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Push Controls Qld, WA Sales

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Melbourne-based home automation developer appoints new interstate sales agents in Qld and WA.


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Push’s new sales agents are Audio Industries in Queensland and PCA Marketing in Western Australia, it announced today.

To keep up with popular demand, Push has appointed interstate sales agents to act as the first point of contact for its dealers.

“With new additions slated for our product range and the growth of our dealer base in each state, the next logical step for us was to partner with local sales agentsand distributors,” said Push Controls managing director, Ben Green.

“After meeting with several potential distributors in Queensland and Western Australia we believe we have found the right companies to promote Push Controls.”

The appointment of the new sales agents comes at a time of significant growth for Push Controls, with the successful launch of Push Lite and several new products set for release in coming months, including the “game-changing” PC1 automation control processor.

The new agents will represent Push Controls and assist new and existing dealers, giving them even better support through local channels.

“After meeting with Laurie Douglas and his team from Audio Industries it was immediately clear thatnot only are they experienced and dedicated, but they share the same passion for the industry asus,” said Green.

 

“Our meeting with PCA Marketing in WA was of a similar nature. Peter Cutts and his team are wellknown for their technical knowledge and previous experience with Nevo remote controls.”

Audio Industries owner Laurie Douglas, said “we spent a lot of time looking for a qualitycontrol system that would complement our existing product ranges from Kordz, James Loudspeakers and Napa Sound Labs.”

Since its launch in 2010, Push Controls has sought to become an important player in the Australasian AV control industry.

E-Commerce 2015: What’s Coming?

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By 2015 there will be an estimated 3.4bn people surfing the web.

By 2015 there will be 3.4bn people surfing the web.

Thats a lot eyeballs.

Mobile traffic accounts for 10% of web traffic currently and could be 50% by 2015.

 But “we have only seen the tip of the iceberg for this technology” in terms of availability, says Jake Hird, eConsultancy’s Director of Research, speaking at Online Retailer conference in Sydney this week.

So what will the retail and marketing environment be like in 2015 and what will be the relevant technolgies?

QR codes, although big news at the moment, won’t be here in five years, Hind believes.

He reckons Near Field Communications (NFC) – the touch and tap payments technology – is the way mobile shopping is going.

NFC will be widely used by consumers in the future, eConsultancy predicts.

Facial recognition (FR) technology, where a user’s identity will be immediately recognised when they visit a particular site, will also be massive, and Facebook’s recent purchase of another FR technology startup supports this thesis, Hird predicts.

The ‘connected TV’ will also play a large part in the retail environment of tomorrow, with product placement becoming more interactive in the age of Smart TVs with touch and Internet capabilities.

There will be many opportunities in this space, eConsultancy believes. LG’s newly announced ad platform for Smart TVs in OZ, called smartclip, pay heed to this.

The eConsultants are also predicting the “Internet of Things” where a multitude of devices will become web connected – for example showers are currently being fitted out with touchscreens – so it could be a case of whats not connected to the web in the future.

Multiple touch points “will turn into thousands” and there will be more accessibility and inter-connectivity for consumers both in-store but also in other sites, says Hird.

But there will be also more complexity as the number of touchpoints increases, he adds. Hird cites retailer strategies in the UK like John Lewis who have installed kiosks in locations allowing customers to simply browse in its online store.

Many predict some major High Street retailers will be closed in five years he adds, but whether this becomes a reality has yet to be seen.

The ecommerce guru cites the words of Google Chairman Eric Schmidt: “if you don’t have a mobile strategy you don’t have a future strategy. “

 

And speaking of strategy, online and offline are now converging into one and no longer separate entities. “Data is the key for marketers” and ads will be more targeted than ever, Hird predicts.

But he also cites EU regulations on cookies which could put a spanner in the works for retailers looking to tracks user buying patterns.

“We’re in an experience age but moving to utilitarian age with real time interaction on devices. There will be “multiple digital platforms and it’s very difficult to know where these will be” – in the home, retail store etc.

Instead of the 4Ps of marketing (product, price promotion, place), retailers will be thinking of the 4 Es – experience, everyplace, exchange and evangelism.

But one thing is for certain, the future of retailing will be lead by technology, says Hird. “Steering the digital ship will be done through technology.” 

OZ Digital Auction: Going, Going …(Just Not Yet)

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Minister for Broadband confirms auction of spectrum for ‘digital dividend’ will now not take place til April 2013


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Communications Minister Senator Stephen Conroy,  confirmed the auction of spectrum between the telco will now not happen until next year.

The auction for the “digital dividend” could see major telcos coughing up to $4 billion in total.

The date was decided following advice of the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), Conroy said.

“The ACMA has advised that an April 2013 auction would maximise product certainty for bidders prior to the auction and provide new licensees with adequate lead time to plan and deploy networks before their licenses commence.”

Telcos including Optus, Telstra and Vodafone are all set to fight it out for spectrum in the 700 MHz band as well as spectrum in the 2.5 GHz band and will help telcos develop new 4G and other next gen mobile services.

Telstra may pay up to $1.3 billion while Optus is thought to pay its massive spectrum bill in stages.

