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NEW LOOK COMMSWIRE - Notice to readers: While we are in the process of developing the new and improved CommsWire Newsletter we are working in conjunction with our sister publication iTWire.The stories below will redirect you to iTWire in the short term.
Deutsche Telekom consolidates wholesale business under T WholesaleGerman communications giant Deutsche Telekom has consolidated its national and international wholesale activities into a single entity called T Wholesale. Telekom Malaysia to upgrade digital infrastructure for EV makerTelekom Malaysia (TM) has signed an agreement with Malaysian car manufacturer Perodua to provide the necessary digital infrastructure required to aid the company's transformation to EV technology. BT sells Ireland datacentre business to EquinixUK telecoms provider BT has agreed to sell its datacentre business in Ireland to global digital infrastructure provider Equinix in a deal worth US$61 million. Nokia completes sale of Alcatel Submarine Networks to French StateNokia has concluded the sale of Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN), its submarine networks business, to the French State. VEON and Starlink ink agreement for Ukraine direct-to-cell satellite serviceDubai-based operator VEON has signed an agreement with Starlink, a division of SpaceX, to introduce direct-to-cell satellite connectivity through its subsidiary telecoms provider Kyivstar in Ukraine.
Nokia and STC claim MEA record with 1Tbps trial across 850km networkTelecoms equipment vendor Nokia and Saudi telco STC have concluded what they say is the first-ever 1Tbps long haul field trial in the Middle East. HMD enters mobile to satellite communications market with OffGridFinnish smartphone maker HMD (Human Mobile Devices) has entered Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) Communications market with the launch of a new mobile messaging device called HMD OffGrid. Nokia’s cellular network ready for Moon in IM-2 landerMobile operator Nokia and space exploration manufacturer Intuitive Machines have completed the integration of Nokia’s Lunar Surface Communication System (LSCS) into the IM-2 mission lunar mission. Space42 launches geostationary Thuraya 4 satellite into orbitUAE-based space-tech company Space42 has launched its Thuraya 4 telecommunications satellite into orbit, making it the company's sixth geostationary satellite Openreach hits FTTP milestone claiming 50% UK coverageBT-owned fibre network provider Openreach has claimed a new milestone with its FTTP product Ultrafast Full Fibre now available to 17 million premises Swoop signs $30M NBN TC4 wholesale infrastructure contract with FlipFixed wireless and wholesale network infrastructure provider Swoop Holdings Limited (ASX:SWP) (Swoop) today announces a new multi-million dollar deal with Flip. Telin and Citra Connect launch cable landing station construction in IndonesiaTelkom Indonesia subsidiary Telin and Indonesian digital services provider Citra Connect have launched construction of a cable landing station (CLS) at Nongsa Digital Park, Batam. Telstra to bring SpaceX’s Starlink Satellite-to-Mobile technology to its customersTelstra has announced it is collaborating with SpaceX’s Starlink to bring Satellite-to-Mobile text message capability to Telstra customers in Australia.
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TelSoc News and Events
One of the many casualties of the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic was the cancellation of TelSoc’s Charles Todd Oration in late 2020, a national industry event at which the annual Charles Todd Medal is traditionally awarded. The medal will be (physically) awarded as soon as possible in 2021.
TelSoc has great pleasure in announcing that the 2020 Charles Todd Medal has been awarded to Paul Cross, the founding Managing Director of OptiComm Ltd, a pioneering builder and operator of wholesale passive optical fibre networks in housing estates around Australia since 2005.
The Charles Todd Medal is awarded to the individual considered to have made the most outstanding contribution to Australian telecommunications in recent years, on the recommendation of a Selection Panel reflecting both the supply side and the demand side of the industry. This medal has been awarded annually by TelSoc since 2013, reviving the tradition of the Charles Todd Medal awarded by ATUG annually from 1991 to 2011.
The list of 27 former winners is provided on the TelSoc website here. This entry is contained in a blog on the TelSoc site.
About the 2020 Charles Todd Medallist
Paul Cross co-founded OptiComm Ltd as Managing Director in 2005, together with Geoff Aldridge and Phil Smith. as a spinoff from Optimal Cable Services, which they had acquired via a management buyout. OptiComm was successful in winning contracts with Lend Lease, Villawood, Landcom NSW and Fraser Properties to build passive optical fibre networks in their housing estates.
OptiComm was a pioneer in building and operating wholesale Fibre to the Premises passive optical networks in Australia: any retail service provider could use its networks to offer telephony and Internet access services. That OptiComm survived competing with one of Australia's largest companies (Telstra) is testament to the effectiveness of OptiComm's business model and the commitment of its management and employees.
In 2007, Hills Industries injected additional capital into OptiComm as a 50% shareholder. With the founding of NBN Co in 2009, OptiComm’s business accelerated, as the new legislation required all housing estates with more than 100 premises to be “fibre ready”. From then on, OptiComm acted as both a sub-contractor to NBN Co as well as a competitor to it. This growth enabled the OptiComm founders to buy back the Hills shareholding and control the company’s own destiny again. In 2019 OptiComm gained further capital by listing on the ASX. By then it had become a large scale FTTP network operator.
In 2020 OptiComm attracted several organisations’ interest as potential buyers. In June 2020 it was successfully sold to the Adelaide based telco Uniti Group for $532 million.
With the compliment of TelSoc