The Government has today released a further Discussion Document as part of its review of the regulatory framework that will apply from 2020, which sets out final views on the approach to UFB fibre services, and new proposals for copper services for feedback.

The Government has departed from the previous combined copper and fibre regulated asset base proposal. The key changes are:

· The final decision is that UFB fibre will be regulated under a traditional utility style building block model framework. The initial valuation of the UFB fibre network will be determined by the Commerce Commission based on unrecovered historic costs. For an initial period until 2023, Chorus will be regulated under a revenue cap with anchor products. The price of the initial voice and broadband anchor product (100/20Mbps) will be set based on 2019 prices, adjusted for inflation. The form of control can be reviewed by the Commission from 2024, subject to approval by the Minister. Unbundling is required with prices set commercially until 2024, when the Commission can investigate whether or not prices should be set on a cost-oriented basis.

· The proposal is that copper will be de-regulated and the Telecommunications Service Obligation (TSO) will be removed where UFB or other fibre is available.

· In other copper areas, prices will be set at 2019 prices with no inflation adjustment and the TSO will remain in place.

“The proposal to treat copper and fibre separately in the regulatory framework is a change from the Discussion Document in July 2016. This raises some additional complexity for regulatory implementation, such as cost allocation, that we will need to consider carefully. In addition, it raises questions around incentives to invest in the high cost rural areas currently served by copper. We look forward to engaging further on this, to ensure that customer needs are met, along with consideration of whether investors can earn a fair return,” said Vanessa Oakley, Chorus General Counsel and Company Secretary.”

A copy of the Discussion Document can be found here www.mbie.govt.nz/telcoreview. Chorus looks forward to considering today’s announcements in more detail, participation in the review and completion of legislation this year.

The company’s new tools let businesses manage several teams together

After a long wait, Slack has announced the version of its popular work chat application that is designed for enterprises. On Tuesday in San Francisco, the company unveiled its new Enterprise Grid product, aimed at helping companies administer and connect multiple chat instances.

Grid allows business administrators to set up each team inside their organization with their own centrally managed Slack instance. Those workspaces can then be linked together using shared channels, and all of the people inside an enterprise can direct- message one another, even if they’re not part of the same workspace.

Those features help deal with one of the biggest issues enterprises have encountered with Slack. The chat application isn’t really designed to support an entire business with thousands of people all working inside the same instance. But the only other option prior to the launch of Grid was to use a series of isolated Slack teams and give users membership to each one they needed to take part in.

Now, it’s possible for companies to create an archipelago of connected teams, which should be more useful for larger organizations.

> > > Continue to full article on CIO

Prime Minister Bill English and Communications Minister Simon Bridges today announced Ultra-Fast Broadband (UFB) will be extended to more than 151 additional towns, providing up to 85 per cent of New Zealanders with access to fibre by the end of 2024.

The second, $300 million phase of the Government’s UFB programme was launched in Amberley, north Canterbury, this morning.

Following intensive commercial negotiations, the Amberley event marked the awarding of contracts between Crown Fibre Holdings and four partner companies: Northpower, Ultrafast Fibre, Chorus and Enable.

“Phase two of the UFB build will see fibre rolled out across all mainland regions, to 151 more towns plus 43 suburban fringe areas around the larger centres which were covered by the first phase of the programme,” Mr Bridges says.

“This will provide around 423,000 additional New Zealanders in both rural and urban areas, from Ruatoria to Reefton, with access to world-class broadband.”

All towns identified in the Request for Proposals (RFP) for the UFB extension will receive access to fibre, plus additional areas that weren’t included in the RFP.

“Regional connectivity is critical to our economy and to New Zealand’s future,” Mr Bridges says.

“Rolling out faster, more reliable internet is a vital part of our plan in developing a productive and competitive economy, improving health and educational outcomes and creating more jobs for Kiwis and their families.

