Latest News
November 2018 - On the 1st November 2018 at a Gala Event in Melbourne, Professor Coutts was inducted into the 2018 Pearcey Hall of Fame for “Distinguished lifetime Achievement and contribution to the development and growth of the Australian Information and Communications Technology industry”.
See the paper ‘Problems with Cell Phone Evidence tendered to ‘prove’ the location of a person at a point in time’
4-4-2016 Will 5G and IoT Create a New Monopoly?
5G: DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE
4-3-2016 Metadata misuse and why government agencies
are overconfident
Coutts argues at the OTT Summit that Telcos have
the measure of OTT disruption
Coutts calls at the Comms Day unwired Conference for
light touch regulation of IoT
17-11-2015 Internet of Things (IOT) Spectrum and
Regulation COMMSDAY UNWIRED
Coutts argues at the Comms Day Conference that the
ACCC has not made the case for measurement of fixed
broadband performance
13-10-2015 'Broadband Performance' CommsDay Conference
ISSUE: MOVE THE USO AWAY FROM TELSTRA TO NBN?
See Coutt's Report here
15-7-2015 CommsWire Issue 150715
ISSUE: OPTUS, VODAFONE PILE ON THE PRESSUE FOR USO REFORM
15-7-2015 Communications Day Issue 4935
ISSUE: MOBILE WILL 'NEVER REPLACE BROADCAST RADIO'
Articles published in Communications Day
2-12-2014 Coutts claims LTE won’t replace digital radio, calls on ACMA to allocate spectrum
2-12-2014 A report released by Commercial Radio Australia (CRA) and written by Professor Reg Coutts says that mobile broadband communications networks, particularly in regional areas, are not a replacement for broadcast free to air radio.ISSUE: THE END OF TUSMA AND THE ONGOING NBN Co - TELSTRA NEGOTIATIONS
Articles published in Communications Day
3-11-2014 Coutts' call for USO reboot: pass it to NBN Co, bring in mobile
ISSUE: BILL SCALES REPORT ON THE NBN PROCESS DISPUTED
Articles published in Communications Day
21-08-2014 Rod Tucker claims Scales ignored advice on ACCC role
22-08-2014 Response from Professor Reg Coutts
ISSUE: THE NBN-BALANCING VISION AND REALISATION
Articles published in Communications Day
13-06-2014 Professor Rod Tucker on the NBN and FTTP
13-06-2014 Grahame Lynch: Sorry Professor Tucker,
but your 'facts are not what they seem.
17-06-2014 Letter to the editor - Professor Reg Coutts
The recent 'war of words' on NBN
ISSUE: C-BAND SPECTRUM DEBATE
Contribution to Public Debate
Articles published in Communications Day
23-5-14 ACMA takes flak for C-band stance
26-5-14 C-band clash of the regulatory titans:
senior ACMA alumni storm into debate
29-5-14 Letter to the editor from Professor Reg
Coutts - Clarification on ACMA comments
30-5-14 Letter from Dr Andrew Kerans -
4-6-14 Letter to the editor from Brian Louey-Gung
6-6-14 ACMA takes key role at milestone spectrum
summit, C-band issue escalates.
18-6-14 Audio: Crosstalk Podcast - C Band Debate
'Just the start in the quest for spectrum'
20th May 2014
Professor Reg Coutts moves back to 'private practice'.
Professor Emeritus Reg Coutts today tendered his resignation from the ACMA in correspondence to the Governor General in order to be able to contribute directly to the important transition issues of the national and global telecommunications sector further leveraging his professional skills, experience and new insights as a former regulator.
View Press Release Here published in Comms Day
27th March 2014 - Sydney
"The end of the internet"
Reg's talk on the evolution of the 'network neutrality' went well raising many questions! While particularly focused on the US and Europe, 'network neutrality' to date in Australia has not been a hot issue as we have had 'open access' and healthy competition of ISPs with effective regulatory oversight.
However, the global Internet is at a cross roads where decisions made in the US and Europe will play out in Australia albeit in modified form impacted by the NBN!
20th March 2014
"Funding and pricing of next generation Broadband networks"
The ITU has published on the internet the full proceedings of the ITU World Forum in Bangkok held in November 2013. Hear and see Reg's contribution to the global debate on the broadband policies.
View the video HERE - or click on the image above
12th March 2014
Case Studies on Broadband Policy - New Delhi
Professor Coutts participated in an Expert Forum on Broadband organized by LIRNEasia to inform Indian policy
makers in New Delhi India on the 12th March. The Forum was presented with draft research case studies on:
Malaysia
Australia
Indonesia
Mexico
India
Which brought out the unique country strategies that were being adopted depending on many factors of both economic, regulatory and social context.
For instance... Did you know? That the Mexican Government are looking at forming essentially a wireless equivalent of the Australian NBN network!
20th February 2014
Spectacular Spectrum Auction Result
The Canadian 700MHZ spectrum auction concluded on the 20th February 2014 after 5 weeks of bidding activity raising $5.3 billion dollars where Rogers one of the 3 incumbents paid 60% of this figure for their national coverage. Coutts Communications assisted the small dynamic Telco East Link achieve their spectrum objectives to acquire spectrum in their core markets at a relative bargain for some C$9 million!
