Over recent years there have been many advancements in technology that have helped to make peoples’ working lives easier, with many people able to work from home as a result of advancements such as faster broadband services. This has proven ideal for both companies and workers, with the more flexible arrangements benefiting both parties in a range of ways.

The federal government is now hoping to further boost and encourage home working in Australia through the National Broadband Network, with plans the host a National Telework week in November of this year. The government is keen to encourage both employers and workers to embrace the concept of home working, which should be made easier and more effective with the widespread rollout of the National Broadband Network.

Communications Minister Stephen Conroy said: “An increase in telework can lead to benefits across the economy… From big business through to individual workers.” He revealed that a number of partners would be involved with the telework event, including the Australian Human Resources Institute, Australian Industry Group, Australian Information Industry Association, the Australian Network for Disability, and Local Government Managers Australia.

Conroy added: “The NBN will allow Australians to interact more easily from home, with their workplaces and with clients, through high-definition multi-party video conferencing. They will be able to quickly transfer large files and use real-time collaborative business tools.”

Ensuring that everyone has access to adequate healthcare facilities and assistance is something that the Australian government is keen to address and it is believed that the Australian National Broadband Network will provide a real boost to this program, enabling more people in more places to benefit from enhanced healthcare facilities.

Uptake of the telehealth program has been growing steadily, as the government announced Medicare rebates for telehealth consultations six months ago. Patients are able to receive consultations, care and assistance via videoconferencing as part of the program, which can really benefit those that live in more remote areas, those with mobility issues and those who may have to be away for a period of time.

The National Broadband Network is expected to provide an enhanced platform when it comes to the telehealth program, which will enable more clinics, pharmacies and surgeries to get involved and will enable patients to enjoy an even greater range of services as part of the scheme.

Health minister, Tanya Plibersek, said: “The NBN Telehealth Pilot Program will provide to eligible participants in NBN early rollout areas a range of innovative services delivered through pilots funded under the program. These will include having health indicators monitored remotely – for instance, your doctor being able to take your blood pressure online while you are at home – or receiving medical consultations and healthy living support in the home.”

According to industry experts in the area of elderly care, broadband services are set to revolutionise elderly health care in regional centres in Victoria, which could ultimately help people to avoid having to go into nursing homes. This is according to officials from the Aged Care Association of Australia.

According to the ACAA chief executive Rod Young, older people are set to see real benefits in relation to improved broadband technology in the area. He said that measures such as the video link medical consultations, which have been launched this week in the area, would help elderly patients to maintain their independence and remain in their own homes in many cases.

Mr Young stated: “The National Broadband Network is moving aged care in to the future, changing the way patients can be treated. Bendigo and other regional areas are in the best position to take advantage of the technology. Remote monitoring and telehealth technologies will cut down people’s travel times and costs, and help sustain their independence.”

Minister for Ageing Mark Butler added: “Expanding telehealth services to older Australians still living in their own homes will help health professionals identify potential health problems earlier, reduce the need for older Australians to travel to receive treatment and increase access to healthcare services and specialists.”

As many as 81 percent of SMBs are now using a website according to the latest research for the Council of Small Business of Australia and the Telstra Business, which compared to other research is quite a big increase. By 2012 it is expected that many more will be setting up online sites.

This research has proven that small businesses now consider the internet to be both a positive and a powerful tool according to Will Irving, the group managing director for Telstra business.

He advised “Adding new customers is the top priority for two-thirds of SMBs in 2012 and building a stronger Web presence can do just that. Social media has emerged as a prime growth area with just over one-in-five SMBs (21 per cent) now using it in their operations.”

Interacting with customers was one of the main reasons for small businesses going online with 74 percent saying this was why they set up a site, followed by 64 percent saying it was for promotional purposes and 38 percent for generating sales leads. The research also found that that the use of the web for direct sales using social media was something that an amazing 26 percent of business said was the reason they went online.

Mr Iving said “Six-in-ten business operators or owners are telling us they believe staff should not be able to access social media in the workplace.”

Even though around 25 percent of businesses still use print ads the use of online ads was now being employed by 19 percent of businesses, which is rapidly beating other marketing methods.

When it comes to Internet access, remote communities in Australia are at a severe disadvantage compared to those in cities and urban areas. This is something that many officials now want to address and calls have now been raised for the National Broadband Network to be rolled out in these areas as soon as possible.

According to recent reports the National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples is calling for the National Broadband Network to be rolled out in remote communities as a matter of priority. It has outlined its concerns in a submission to Arts Minister Simon Crean’s cultural policy review. In this submission the group states that emerging technology are “not inclusive of all communities, in particular those which are disadvantaged by poverty and remoteness”.

The submission also warned that if action was not taken by authorities to bring advanced technology to remote areas the bridge between these areas and the rest of Australia would be widened.

The National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples has also said that it is vital that more people are able to get involved with the arts and culture and added that connection of remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities “must be prioritised in the rollout of the National Broadband Network, and connection must provide a high-quality and reliable audio-visual experience”.

It has been reported that the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy, has been encouraging eligible households in Australia to apply for the Broadband Assistance Scheme. He has been encouraging households in Southern and Central NSW, the ACT and the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Areas to consider applying for the scheme.

