ITP Tech Blog » Telecommunications
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TechBlog was created by IT Professionals NZ to create a home for the latest news, views and other information about tech and the IT industry in New Zealand. TechBlog is uniquely focused on the IT profession, led by professional editor Paul Brislen and tech journalist Sarah Putt, with contributions from tech experts across the industry. It offers insights from government Ministers to front-line..
ITP Tech Blog » Telecommunications
11M ago
For all the focus on generative AI this year, has it really changed your life that much?
I’ve been asking a lot of people that question a lot over the past few weeks, and the only responses in the affirmative have come from people working in IT.
They include a Kiwi startup founder with big telco clients all over the world, who told me that the use of GenAI tools has dramatically accelerated the company’s product roadmap.
A business transformation leader in a cybersecurity company told me that the use of GenAI had allowed her company’s software development team to achieve a 50% saving in the ti ..read more
ITP Tech Blog » Telecommunications
11M ago
It was just a couple of weeks ago that I got around to reading Permanent Record the autobiography of National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden.
In 2013, Snowden shocked the world when he left his job in Hawaii as a security contractor to the NSA, flew to Hong Kong and started releasing stolen classified documents to media outlets.
The tech news over the next couple of years was dominated by revelations of Prism, the secret programme that allowed intelligence agencies to engage in mass surveillance by directly accessing the servers of US internet companies. The whole incident spurre ..read more
ITP Tech Blog » Telecommunications
11M ago
Working from home has become a regular part of work-life for Kiwis following the pandemic, with more than half logging on from home to earn a living.
That’s according to the 2023 World Internet Protocol (WIP) report released yesterday by AUT’s NZ Work Research Institute (NZWRI), which undertook the New Zealand research.
The proportion of respondents able to work remotely before lockdowns was 40%, according to WIP, and this increased by 22 percentage points (over 50%), to 62% during lockdowns. The figure has remained unchanged in the post-lockdown era.
“This finding indicates that, at least in ..read more
ITP Tech Blog » Telecommunications
1y ago
Another mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) brand is in the mix in the telcoms sector with Rocket Mobile piggybacking on One’s mobile network to “bring down costs” for New Zealand mobile users.
Rocket Mobile is the operation formerly known as MyRepublic, the Singpaore-headquartered company that sells broadband and services in several Asia Pacific markets. MyRepublic did a MVNO deal with One (then Vodafone) last year launching services under the MyRepublic brand. They didn't appear to make much headway and the rebrand seems designed to position Rocket Mobile as a nimble challenger in the mob ..read more
ITP Tech Blog » Telecommunications
1y ago
The annual TIN200 report out today reveals that even in a tough economic environment, our tech sector managed growth of 11.7% in the 2023 financial year.
That brings revenue generated by our top 200 tech companies to $17.1 billion, with exports growing 13.1% to $13.05 billion. To put that in perspective, our daily exports were worth $21 billion last year, so at the current rate of growth, tech is on track to becoming our biggest export earner by the end of the decade.
The Tech Investment Network has been criticised for using too broad a definition for what a tech company in New Zealand is.
"Th ..read more
ITP Tech Blog » Telecommunications
1y ago
A serious cyberattack has disrupted operations at several of Australia’s largest ports, causing delays and congestion. Late on Friday, port operator DP World detected an IT breach that affected critical systems used to coordinate shipping activity.
DP World is one of Australia’s largest port operators, handling approximately 40% of the nation’s container trade across terminals in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Fremantle.
DP World reacted quickly to contain the breach, including shutting down access to their port networks on land, to prevent further unauthorised access. This means they essenti ..read more
ITP Tech Blog » Telecommunications
1y ago
There was some sympathy for our telecoms operators in February when cyclone Gabrielle slashed fibre optic cables and cut power to cell sites across the North Island.
Most people recognised that our mobile networks are fairly reliable, even if the lingering coverage blackspots highlighted numerous issues that need to be addressed to make our telecommunications infrastructure more resilient to extreme weather events.
But what happened this Thursday in Australia with the massive outage that hit millions of Optus customers was a disaster of a different kind. It’s the biggest single telecommunicati ..read more
ITP Tech Blog » Telecommunications
1y ago
An occasional digital detox is a great way to reconnect with the real world, slow down and enjoy analogue life.
But can you imagine the impact if everyone in the world, just for one day, had to make do without the internet? It would be more than just a mild inconvenience - it would cause mayhem in every sector of society, and industry. But what would the tangible financial impact of taking the globe offline for 24 hours be?
VPN software vendor Atlas VPN says the figure is US$43 billion. The United States and China alone make up half of the sum together, accumulating $21 billion in losses. The ..read more
ITP Tech Blog » Telecommunications
1y ago
Where is the text you’re reading, right now? In one sense, it lives “on the internet” or “in the cloud”, just like your favourite social media platform or the TV show you might stream tonight.
But in a physical sense, it’s stored and transmitted somewhere in a network of thousands of data centres across the globe. Each of these centres is whirring, buzzing and beeping around the clock, to store, process and communicate vast amounts of data and provide services to hungry consumers.
All this infrastructure is expensive to build and run, and has a considerable environmental impact. In search of c ..read more
ITP Tech Blog » Telecommunications
1y ago
I don’t know about you, but I’ve been enjoying the lull in political news as we wait for the special vote results to be released and as Christopher Luxon keeps a lid on coalition negotiations.
But with National promising a flurry of changes in its first 100 days in office, it will be all go before long. It’s unlikely that thousands of public servants will be shown the door before Christmas, but the sooner the new Government gets headcount and consulting spending down, the sooner it can live up to its widely-questioned promise to deliver tax cuts.
With IT services comprising a large chunk of go ..read more