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Northern Australia Communications Analysis Directions Paper Northern Australia Communications Analysis Directions Paper A. Marshall1, M. Dezuanni1, K. Wockner2, H. Babacan3, J. Burgess1, F. Crawford, M. Foth1, R. Gregory4, P. Mitchell1, T. Neale4, S. Rogers5 & R. Wallace6. Authorship 1 Queensland University of Technology, 2 Premise, 3 James Cook University, 4 Regional Development Australia Northern Territory, 5 Centre for Appropriate Technology, 6 Charles Darwin University This research is funded by the CRC for Developing Northern Australia (CRCNA) is supported by the Cooperative Research Centres Program, an Australian Government initiative. The CRCNA also acknowledges the support of its investment partners: the Western Australian, Northern Territory and Queensland Governments. Disclaimer Any opinions expressed in this document are those of the authors. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the CRCNA or its partners, agents or employees. The CRCNA gives no warranty or assurance and makes no representation as to the accuracy or reliability of any information or advice contained in this document, or that it is suitable for any intended use. The CRCNA, its partners, agents and employees, disclaim any and all liability for any errors or omissions or in respect of anything or the consequences of anything done or omitted to be done in reliance upon the whole or any part of this document. Peer Review Statement The CRCNA recognises the value of knowledge exchange and the importance of objective peer review. It is committed to encouraging and supporting its research teams in this regard. The author(s) confirm(s) that this document has been reviewed and approved by the project’s steering committee and by its program leader. These reviewers evaluated its: • originality • methodology • rigour • compliance with ethical guidelines • conclusions against results • conformity with the principles of the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research • (NHMRC 2018), and provided constructive feedback which was considered and addressed by the author(s © Cooperative Research Centre for Developing Northern Australia ISBN 978-1-922437-05-1 Table of contents Acknowledgments ............................................................................................................................ i Disclaimer ................................................................................................................................... i Peer Review Statement ............................................................................................................... i Table of contents ............................................................................................................................ ii List of Tables ..................................................................................................................................iv List of Figures ................................................................................................................................. v Glossary .........................................................................................................................................vi Consortium Partners ..................................................................................................................... viii Executive Summary ........................................................................................................................ix 1. Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Aims ..................................................................................................................................... 2 1.2 Scope ................................................................................................................................... 2 1.3 Methodology ......................................................................................................................... 3 1.4 Structure of the paper ........................................................................................................... 5 2. Background ................................................................................................................................. 6 2.1 Telecommunications legacy ................................................................................................. 7 2.2 Legislation, regulation and policy .......................................................................................... 8 2.3 Digital inclusion in Australia ................................................................................................ 10 2.4 Social inclusion ................................................................................................................... 12 3. Infrastructure and service audit ................................................................................................. 14 3.1 Network infrastructure ........................................................................................................ 15 3.1.1 National Broadband Network ...................................................................................... 15 3.1.2 Telecommunications networks ................................................................................. 18 3.1.3 Private networks ......................................................................................................... 20 3.2 Telecommunications and broadband internet services ....................................................... 21 3.3 Digital connectivity in South East Asia ................................................................................ 23 3.4 Physical infrastructure findings summary ............................................................................ 24 4. Social infrastructure and digital capability analysis .................................................................... 27 4.1 National digital ability programs .......................................................................................... 28 4.2 Northern Australia’s digital inclusion ecosystem ................................................................. 29 4.3 Digital skills and education ................................................................................................. 32 4.3.1 Media literacy and consumer protections .................................................................... 33 4.4 Social infrastructure findings summary ............................................................................... 33 ii 5. Future directions ....................................................................................................................... 35 5.1 SWOT analysis ................................................................................................................... 36 5.2 Recommendations and actions........................................................................................... 37 5.3 Five-year road map ............................................................................................................ 42 5.3.1 Infrastructure ............................................................................................................... 44 5.3.2 Policy .......................................................................................................................... 44 5.3.3 Programs .................................................................................................................... 45 5.3.4 Research .................................................................................................................... 45 6. Addendum: Sectoral insights ..................................................................................................... 47 6.1 First Nations ....................................................................................................................... 47 6.1.1 Legacy connectivity issues .......................................................................................... 49 6.1.2 Last mile connectivity solutions ................................................................................... 50 6.1.3 Advocacy and initiatives .............................................................................................. 52 6.1.4 Enterprise and innovation ........................................................................................... 53 6.1.5 Sectoral findings ......................................................................................................... 55 6.2 Health ................................................................................................................................. 56 6.2.1 Contextual challenges ................................................................................................. 57 6.2.2 Policy landscape ......................................................................................................... 58 6.2.3 Digital health programs ............................................................................................... 59 6.2.4 Digital health supply chain........................................................................................... 59 6.2.5 Sectoral findings ......................................................................................................... 61 6.3 Agriculture .......................................................................................................................... 63 6.3.1 Farming in the digital economy ..................................................................................
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