Minister Conroy has also placed a competition limit of 2×20 MHz which will apply to spectrum in the 700 MHz band and a limit of 2×40 MHz to spectrum in the 2.5 GHz band and no entity will be permitted to purchase more than this limit for each band.

The limits are designed to ensure there is a choice of providers in the mobile sector for the advanced services that will be provided over the digital dividend spectrum.

The new spectrum being auctioned become available mainly as a result of the switch to digital-only television broadcasting by the end of 2013.

 

A number of digital TV services will then need to be moved to new channels (or restacked) before the 700 MHz digital dividend spectrum can be made available to successful bidders.

“The sale of this spectrum is a unique opportunity to pave the way for next generation mobile broadband services in Australia, such as 4G mobile services,” Senator Conroy said.

Down, Down; Tech Prices Crash 6.3%

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Prices are a-falling: prices of PC’s, AV technology fell a whopping 6.3% this year, new ABS stats show.


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Prices for tech goodies like tablets are now cheaper than ever.

This massive drop in tech prices defied the slight overall 0.1% rise in consumer prices in the first three months of the year, revealed by the ABS Consumer Price Index (CPI) today.

This slight inflationary rise compared with no change in the December quarter 2011, according to Australia Bureau Statistics.

However, the headline CPI is now 1.6% through the year to March, compared with a 3.1% rise last quarter, meaning an interest rate rise could be on the cards for the Reserve Bank next week.

The most significant price falls were for fruit, which fell a whopping 30% after last year floods pushed prices sky high, followed by ‘audio, visual and computing equipment’ which slumped a massive 6.3%,

Price deflation is something which major retailers including Harvey Norman and Dick Smith have been crying about for some time now, on the back of online competiton pushing prices downwards.

The ABS’ computer price index measures the price change of the same PC from month to month. “Any difference in price observed between one PC model and another is treated as a quality change as computing power and features improve over time,” according to the Index.

However, since it has become clear Aussies have been overcharged for IT and tech goods for years, this price deflation means we may eventually align with the average prices the rest of the developed world pays.

Telsyte analyst Sam Yip says Aussies are being overcharged on technology across the board.

“Generally, the sentiment is that Australians are overcharged on everything from software right through to hardware,” he told SmartHouse.

Read: How OZ Gets Screwed On IT Prices

Resellers and developers are being “opportunistic” as they realise Aussies will pay higher prices, despite the cost of delivery of digital product being similar around the globe.

But not for much longer – Yip predicts prices of technology will fall over the next 24 months, saying the price drop will be a “natural progression” for retailers in a bid to stay competitive in an online world full of bargain hungry  consumers.

Discount sites popping up online are driving this price deflation, he added, saying recent research on 18 categories of goods sold online indicated discounts were introduced in all categories examined.

However, the price discrepancies “will be milked for what its worth for the time being,” Yip warns.

 

And just yesterday, SmartHouse reported on the exorbitant cost of IT software compared to US and UK with Labor MP Ed Husic calling on the government to investigate why Aussies are getting screwed over on software RRPs, claiming we are charged up to 80% more than US or UK consumers.

International travel and accommodation (-4.8%), furniture (-6.0%), and domestic holiday (-2.0%) all fell in price this year.

However, the major price rises included: pharmaceutical products (+14.1%), secondary education (+7.7%), automotive fuel (+2.5%), medical and hospital services (+2.1%), tertiary education (+4.7%) and rent (+1%).

NBN Fixed Wireless Blitz SA

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NBN Co announce fixed wireless broadband for 11 locations in South Australia.

The company building the National Broadband Network, NBN Co,  has unveiled the areas where planned proposals will be lodged to deliver high-speed fixed wireless broadband.

NBN’s fixed wireless network provides ISPs with wholesale access speeds of up to 12Mbps, with plans for higher speeds in the future.

These are the first areas of regional SA to be slected for NBN wireless services.

Over the coming months, NBN Co and its design and construction partners will work with local governments to identify appropriate locations for fixed wireless network infrastructure in parts of Mid Murraylands, South East, Far South East and Kangaroo Island.

However, similar design plans, which ran into trouble among local authorities in neighbouring states, are “subject to final planning and other approvals,” says NBN Co’s Community Account Manager, Chris Gregory.

Planned facilities will to be switched on in stages from mid 2014 in locations include:.

· Coorong District Council

· District Council of Grant

· District Council of Yankalilla

· Kangaroo Island Council

· Karoonda East Murray Council

· Mid Murray Council

· Murray Bridge Council

· Naracoorte Lucindale Council

· Tatiara District Council· Wattle Range Council

· West Wimmera Shire Council (Victoria)

 

“This announcement is tremendous news for these regions, many of which have little or no access to high-speed broadband, or those confined to a limited service, such as dial-up or broadband over the mobile network,” Mr Gregory said.

“Fixed wireless aims to deliver speeds and services that city people take for granted.”

Unlike a mobile wireless service offered by telcos, where speeds can be affected by the number of people moving into and out of the area, NBN Co’s fixed wireless network is engineered to deliver services to a fixed number of premises within a coverage area.

