Telstra talks technology futures

THE impact of new technologies upon society and the economy will be investigated tonight when telecommunications giant Telstra appears before the Infrastructure, Transport and Cities Committee, as part of the ongoing inquiry into the role of smart ICT in the design and planning of infrastructure.

Telstra’s submission focuses on emerging technologies and their potential benefits, such as human interface technologies, immersive communications, the Internet of Things, and artificial intelligence and machine learning.

Telstra notes that one of the most significant opportunities for the application of smart ICT is road infrastructure. The telco says that if Australia continues to build and operate roads as it does today that it’s likely to need about two and a half times more road capacity in 2050 than it has today.

The application of emerging technology—especially autonomous vehicles—means that the road capacity requirement in 2050 could be roughly equivalent to the capacity existing today.

Committee Chair, John Alexander MP (Bennelong, NSW), said that new technology was presenting exciting opportunities to make urban centres more liveable and productive and regional areas better connected than ever before.

“By exploiting the full potential of new technologies, Australia will become a more efficient, productive, connected and liveable place. The opportunities to radically improve the efficiency of transport networks in particular are there to be taken. Governments and business must grasp these opportunities to keep the nation competitive in the global environment,” Mr Alexander said.

Hearing details

Date: Tuesday, 1 December 2015
Time: 5:30 pm–7:00 pm
Witness: Telstra (Submission 14)
Venue: Committee Room 2R1, Parliament House, Canberra

The public hearing will be webcast live at http://www.aph.gov.au/live

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