pacific Fibre inviting selected vendors to tender for a 5.12Tb/s
cable that it claims will dwarf the existing Southern Cross Cable.
The
proposal to build the dual-fibre pair system has attracted significant
attention given the expected need for increased international capacity
as Australia builds its National Broadband Network (NBN) and other
nations upgrade their own networks. Pacific Fibre claims that 90% of New
Zealand and Australian internet access requires international
connections and that the investment in fibre to the home initiatives
such as the NBN will be futile if international bandwidth capacity does
not increase.
Last July, the company signed a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) with Asian telecommunications provider Pacnet to
build the cable together. During that time, Pacific Fibre secured
additional funding and expanded its staff, but news on the progress of
the link had been slow.
In the meantime, significant upgrades
have been undertaken by Southern Cross Cable to bring its fibre link to
1.2Tb/s. The company expects to take the cable to a capacity of 4.8Tb/s
within the next two years.
The MoU with Pacnet expired earlier
this year, freeing up Pacific Fibre to go to the market alone. It has
invited selected vendors to tender for the construction of the link,
which the company has scheduled for completion by 2013. Vendor responses
are due mid-May with contract negotiations expected to commence shortly
after.
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NBN superhighway progress hits a road bump
The
National Broadband Network Company (NBN Co) has seen a large increase
in activity, matched only by the sudden unexpected halt of its
construction tender and the resignation of its head of construction
Patrick Flannigan. Nevertheless, planning for the massive network is
continuing.
In March, the House of Representatives passed the
National Broadband Network Companies Bill 2010 (NBN Companies Bill) and
the Telecommunications Legislation Amendment (National Broadband Network
Measures – Access Arrangements) Bill 2011 (NBN Access Arrangements
Bill).
At the same time, NBN Co awarded IBM with a $200 million,
three-year contract as its prime systems integrator of its operational
and business support system. These systems allow retail service
providers (RSPs) to order new services, report faults, perform service
qualification checks and otherwise manage their own services on the NBN.
However,
not all has been smooth-sailing, with NBN Co announcing at the
beginning of April that it had indefinitely suspended its network
construction tender after construction companies were unable to provide
acceptable terms and prices after four rounds of negotiations.
Shortly after the decision, NBN Co’s head of construction Patrick Flannigan resigned.
NBN
Co’s pricing for retail service providers has also come under fire from
Internode managing director Simon Hackett. On the telecommunications
company’s blog, Hackett published a proposal set to rebalance the
company’s wholesale pricing model.
Hackett claims that as it
currently stood, RSPs with less than 250,000 customers would effectively
be priced out of the market. His proposal suggests changing the costs
to move data between points of interconnect and customer sites, and the
costs per customer port required to deliver 12mb/s downstream, 1mb/s
upstream and voice communications.
The minister for broadband,
communications and the digital economy Stephen Conroy dismissed the
proposal, stating that Internode should have made a submission to the
ACCC during previous consultation periods. However, Internode has made
several submissions throughout the ACCC consultation process, raising
the question to what extent the government reviews or considers
submissions.
NBN Co took an unorthodox approach to the claims,
choosing to use industry news aggregator and discussion forum Whirlpool
to respond to Hackett and others’ concerns over pricing.
NBN Co
digital communications manager Scott Rhodie wrote that the NBN Co’s
wholesale prices were based on its short to mid-term expectations of
data usage, but more importantly, that the company expects prices to
come down once end users sign on and higher speeds are purchased.
Nevertheless,
planning has continued, with NBN Co awarding Victorian IT and
communications company SPATIALinfo with a multimillion dollar contract
to provide software licences and product support for NBN Co’s business
and operational support systems. The contract is for an initial period
of two years.
The first 12 RSPs have also signed on to connect
to the NBN for trials at the five first release sites. Four RSPs –
iiNet, Internode, iPrimus and Telstra – have already completed NBN Co’s
on-boarding process and are “NBN-ready”. They are expected to be the
first to connect mainland customers to the NBN when the end-user trial
begins in Armidale.
The remaining eight RSPs – AAPT, AARNnet,
Comscentre, Exetel, Nextgen Networks, Optus, Platform Networks, and
SkyMesh – are now beginning the on-boarding process. |
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Taiwanese mobile network support arrives
Taiwanese
communications company Huawei has revealed that it plans to set up
offices in Adelaide to support the upgrade of Vodafone’s mobile network
infrastructure.
The upgrade will see Huawei replace 2G and 3G
equipment at up to 450 of Vodafone’s sites as part of a total network
modernisation program. Huawei and Vodafone will also implement an
additional 850MHz 3G layer across the entire Vodafone network to improve
network capacity and coverage.
The company’s new presence in
Australia is expected to create 50 jobs for the state this year, and
Huawei’s total Australian existing workforce is also set to double from
300 to over 600.
