Comms Connect comes to Sydney

Australia’s national critical communications industry conference is coming to Sydney for the first time, with two days packed full of workshops and sessions.

While the main national conference and exhibition will still take place in Melbourne later in the year, on 18-19 June Sydney will play host to the first satellite Comms Connect event. The aim is to ensure that all those who aren’t able to visit Melbourne can still gain access to the wealth of knowledge generated for the conference and workshops, as well as to the technologies available on the exhibition floor.

At the core of the event is still radio communications, its uses, applications and benefits, but with the convergence of technologies being seen in recent times - from IP to mobile broadband and more - the show is no longer just about two-way radio, but a whole range of technologies and solutions, all of which will be found in the exhibition and discussed during the conference sessions and workshops.

Workshops and speaker sessions

Workshops will run during the afternoon of day one, with topics covered including: change management - implementing a digital radio system; mobile broadband and LTE for critical communications; and advanced radio over IP.

The conference speaker session streams will include topics such as: technology at work; public safety; mining and resources; utilities and transport. A wide range of experts will give presentations on various aspects of the industry, including:

• Peter Clemons (Hytera), who will present a keynote address on his views of the future of the critical communications industry and its place in a changing world.
• Ashwin Dikar (Simoco), who will give a presentation on M2M communication and the IP revolution - a marriage made in the cloud with down-to-earth benefits.
• Steve Harvey (CommScope), who will discuss Ausgrid’s underground high-voltage cable tunnels and the provision of P25 GRN coverage using radio over fibre repeaters.
• Anthony Goonan (Telstra), who will present a paper on bringing Telstra’s ‘Roadmap’ to life through live field demonstrations of the emergency grade mobile broadband capability.
• Dale Stacy (SAT), who will discuss LTE mobile system coverage, capacity and quality, and its application to communications, SCADA and the automation business.
• Simon Lardner (Challenge Networks), who will present examples of independent LTE networks for major resources projects.

Exhibition and dinner

“Industry support is strong, with household names such as Hytera, Kenwood, ICOM, Sepura, Simoco and Agilent confirming exhibition space already, along with local talent represented by RF Technology, Data over Radio and Mastercom,” said Paul Davis, Comms Connect organiser. “The exhibition will have almost 50 exhibition stands offering a depth and breadth of radio and converged communications technology not seen in Sydney for quite a few years.”

Conference and exhibition registration are open now, and the full program is available - see the website (Comms-Connect.com.au) for details.

Comms Connect Sydney will also see an ARCIA industry networking dinner held on the first night, at Dockside, Cockle Bay Wharf. Tickets are available through the ARCIA website (arcia.org.au).

And don’t forget that Comms Connect Melbourne will be on again this year at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre, but a bit earlier than last year … from 30 September to 2 October. The organisers are already calling for expressions of interest from those interested in presenting papers or participating in workshops - keep an eye on the Comms Connect website for more details. With around 100 exhibitors, dozens of speakers, general industry sessions and in-depth workshops, it is an opportunity for industry representatives to meet and discuss ideas with hundreds of like-minded professionals.