National Broadband Network (NBN) co. has signed a five year contract with Optus to operate two satellites that will deliver broadband to around 200,000 homes and businesses.Optus will provide tracking, telemetry and control services for the two satellites due to launch in 2015. In 2012, NBN co. awarded US Company Loral a $620 million contract to build all satellites related to the NBN. Once constructed, they will deliver download speeds of up to 25 megabits per second (Mbps) and upload speeds of up to 5 Mbps.
NSW Office of Liquor, Gaming and Racing (OLGR) has issued a Request for Tender (RFT) for the Supply, install, maintain and support of ID scanner systems at various licenced venues in the Sydney Kings Cross precinct. The system will scan patrons ID before entering a club between 7pm Friday to 7am Monday. Tender documents indicate that the systems must be able to store information and share it with other venues in the precinct while NSW Police must be able to update the system with the details of any person under a temporary or long-term banning order. Submissions close on 19 Feb with 1 July 2014 set as the estimated date of delivery.
Brett Morris, the new South Australian Government CIO has revealed that he will be looking to implement projects that don’t just deliver value in the later stages, reports IT News. Following SA’s pledge of no more big ICT projects, Morris has told IT News that it “isn’t merely about breaking down a big project but rather about reassessing the approach to ensure that value is delivered early and often throughout the life of a project.” Morris will also be looking to identify risks earlier in the project in a bid to prevent another Oracle financial system debacle which was running $24.5 million over budget as of October 2013. “[Our] new approach will also allow the early identification of, and flexibility to terminate, projects that aren’t progressing the way they were intended,” he said.
The Department of Finance has signed a $3.8 million contract with Dimension Data for a National Telepresence Hardware Refresh. In 2009, Australia deployed telepresence technology to Federal, State and Territory agencies through a joint, $13.8 million contract with Telstra and Cisco. By October, 2011 it was revealed that Telepresence had already delivered cost savings of $12 million to the Government. This hardware refresh marks the first since its initial deployment.
The NSW Minister for Finance and Services, Andrew Constance, has unveiled a new initiative to view government data and historical imagery named NSW Globe. The data, sourced from agency Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS), allows users to find out more about their property or local area. The information can also be used by emergency services. Constance says “Emergency authorities can use agency data and combine it with their own data and systems to map local infrastructure such as electrical networks, water, transport, schools and hospitals to more comprehensively manage emergency responses”. The platform uses viral, real-time data to assist with “better informed decisions”.
Northern Territory Police is moving forward with the deployment of mobile technology. NT Police, Fire and Emergency Services has issued a Request for Tender (RFT) for the supply of 1250 iPad minis and 50 iPads. Mobile technology was flagged as a project for 2013-14 in its 2012-13 Annual Report noting that mobile technology solutions will be developed “to make policing more efficient and ensure our frontline officers are just that – available on the frontline to assist and respond to community needs”. The RFT closes on 26 February 2014.
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