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Australian Broadband Survey
IT and telecommunications industry forum Whirlpool has released its 2011 Australian Broadband Survey.
The
survey was conducted over four weeks between January and February,
netting 23,513 submissions, with respondents most likely to be those
advising friends, family and coworkers on technology decisions. The
results have not been normalised to represent the broader marketplace,
with Whirlpool stating the information is more valuable with that bias
intact.
Whirlpool also claims to have carefully identified and eliminated instances of ballot stuffing.
The
survey reveals that about 20% of respondents had negative sentiments
towards the National Broadband Network (NBN). While the responders
seemed divided as to whether the government was handling the NBN well
(with 7.1 percentage point difference between positive and negative
responses), it was a marked improvement from last year’s 15.1% positive
response, with that figure rising to 42.8%.
While keeping in mind
that the demographic of respondents would include early adopters, 76.2%
indicated they would choose a faster speed than the minimum 12/1Mb
downstream/upstream connection. 22.8% indicated they would opt for a
250/100 or faster connection.
However, 35.5% of respondents
indicated they would not be willing to pay more for their desired speed.
The survey notes that speed selection preferences may change once
respondents have a better idea of the associated pricing.
With
respect to how broadband is currently being used, the highest ranked
uses were for fast downloads, always-on web access, and fast web
surfing, highlighting speed as a priority. 55.5% of users downloaded TV
shows/movies/music, and 45.4% used BitTorrent. Unfortunately, the survey
doesn’t examine what percentage of respondents use BitTorrent for
downloading TV shows/movies/music. Given the correlation between the two
figures and BitTorrent’s typical use, it could provide interesting
insight into the legitimacy of downloaded content.
Other sections
of the survey include a comprehensive look at how respondents ranked
their service providers and compared to historical data. Surveyed areas
include the sign-up process, payment preferences, customer support,
service reliability, and customer satisfaction.
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Building an Australian regional backbone
In a program delivering 6000km of fibre backbone across regional Australia, two major projects were completed last month.
“Backbone
infrastructure provides the communication links that connect our towns,
cities and rural areas to each other and the world,” federal minister
for broadband, communications and the digital economy Senator Stephen
Conroy said.
The 449km link between Perth to Geraldton was last
month completed by Nextgen Networks. Civil engineering on the route was
undertaken by Visionstream and the Ngarda Alliance. Ngarda Alliance is a
WA indigenous engineering services firm specialising in civil and
mining projects.
The link forms part of the federal government's $250 million Regional Backbone Blackspots Program (RBBP).
“This link is the first building block of the National Broadband Network (NBN) in Western Australia,” Conroy said.
He
said WA provider Westnet, a wholly owned subsidiary of major internet
service provider iiNet, is now accessing the new fibre backbone and
offering faster ADSL2+ services, and cheaper prices for existing
products.
Senator for Western Australia Louise Pratt said the new
fibre optic link would strengthen Australia's bid to host the Square
Kilometre Array (SKA) telescope. The main SKA site is proposed to be
located at Murchison Observatory, 315km northeast of Geraldton. CSIRO is
currently constructing a fibre optic link between the Murchison
Observatory and Geraldton and the new Perth to Geraldton link will
provide a high capacity link that can be used to transmit large volumes
of scientific data for processing.
"The SKA will be one of the
largest international science projects of the 21st century, with its
primary purpose to advance discovery-based science in the fields of
astronomy and astrophysics," Pratt said.
The second project completed last month was the 146km Victor Harbor fibre backbone link in South Australia.
This
section was completed by Nextgen Networks which is currently in the
process of connecting retail service providers to this backbone link.
A
third Victorian section of the link was also initially due for
completion last month, according to information on their website, but
appears to have been deferred to this month.
The route, which
runs through South West Gippsland, will connect to the Melbourne carrier
point of interconnect and serve nine other towns along its length.
Two more RBBP routes through Broken Hill and Darwin are scheduled for completion by the end of the year.
Nextgen and Visionstream are wholly owned by Leighton Holdings.
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An overview of the cyber battlefield
A
survey of 200 IT security executives from critical electricity
infrastructure enterprises in 14 countries has found that 40% of
executives believed that their industry’s vulnerability had increased.
About
30% believed their company was not prepared for a cyberattack and more
than 40% expect a major cyberattack within the next year.
The report, In the Dark: Crucial Industries Confront Cyberattacks,
was commissioned by McAfee and produced by the Center for Strategic and
International Studies. It is the follow-up to a report released in
2010, In the Crossfire: Critical Infrastructure in the Age of Cyberwar,
which found many of the world’s critical infrastructure lacked
protection of their computer networks, and revealed the staggering cost
and impact of cyberattacks on these networks.
According to the
report, 80% of respondents have faced a large-scale distributed denial
of service attack (DDoS), and 25% reported daily or weekly DDoS attacks
and/or were victims of extortion through network attacks. The number of
companies subject to extortion increased by 25% in the past year, and
extortion cases were equally distributed among the different sectors of
critical infrastructure.
