RadComms2014 will see the largest line-up of international and local speakers ever assembled for the event.

The Minister for Communications, The Hon. Malcolm Turnbull, MP, will lead the impressive line-up by providing the keynote address to start the conference. This will be the first opportunity to hear the government’s thoughts about the future of spectrum management in Australia.

The theme for Radcomms2014 is Spectrum Rebooted – Taking Stock.

“Historically, spectrum utilisation has flown a little below the radar of national consciousness, but this is changing. As new pressures emerge, there’s a growing realisation that spectrum is a key driver of growth, innovation and productivity in our economy and that’s why it’s time to take stock,” said ACMA Chairman, Chris Chapman.

“At this conference, we will be hearing about new uses of spectrum in different technologies – for industries such as mining and agriculture. The tensions between making spectrum available for existing and new uses of spectrum have never been more apparent.

“The challenges for how we manage the spectrum resource into the future are on our door step. Our international colleagues have already experienced some of these challenges first hand.  I am delighted that we will therefore have the opportunity to learn from their experiences and perspectives at RadComms2014.

“This conference provides an opportunity for all of our stakeholders to take stock of current and emerging challenges, size each of them up accordingly, and influence the way that these challenges may be addressed,” Mr Chapman added.

RadComms2014 will be held in Sydney 10-11 September this year at the Australian National Maritime Museum.

Registrations for RadComms2014: Spectrum Rebooted – Taking Stock have opened and can be made via this dedicated registration portal .

The agenda/program can be found here.
 

Backgrounder

The RadComms conference is an annual event organised by the ACMA since 2007. It has a specific focus on spectrum management issues and attracts a wide range of experts and users within the sector. It is well established as the leading spectrum management conference in Australia.

The focus of the six session topics for RadComms2014 will be on issues that will assist in shaping the future of spectrum management in Australia. The timing of this conference intersects with a number of developments and achievements, namely:

• Completing the national switchover from analog to digital television
• Realising the digital dividend available in the 700 MHz band as a result of the switchover and allocating it for use for 4G technologies and services
• Publishing the results of spectrum research studies highlighting the economic benefits to Australia of the increasing take-up and use of mobile broadband technologies by consumers and business
• the emergence of new uses and users of spectrum, including the increased proliferation of ‘smart’ applications and devices; and
• a review of the spectrum policy and management framework having been recently announced by the Government.

For this reason, the intent of this conference is to take stock of what now needs to be achieved in the next tranche of challenges and opportunities; and, to accomplish that, what now needs to be ‘rebooted’. It is expected that discussion will be generated on a number of issues, including:

• How can spectrum regulation be a key driver of growth, innovation and productivity?
• How does the changing regulatory landscape affect how we manage and license radiocommunications in the future?
• What are the current reform initiatives for radiocommunications regulation and how can they encourage technology evolution and improve competition?
• What opportunities exist for moving spectrum to its highest value use and providing greater access to spectrum?
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