“By the end of 2024, approximately 85 per cent of New Zealanders will have access to fibre, far exceeding our original target of 80 per cent by 2022. This will put New Zealand among the leaders in the OECD for access to fibre.

The first phase of the Government’s UFB programme is ahead of schedule in delivering fibre to the premises of 75 per cent of New Zealanders by 2019.

The second phase of UFB installations will start in 2017 and be completed between 2018 and 2024. Phase two of the build will see each build area be completed within a 12 month period in order to provide as little disruption as possible.

Further information is available at www.broadband.govt.nz.

|  A Beehive release  |  January 26, 2017  |

Worldwide the consumption of news continues to esculate and New Zealand is not immume

There is an old saying "you can't see the wood for the trees" which something we all suffer from at various times.  Now I have had such an attack, its not painful, not even frustrating, no physical signs at all and in fact  I didn't even know I had it until now.

Fortunately the remedy is nearly at hand with no  prescriptions, pills or vile medicine to take , just a dose of goodwill is all thats required.  And this could very well come from you, yes it could.

Now this is a remedy of many parts each of equel strength and importance.  Each part will compliment the other yet be completely different in their individual make-up.  Some will be responsible for what is being made every day on the factory floors and workplaces country wide and others will be aware of what is happening.

However there is one common element - each part has an interest in sharing information with the others thus completing the remedy.

So if you have an interest in what is happening in the  productive sector in New Zealand, and by that I mean an interest in any of the many engineering disciplines (including digital apps and games development), any of the trades, manufacturing, construction, those who have seen an opportunity and gone for it, then you can help me recover.  You see the answer is simply this - would you like to become  a contributor to MSCNewsWire and share what you may already post on social media?

The bad news first:  it dooesn't come with an annual salary, or even an hourly rate for that matter or payment by the word, no company car or expenses and you have to provide your own mobile, laptop or tablet, social media account and bursts of coffee!

But the good news is that your contributions will be viewed on MSCNewsWire that presently enjoys over 50,000 views a month plus you will be helping promote our productive sector to an interested global audience. A thought - if we do this right together then there is absolutely no reason why commercial opportunites can't be developed. You just never know what tomorrow will bring.

So thats it really.  With a bit of luck I'll get the medicne to fix the condition and you'll get to start what could be an interesting and rewarding journey, along the way contributing to the growth in the consumption of news in a positive way.

If you would like to join the team then first of all skoot me through an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with your contact details and an indication of the topics you are interested in.  Oh yes meantime you are welcome to join The Factory Floor Exchange. 

It's free and members get to post questions and share knowledge through the various forums.  It's also very new so members are urgently required to help it grow with a personaility of its own.  Do recommend it to your friends and peers.

Look forward to hearing from you and with a bit of luck be able to walk through the trees and learn what each  have to offer.

|  From beside the MSCNewsWire reporters' desk  |  Saturday 21, January 2017  |

Slack, the popular work chat app, has launched one of the features that users have been clamoring for over its entire lifetime: threaded messages.

On Wednesday, the company began the process of rolling out the update to all of its users, which will allow them to keep conversations about a particular topic corralled into a single thread. The feature is designed to keep conversations on a particular topic out of the main flow of a chat channel, the company said in a blog post.

Starting a thread just requires users to hover over a message, click the “Start a Thread” button, and type their response. Replies will be grouped into a sidebar thread, and a small link will appear below the original message showing who has replied to a thread and how many replies it has garnered.

Users have been requesting threaded replies for years as a way to help deal with crowded chat channels where multiple conversations are going on at once. Slack allows users in a channel to talk with one another in a single, uninterrupted flow, which means it can be difficult when folks are discussing two or more different topics. This feature should help with that, along with assisting in reducing clutter from ancillary discussions.