The minister also wants eligible households to benefit from the assistance available with regards to the switch to digital TV. Under the Household Assistance Scheme eligible households can benefit from the supply and installation of a High Definition set top box, advice on how the equipment is used and upgrades to things such as cabling and antennas.

Conroy said: “As part of the Government’s Digital Switchover, analog TV will be permanently switched off across Southern and Central NSW, ACT and the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area on 5 June. I am pleased to announce the Household Assistance Scheme is currently open right across the switchover region to provide practical in-home support to eligible households in making the switch to digital TV.”

He added: “I encourage those eligible to access HAS now to ensure installation of digital TV equipment can be scheduled well in advance of switchover on 5 June. With digital TV already available in most areas of Australia there’s no reason to wait. Eligible households across Southern and Central NSW, the ACT and the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area can now opt in to the HAS right now to start enjoying the 16 free-to-air channels available on digital.”

Source – Egovmonitor

In the current economic climate, many smaller businesses are having to go the extra mile in order to survive the difficulties. For those that own these businesses and senior officials within the companies, this often means putting in far longer hours, which means that taking holidays for many people in smaller businesses has become something of a rarity, even during periods such as the recent Christmas and New Year period,

This lack of holidays has been further fuelled by advanced broadband services and technology, which has given business owners and employees the opportunity to work longer hours even when they are not at their office or official base. This impacts not only on how often they take holidays to spend quality time with family or relaxing but also how much of a break they actually get when they are officially on holiday, such as during the Christmas period.

Over the recent Christmas break more than half of small business owners in Australia said that they would be working over the holidays, using technology such as mobile broadband services to get online and continue working when, had this technology not been available, they would have probably ended up having a proper Christmas break.

Communications giant Telstra recently stated: “Changing work patterns and the convenience of technology that lets people work when they’re away from the office, are having a profound impact on the way we live. The research also reflects the commitment to keeping things running that’s part and parcel of being a small business in relatively tough times.”

It has been announced recently that some of Australia’s Internet Service Providers have not started to come on board with NBN Co by signing up to the Wholesale Broadband Agreement. Earlier in the week it was announced that ISP Primus had signed up to the deal and this was quickly followed by what is now the third largest Internet Service Provider, iiNet.

After signing up to the deal, Primus Australia CEO Tom Mazerski stated: “We are delighted to be a part of such an important agreement for the future of the telecommunications industry in Australia. Primus is an established leader in high speed broadband fibre connections and we expect to continue our leadership position as the NBN continues its rollout.” He added: “We already have a voice network in place with many voice-only customers, which puts us in a leading position to ensure that under the NBN our voice customers will continue to receive the highest quality services.”

It has also been announced that iiNet, which has taken over Internode in a recent acquisition deal, has also followed in the footsteps of Primus by signing up to the NBN deal.

iiNet’s chief regulatory officer, Steve Dalby, said: “After negotiations with NBN Co, final changes to the wholesale broadband agreement [WBA] resolved earlier key sticking points, in particular: issues relating to appropriate sharing of risk and liability resulting from use of the network.”

More and more of us now find it difficult to imagine or remember how we ever managed with the variety of internet enabled mobiles devices and high tech mobile internet and broadband services that are available today. These days we can get online wherever and whenever we need to with our various devices and services, which has resulted in increased flexibility, ease and convenience for both casual and business users of internet and broadband services.

A recent report has shown that over the past twelve months there has been a surge in mobile phone sales in Australia and it is thought that this has been fuelled by high demand for smart phones and mobile internet and broadband services amongst those that want to enjoy great freedom and choice when it comes to getting online.

According to a report from the Australian Communications and Media Authority almost thirty million mobile phones have been sold in Australia over the past twelve months even though there are only 22.8 million Australians!

The chairman of the Australian Communications and Media Authority, Chris Chapman, said that VoIP voice services were increasing whilst fixed line phone services were in decline. He added: “We are also seeing Australians continuing to embrace the digital economy. They are yet again spending more time online, participating in more online activities relating to information, banking, e-commerce and entertainment.”

The trial agreement between the company heading up the National Broadband Network in Australia, NBN Co, and Internet Service Providers is now coming to an end but according to recent reports this is now resulting in increased tension between NBN Co and the ISPs with regards to the wholesale agreement that will form an important part of their relationship.

A recent report claimed that a number of major Internet Service Providers had refused to sign up to NBN Co’s wholesale broadband agreement (WBA) including Telstra, Optus, iiNet and Internode. In fact, Internode carrier relations manager John Lindsay claimed that NBN Co was “ignoring the legitimate concerns” of ISPs.

Concerns have also been expressed by a group that represents a number of Internet Service Providers, the Competitive Carriers Coalition. An official from this group said: “NBN Co’s extraordinary behaviour in trying to force retail service providers to sign contracts that quarantine it from important ACCC protections, and which would make retailers bear unreasonable risks, is unfortunate and a sad reflection on the failure of its management to understand why NBN Co was created in the first place.”

However, an NBN official said: “We released five versions of the WBA before publishing the final standard form of access agreement, giving industry ample opportunity for formal feedback, to participate in deep dive consultations or to otherwise provide comment.”