Commission releases mobile broadband issues paper

The Productivity Commission is conducting a study into the best ways to secure a mobile broadband capability to meet the long-term needs of Australia’s public safety agencies.

On Monday, the commission released an issues paper to help guide those organisations and individuals who intend to make submissions. The issues paper can be obtained here. Submissions are due by 25 May.

The commission has been tasked with:

• undertaking a ‘first principles’ analysis of the most efficient, effective and economical way of delivering mobile broadband capability to PSAs by 2020;
• considering the most cost-effective combination of private and public inputs, services and expertise to deliver the capability;
• considering aspects of this capability such as national interoperability across jurisdictions and agencies, coverage, integration of voice services, security, capacity, resilience, sustainability of arrangements into the future and compatibility with end user devices; and
• considering domestic and international developments that might be applicable to Australia.

A draft report will be issued in August this year, followed by the final report in December.