“Quicklook” Assessment of Greater Adelaide's Assets & Challenges ...

TECHNOLOGY – TELECOMMUNICATIONS & INTERNET CONNECTIVITY
Interview Team
David Schieck, Team Leader
Cristiane Gattaz
Kevin Hudson
Bill Minter
Who we met with
The team’s visit and interview was held on Thursday the 12 th of July with representatives
of the South Australia Information Economy Policy Office (IEPO) at their headquarters.
Deputy Director Alan Cunningham presented the agency’s plan on Telecommunications
in South Australia (SA). Our contact was enhanced by personal visits during the week
with Vanessa Little, Robert Martin, and Michael Armitage, who provided valuable insight
and examples, which show up in our case studies.
The afternoon’s discussions were centered around the IEPO mission of evangelizing the
advantages of use of the Internet and bringing connectivity to all the people of the state.
Opportunities:
Due to strategic planning dating back to 1994 and regular updates of those plans, SA
has a well thought-out program that should position the state to compete effectively in
the Information Economy.
An opportunity exists to further capitalize on the outsourcing agreement with
EDS, perhaps by increasing media coverage of this arrangement and the track record
so far.
Pathway SA has a chance to become one of the most successful models worldwide of
bringing connectivity to isolated areas, further establishing SA as a place where the
population is generally engaged in uses of the Internet.
Further cooperation with City of Adelaide efforts such as Smart City and increased
networking among groups can allow SA to be more nimble than other states when it
comes to economic development.
A program should be considered that integrates the State’s telecommunication and
Internet leaders with the goals to generate new opportunities, strengthen synergy, and
lower barriers.
The upcoming World IT Congress will be an unparalleled center stage for the
technological advantage that Adelaide and SA offer.
Case Studies
Pathway SA
A uniqueness of SA is that outside of Adelaide, nearly all communities are quite small
and quite isolated. There is often not a compelling business reason for higher-speed
Internet access. Consequently the objective of bringing connectivity to these
communities must be approached carefully in order to make best use of the inevitable
government investment that is necessary.
Attention was given to how connectivity programs have worked in other states. Existing
institutions and gathering places in the outlying communities such as public libraries
turned out to be the most successful sites for community access to be provided. In a few
cases, the residents even voted to have their local pub wired.
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