November 2013
Riding the Data Wave
Professor Reg Coutts has been invited to the ITU World Forum in Bangkok Thailand in November 2013 to be part of a panel of 'influencers' to discuss the rapid growth of mobile broadband that is sweeping the world.
The session is called Riding the Data Wave
The plethora of new wireless devices reaching international markets is facilitating innovative business models but stressing the ability of fixed and mobile networks to keep pace. Wireless has for some time provided basic connectivity in Asia but the data storm that has hit European and North American markets will present new challenges to operators due to the shortage of high capacity back haul. 'Front-hauling' is one of the techniques that have been promoted as a solution but its use of scarce spectrum presents other difficulties.
5th – 7th September 2013
Tutorial Proceeding CPRsouth/CPRafrica conference
Reg attended the CPRsouth/CPRafrica conference in Mysore India as a precursor to the CPRsouth Board meeting which attracted interdisciplinary papers with a policy impact.
Examples are:
> Mobile banking expansion in Africa
> Mobile Internet future broadband
> Culturally appropriate financial products for
Indigenous people's
27 - 28th June 2013
Professor Coutts participated in Conference on Innovation and Spectrum sponsored by the French Finance Ministry
The conference was convened by the French Ministry of Finance bringing together stakeholders from industry and regulators across Europe to address the importance of Spectrum as a Public Resource that can spur industrial and economic innovation.
Key issues discussed were the potential for:
> Great opportunities for "Internet of things" and the
need for new infrastructure and spectrum.
> A second digital dividend (ie the 700MHz) across
Europe
> Potential benefits of global spectrum harmonisation
citing the progress of the APT 700MHZ plan lead by
Australia.
> Europe to regain the lead in mobile sector innovation
as with GSM in the late 80's
The French Minister for Communications used the opportunity to announce their Government's commitment of the future 700MHz band to the mobile industry rather than broadcasting.
10th June 2013
Professor Coutts was invited to present to the OECD ICT Panel as an independent expert on his observations on Spectrum Auctions.
31 January 2013
Coutts describes how the NBN will be delivered to regions of
Australia not covered by optical fibre
Professor Reg Coutts delivered a seminar about the NBN as the first event for 2013 of the recently formed Broadband for the Bush Alliance B4BA, held in Alice Springs 31st January.
The event
was hosted by the Desert Knowledge Cooperative Research Centre.
As a member of the Broadband Expert Panel (2008) that foreshadowed many of
the fundamentals of what is now simply termed 'the NBN', Reg described the
role of advanced wireless technologies in the NBN plan.
The
evolution to next generation satellite coupled with fixed wireless will
bring broadband access to 100% of the nation finally addressing the 'tyranny
of distance'.
From the announcement of the NBN policy in April 2009, Reg has taken a
particular interest in what is termed "the 7% of premises outside the
optical footprint in rural and remote Australia which will constitute some
25% of the total NBN budget."
27 October 2012
Professor Coutts has been accepted as a Board member of CPRsouth a South East Asian Policy Think Tank researching policies in ICT in the South Pacific.
Communication Policy Research South (CPRsouth) is a capacity-building initiative administered by LIRNEasia. Its’ objective is to facilitate the creation, sustenance and continuous advancement of policy intellectuals capable of informed and effective intervention in ICT policy and regulation processes in specific country and regional contexts in the south. In order to fulfill its objectives, CPRsouth targets aspiring junior and mid-level policy intellectuals in the Asia-Pacific.
The next Conference and Board meeting for CPRsouth is September 2013.
13 March 2012
Coutts Communications joins fellow foundation members of a
Satellite Services Working Group
On 12th March 2012 it was announced Coutts Communications joins fellow foundation members of a Satellite Services Working Group of the Communications Alliance to advance the growing satellite-based network and facilities services sector in Australia which has become more important with NBN Co announcing the contract to launch the two Ka band satellites in 2015 Read more
20 May 2011
Professor Coutts to chair ACMA conference in Darling
Harbour
Professor Reg Coutts, part-time member of the Australian
Communications
and Media Authority (ACMA) will be chairing the
session entitled A
Response to the Mobile Future on Day 2
of the annual ACMA
Radiocommunications Conference
www.acma.gov.au/radcomms 2011 on Friday the 27th May 2011being held at Doltone House, Darling Island Wharf, Pyrmont
Sydney NSW. The Session will
focus on the ever growing
commercial and public demand for spectrum ranging
from
mobile broadband to disaster response systems.
15 October 2010
Professor Coutts appointed to ACMA
On October 2010 Professor Reg Coutts was appointed a
part-time member of the Australian Communications and
Media Authority (ACMA) for a five year term. The
Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA)
is responsible for the regulation of broadcasting, the
Internet, radio communications and telecommunications.
12 October 2010
Professor Coutts speaking at CommsDay Melbourne
Congress hits out NBN critics
While the voices calling into question the economics and cost
benefit of the national broadband network have grown loader
in the post-election period, a range of NBN proponents have hit
back at its critics on the opening day of the CommsDay Melbourne
Congress. Those rallying to the defence of the NBN include former
NBN expert panelist Reg Coutts and Institute for a Broadband-Enabled
Society executve director Kate Cornick.Read more at
www.commsday.com