Launching threaded replies will also help Slack compete with other messaging services like Microsoft Teams, which has pushed its support for threading replies as a key feature. Microsoft is slated to make Teams generally available next month, and a recent survey of IT professionals showed them optimistic about the tech giant’s chances of competing with Slack.

|  Continue to full article here |  January 18, 2017  |

BOSTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–International submarine cable consulting firm Pioneer Consulting has been selected to oversee the procurement support for the construction of a new submarine fiber optic cable system by Southern Cross Cables Limited (SCCL). The Southern Cross NEXT cable system will be constructed and operated by SCCL to connect Australia, New Zealand and the United States.

Pioneer Consulting has already provided detailed market analysis as well as consulting on the network’s overall design and technical specifications. Pioneer is now assisting in the system specification, procurement, permitting, survey and contracting activities.

This new system will provide connectivity between Sydney, Australia, Auckland, New Zealand and Los Angeles, California USA, and will supplement SCCL’s existing Southern Cross Cable network. The new system will also allow SCCL’s customers to leverage the company’s extensive point-of-presence and access infrastructure and resiliently spread capacity among Southern Cross’s three independent routes between Oceania and North America.

With a total cable length of over 13,700 km, this major project will add a high capacity route to meet the anticipated growing capacity demand of the next decades. Pioneer will help to ensure that the direct optical transmission over 12,000km or more between Australia, New Zealand and the data centers of North America will feature the most advanced optical transmission technology available.

Mr. Anthony Briscoe, President and CEO of SCCL stated: “Southern Cross NEXT will further increase the capacity and resilience of the existing Southern Cross eco-system, and is the first step in the longer term two-part replacement planning strategy for Southern Cross, ensuring our customers capacity requirements well beyond 2030. To ensure this project’s success, we have integrated world-class engineering managers with our experienced teams within Southern Cross. We are pleased to have Pioneer Consulting as part of this team.”

Leading the Pioneer team, Pioneer Consulting’s Managing Partner Keith Schofield added, “it’s our privilege to be working with SCCL on their new endeavor. SCCL has demonstrated to the marketplace 17 years of highly reliable service and consistent technological advance. We are pleased to help SCCL advance this excellent record of service into the future.”

About Pioneer Consulting: Pioneer offers a comprehensive set of services for the submarine fiber optic telecommunication system industry including: turnkey project management, financial and technical due diligence, engineering and implementation, and market and technical studies. For further information about Pioneer Consulting visit http://www.pioneerconsulting.com or send an e-mail to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

| A  SAT PR press release  |  January 18, 2017  |

The route survey for the long-awaited Hawaiki cable has now been completed, and details have been revealed about how far production has progressed.

The 14,000 km cable, scheduled for completion in 2018, will link New Zealand and Australia to the United States, Hawaii and American Samoa, as well as other South Pacific islands.

The route survey included details about the kinds of small boat and shallow water work for all landings.

“The information garnered from the recently completed deep water route survey will be instrumental in ensuring the long-term viability of the cable system and we are thrilled with the progress on the cable and repeater manufacturing efforts. Installation will begin later in 2017 and a fully lit system that should positively impact the entire region is soon to follow,” says Hawaiki CEO Remi Galasso.

|  }}} Continue to read full article .  .  . 

A Kiwi-made app is getting global attention after securing a strategic partnership with technology giant Bosch to bring email into cars.

Bosch is this week featuring Speaking Email as part of their stand at the renowned Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas from January 5-8.

Speaking Email is an app that reads emails aloud so people can safely check their email while driving.

Bosch is incorporating Speaking Email into their mySPIN platform, which enables drivers to use authorised apps on their iPhone or Android smartphone via a touchscreen integrated into cars and motorbikes.

“We are very happy that Speaking Email joined the mySPIN eco-system and are convinced that their existing solution will add further value to our customer’s offering to drivers” says Kay Herget, Global Head of Marketing at Bosch Softtec, Bosch’s business unit who develops mySPIN.

The event showcases the latest in innovative devices, gadgets, software and services and draws vast crowds. Last year 175,000 people attended the show.

