A Faster Future http://www.afasterfuture.com Thu, 19 Jan 2012 21:00:37 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 ICF announces 2012′s top seven intelligent communities http://www.afasterfuture.com/icf-announces-2012%e2%80%b2s-top-seven-intelligent-communities.html http://www.afasterfuture.com/icf-announces-2012%e2%80%b2s-top-seven-intelligent-communities.html#comments Thu, 19 Jan 2012 20:57:05 +0000 Editor http://www.afasterfuture.com/?p=1056 Each year the Intelligent Community Forum searches the world for those communities that provide a model of economic and social development in the 21st Century using information and communications technology. The Top Seven for this year have just been announced – although unfortunately none of the nominated cities are from Australia (or indeed, from the southern hemisphere – although the State of Victoria was nominated in 2004). The nominations celebrate those communities that are using information and communications technology to power growth, address social challenges and preserve and promote culture, and this year’s seven include three from Canada, two from the US, one from Finland and one from Taiwan. In June, one of the Top Seven is named ICF’s Intelligent Community of the Year. Last year’s nominees included the US city of Chattanooga, whose CIO Mark Keil visited Australia last year to discuss his city’s adoption of high-speed broadband.

]]> http://www.afasterfuture.com/icf-announces-2012%e2%80%b2s-top-seven-intelligent-communities.html/feed 0 New report shows business struggling to prepare for a broadband future http://www.afasterfuture.com/new-report-shows-business-struggling-to-prepare-for-a-broadband-future.html http://www.afasterfuture.com/new-report-shows-business-struggling-to-prepare-for-a-broadband-future.html#comments Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:34:49 +0000 Editor http://www.afasterfuture.com/?p=1048 A new report from the Australian Industry Group and Deloitte has highlighted the gap that exists between many Australian business’ awareness of the benefits of broadband and their readiness to take advantage of new broadband networks and technologies.

The survey of 540 chief executives in manufacturing, services and construction industries asked about business investment in new technologies over the past three years, including questions relating to the R&D tax incentive and readiness to capitalise on opportunities from broadband.

The report, Business Investment in New Technologies, found that around 80 percent invested in new technologies over the past three years, with approximately16% of the productivity gains achieved by these businesses attributed to investment in new technologies.
The report also found that while businesses are preparing to train their workforce and recruit new staff as the network expands, only 30 percent report having a high or medium degree of information about the practical impacts of faster broadband speeds, and just over 50 percent reported they were adequately prepared to take advantage of the opportunities that may arise.
This contrasted with the finding that the value of Australian’s National Broadband Network specifically “will only translate into the projected competitive edge if businesses are ready to quickly and fully partake of the opportunities, applications and services once the NBN is in place”.

 

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