Comms Connect Melbourne to talk all things utilities

The 19th edition of Comms Connect Melbourne, set to take place at MCEC on 14–15 October, has much to interest those who work within the electrical, communications and data sectors. Over 1600 attendees are expected at the event this year, including more than 450 conference delegates, from industries including utilities, mining, aviation and emergency services.

The conference will see Gareth McKay, Managing Director of Australian energy storage business Valen Power, take an agnostic look at rapid-deployable power for critical communications. McKay works closely with network operators and government-funded resilience programs to understand the operational realities of remote and disaster-prone sites. In this presentation, he will compare diesel-only, separate solar-and-battery, and fully integrated hybrid approaches against criteria including weight, towability, refuelling burden and restoration speed.

Peter Scougall, General Manager, Strategy & Growth for Ventia Telecommunications, will explore one of the world’s largest scientific and digital infrastructure programs: the Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO), which combines remote communications networks, high-capacity data transport, advanced signal processing and mission-critical operational technologies across vast geographic distances. Scougall will examine how technologies developed for large-scale scientific infrastructure can inform the future evolution of utilities, transport, defence and satellite communications networks.

Molly James, Service Delivery & Roaming Manager at Omnitouch Network Services, will reveal what it’s like to deliver a critical communications network against an ‘impossible’ deadline in one of the most remote parts of the world. This was the challenge faced by Ascension Island, when its previous provider gave three months’ notice to decommission the island’s only telecommunications network — a scary prospect for an isolated community living in proximity to an active volcano.

In a discussion about developing resilient connectivity beyond terrestrial networks, Riley Porteous, Communications Systems Team Leader at Surf Life Saving NSW, will present the innovative ‘Drone-in-a-Box’ solution he has helped develop for emergency services. And Shane Fitzsimmons, former NSW Fire Commissioner and current Board Chair of the Connectivity Innovation Network (CIN), will outline the CIN’s ongoing work in developing technically innovative solutions for public safety and disaster resilience. 

Don’t miss this premier critical comms and public safety regional event — secure your seat now.