Speaking Email was developed by small Auckland web development company, beweb, after director Mike Nelson got frustrated with the lack of such a product on the market.

Mr Nelson says the partnership with Bosch is major coup for the app which was launched last year.

“Bosch is way ahead in automotive technology - they have the only connected car system that allows apps to work seamlessly in the vehicle, so it is a perfect fit for us and very exciting they have chosen to partner with us,” he says.

“Thousands of technophiles will be able to see the app in action in Las Vegas so we are stoked that our New Zealand made app is making it on the global stage.”

Speaking Email differs from other alternatives in that it enables users to focus on important email content by avoiding reading out clutter - including signatures, disclaimers, reply chains and junk mail.

A premium version features the ability to archive, flag, trash or even reply on the move. Recently released features include voice selection and multilingual mode which detects emails written in other languages and reads them with native pronunciation.

Speaking Email can be downloaded free from the App Store or Google Play and works with all email platforms.

To download visit www.speaking.email

About Beweb:Beweb has been developing websites and web applications for New Zealand companies since 2000. Speaking Email is the company’s first app.

Reviewer Promo Code:To try out the premium version of the app, for a free 3 month premium subscription, enter this promo code on the Upgrade screen: snx3567ces

|  A Beweb release  |  January 5, 2017  |

While we don't have a magic crystal ball, a combination of what we've seen in 2016, plus one or two murmurs from the supply chains, gives enough clues to be able to make some fairly educated guesses about what's ahead.

• Samsung will be back with more than one flagship phone
• Apple is expected to launch at least two new iPhones in 2017
• LG unveiled the G5 in 2016 at Mobile World Congress
• 2016 also saw the arrival of Google's new Pixel phone

The smartphone tech of 2017

We may not see a huge leap forward in the evolution of the smartphone over the next 12 months, but that doesn't mean there won't be any surprises along the way, and here's what might be in store – though we should mention this is based mainly on leaks and rumors, so don't get your hopes up too high just yet.

Iris scanning technology hasn't appeared on many phones to date, but one handset it did show up on in 2016 was the doomed Samsung Galaxy Note 7. With the necessary components now becoming cheaper and more accurate, you can expect to see more phones feature this futuristic form of security. It's been linked with the Samsung Galaxy S8, among other handsets.

Then there's curves: If there's one running thread through all the smartphone 2017 rumors, it's curves everywhere you look. Handset makers are said to be experimenting with curved back plates, curved front screens, curved edges for displays, and more. What Samsung helped to start with the Galaxy Note Edge back in 2014 could well be the norm in 2017, whichever part of the phone you're looking at.

Continue to full article on New Atlas

The Commerce Commission has decided to continue to regulate number portability for both local and mobile telephone numbers for another five years. Number portability enables a customer to keep the same telephone number despite switching telecommunications provider. The regulation limits the time gap in service and the price the telecommunications companies pay each other for the switchover.

Telecommunications Commissioner Dr Stephen Gale said that users support continued controls and the industry is comfortable with the existing number portability regulations.

"The ability of New Zealanders to keep their phone number when switching providers has been regulated for nearly a decade now and is a service consumers have embraced. Telecommunications companies have also recognised the benefits number portability brings to competition by removing a disincentive for consumers to switch to their offering,” Dr Gale said.

The final determination includes some minor changes to improve the efficiency and workability of number portability. “The changes we had proposed in our November draft determination, including ensuring consumers can switch providers on a Saturday and tidying up some terms regarding network updates, have been carried through to our final determination released today.”

A copy of the final determination can be found on our website.Background

Local and cellular telephone number portability are both regulated services under the Telecommunications Act 2001.

The first number portability determination was issued in 2005 and took effect in 2007. It was then extended in 2010 for a further six years. The current determination was set to expire this month. The Commission’s decision today extends regulation of number portability through to December 2021.