December marks the last Telco Board meeting of the year.
When I reflect on 2013, many key achievements come to mind, including the:
- Launch of our first corporate plan
- Building significant additional capability within the Authority to meet our corporate objectives
- Seamless transition to a new network manager, Airwave Australia, while also maintaining a strategic partnership with Motorola
- Completion of the review of NSW Government radio infrastructure
- Implementation of the new ITS2573 Prequalification Scheme for operational telecommunications equipment, infrastructure and services
- Completion of our first annual report
- Launch of the Telco Authority website
- Completion of the upgrade of the GRN core
The upgrade of the GRN core was completed in December. This was a highly complex project delivered with minimal impact to the network. It was managed in partnership with Motorola and delivered in two stages to mitigate risks associated with a major system version change. I would like to acknowledge the cooperation that was given by all agencies involved, which allowed us to almost seamlessly overhaul our network, creating one that is world-class.
In other news, the Board planning day in November was very constructive, with Andrew Constance, Minister for Finance and Services attending to provide strategic insight and direction for our future. Key strategic business partners, Airwave Solutions and Motorola Solutions, also presented to the Board on their vision for the Telco Authority.
The Telco emergency management team provided support to our colleagues at Rural Fire Service during the recent bushfires in October. The team coordinated the effort to maintain the vital links between the community and our emergency services by identifying public telecommunications services that needed protection from the fires.
An agency representative group focusing on business and strategy was established to provide strategic advice to the Authority on how to best meet current and future requirements of agencies, as well as develop best practices for the sector. The group draws in the leadership from key agencies including emergency services organisations.
I’d like to thank my fellow Board members and the team at the Telco Authority for their hard work during 2013. We have a great team who are motivated and consistently do their best for our business, emergency and essential service organisations, and the NSW community.
I wish all our stakeholders and partners a happy and safe festive season. I look forward to a busy and productive 2014.
Regards,
Rod Gilmour
Chairperson, NSW Telco Authority