Only 25% of those surveyed implemented
tools to monitor network activity, and only about 36% used tools to
detect role anomalies.
China and Japan were among the countries
with the highest confidence levels in the ability of current laws to
prevent or deter attacks in their countries, while Brazil, France and
Mexico were lagging in their security measures.
Locally, 90% of
Australian respondents believed their respective sectors were not at all
or not very prepared for stealthy infiltration attacks. However, as
quoted in the report, Logica Australia chief information security
officer Ajoy Ghosh said: “the growing sense of unpreparedness is the
result of more understanding [of the threat] because of a big education
effort for executives by the government”.
Nevertheless,
Australian respondents voiced low confidence in the ability of laws and
regulations to address cyberincidents, indicating a low level of trust
in authorities.
Other issues covered in the report include the global response to the Stuxnet worm, and vulnerabilities to the smart grid.
The full report is available online.
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Tweeting a new tune
e-Monitor
has opened an account with Twitter to provide readers with timely
updates on news and developments in the IT, telecommunications and
electronics industries and matters relating to the ITEE College.
The
account will also be used as a medium for feedback, listening to
readers’ tips and ideas, and fostering debate on issues important to e-Monitor readers. Readers who do not use Twitter are still invited to submit their feedback, tips and ideas via email.
To join the conversation, follow @iteemonitor on Twitter. |
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Tip us off!
Do you know something the ITEE College or the IT/telecommunications/electronics engineering industry should know? Tip us off! e-Monitor is on the look-out for information that would interest our readers.
Do you wish that someone in the media would cover a particular story or interest? Let e-Monitor know and we’ll investigate.
You can submit tips, feedback, or an idea for a story via email or on Twitter. |
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Uninterruptible power supply
Power management company Eaton Corporation has launched a new line-interactive uninterruptible power supply.
The 5PX features a power factor ratio of 0.9 and a power range of 1.5kVA-3kVA.
Application for the 5PX include IT devices such as servers, switchers, routers and storage devices.
Energy
consumption down to the socket-group level can be monitored through the
5PX’s LCD display or via the network with Eaton’s power management
software.
5PX’s battery reliability has been improved through
technology that allows the batteries to rest between charging cycles.
Battery life is expected to be considerably longer, decreasing
maintenance costs due to prolonged service and replacement cycle.
The 5PX employs an RT format, enabling installation in rack and tower positions.
www.eaton.com
Energy consumption can be monitored through the 5PX UPS.
Stylus for tablets
Pen tablet manufacturer Wacom has developed a new stylus designed specifically for the Apple iPad.
It
offers an intuitive way to experience note-taking, sketching, drawing
and other forms of creative expression on the popular iPad.
The
Bamboo Stylus brings a more accurate and precise way to take notes in
meetings and classroom settings or to sketch out rough ideas while on
the go.
The stylus has a focus on ergonomic comfort and balanced
weighting of the pen. In addition, the fine tip gives the user more
detail control.
It is ideal for handwriting notes, drawing, as
well as sketching. While designed for the iPad, it should be compatible
with all media tablets that use the same capacitive touch technology.
It will be available from mid-May.
http://bamboostylus.wacom.asia
The stylus provides users with a more accurate and precise way to use their tablet.
Android tablet
Consumer electronics manufacturer, Kogan has developed a 7” tablet, running Android 2.2.
Powering
the Kogan Agora 7” tablet is a Cortex A8 processor clocking in at 1Ghz,
powerful enough to support 720p HD video playback. It has 512MB DDR2
RAM, internal storage of 4GB and a microSD slot to cater for up to 32GB
external storage.
Its 7” capacitive touchscreen has a resolution of 800x480 and the device itself weighs a mere 390g, making it highly portable.
Wireless
connectivity is provided in the form of 802.11b/g wireless. Other forms
of connectivity include micro USB and mini HDMI ports. It also has a
built-in microphone, a front-facing 1.3 megapixel camera, and headphone
output.
www.kogan.com.au
The Kogan Agora 7” tablet weighs just 390g.
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Engineers Australia conferences
The Australian Control Conference (AUCC2011) will be held on 10-11 November 2011 in Melbourne.
Other events
The 2011 CEDIA Expo will be held on 11-13 May in Sydney. The event showcases electronics products for both the residential and commercial sector.
The annual CeBIT Australia
conference is returning to Sydney on 31 May to celebrate its 10th
anniversary. This year’s showcase will have a strong focus on enterprise
mobility and how it will be a key technology to drive productivity
compliment concepts such as cloud architecture based business.
Providing business information and discussing issues driving business trends and development, the Australian Business & IT expo will be held at the on 18 Aug in Melbourne.
The conference and trade exhibition New technologies in energy networks – topping up or tripping over? will be held on 7-9 Sep in Sydney.
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