“For decades, rural and regional Australia has been left behind when it comes to telecommunications,” said Gregory.

Aastra Hit SMB Ground Running

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Aastra 470

So a user could be abroad but still be contactable as the call will be re-routed to another connected device, which also cuts international roaming costs thanks to Aastra Mobile Client, which provides least cost routing.

Remote workers’ calls are routed over the IP network meaning out-of-office workers have same functionality as in- office colleagues.

The solution is also is simple and intuitive to use, say Aastra, and new 400 supports all smartphones including Apple’s iPhone, BlackBerry, Nokia’s Symbian and Google’s Android.

The Aastra 400 system offers choice of either IP, SIP or digital desktop handsets and the entire solution can be tailored to suit clients needs.

Flexibility is also the order of the day with this system, and can be bought outright or leased on rental agreement.

Designed in Germany, the IP system is also is a fully open standard.

The 400 series combines fully unified communications and collaboration (UCC) applications, mobility solutions and devices and help employees be contactable at all times throughout the day across all platforms with one number access, Interactive Voice Response (IVR) and email notification of voicemail messages. 

It also boosts productivity with group voicemail boxes, instant messaging (IM), presence management and conference call capabilities.

Basic handsets costs as little as $100, although the high end IP handsets will cost more.

For multi-site networking, up to 40 sites can be linked to support a maximum of 600 users.  “This feature alone provides enormous potential for a business to create major cost savings in telephony” says Tony Warhurst, Aastra Australia Director of Sales and Marketing.

Designed for an integrated voice and data network environment, it automatically configures to the network and maintenance can be performed via a web browser interface allowing remote access.

The Aastra 400 also has strong networking capabilities, important for multi-site organisations like estate agents.

 

The 400 series comprises three communication servers – Aastra 415 for four to twelve users; Aastra 430 for up to 50 users; Aastra 470 for up to 400 users. 

All three servers are IP appliances which support legacy connections so SMBs can migrate to IP at their own pace. With the Aastra 400, all types of trunk and extension technology are supported.

Launched in Europe earlier this year it has already received nod’s from communications industry including ‘Editor’s Choice’ Award from Business Info – a widely respected UK title.

“The business customer is at the heart of everything we do at Aastra. The Aastra 400 series is a flexible and scalable, future proof solution,” adds Warhurst.

It’s On: Internode ADSL2+ Hits Darwin $29

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Look out Telstra, Internode has turned its high speed ADSL2+ broadband on in Darwin and is ready to go.

iiNet owned Internode are invading regional Darwin and spread its high speed plans throughout the land, for the first time.

This comes after Perth based iiNet announced DSLAM (Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer) network upgrades installed at four metropolitan telephone exchanges at Casuarina, Nightcliff, Palmerston and Darwin, Tuesday, and also plans to expand its services to regional Queensland.

iiNet plans to connect 23,500 new users in Darwin alone and another 15,000 in QLD.

Internode are flogging their popular ‘Easy Broadband’ ADSL2+ service with option of 30 GB – 1 TB data quota from $29.95- $119 per month, when purchased as a bundle with a Nodeline telephone line.

Read: iiNet Invades: Darwin, QLD Next

The telco are also offering a range of ‘Easy Naked’ standalone broadband plans.

“At long last, we are delighted to offer our customers in Darwin access to the full range of Internode’s great broadband plans,” declared Internode managing director Simon Hackett.

Internode Easy Broadband and Naked plans would deliver “significant benefits” to Darwin’s local community, he added.

“It’s about greater choice.”

 

Internode’s new Darwin DSLAMs connect to its national and international network through backhaul connections provided by NextGen Networks as part of the Federal Government’s Regional Backbone Blackspots Program.

Internode also has its own DSLAM installed at Alice Springs.

For more details about Internode broadband plans available, click here.

Its Baack: Click Frenzy ‘eCarnival’ Hits 2013

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After last years online fiasco, Click Frenzy is back, promising it has mended its way after last Novembers farce.
Click Frenzy was OZ’s first 24-hour Internet sales event with 170 retailers taking part including Myer and Dick Smith, which led to multiple retailer servers and Click Frenzy’s own site crashing under the weight of 2.6 million consumers looking for e-deals.

But now its rolling out a full calendar of events including the Mother’s Day Tuesday, April 23, Father’s Day plus End-of-Financial-Year and a pre Christmas ‘eCarrnival’ and Click Frenzy in November which will remain the staple event, Grant Arnott Click Frenzy co-founder said on Power Retail today.

Mr Click Frenzy said improvements made to its systems to ensure the mass web crash won’t happen again.

“We’ve listened, and we have learnt ” Arnott said, promising none of the online fiasco of last year, where consumers were unable to access the Click Frenzy and retailer’s sites for hours, despite having pre-registered, leading to an outcry on Twitter, Facebook.

Even the ACCC admited they were aware of the fiasco.

Despite this, Click Frenzy is definitely returning in 2013, as well as an eCarnivale which will hit Internet town the third week in November starting with the 24-hour mega-sale from 7pm Tuesday 19 with “all merchants on display.”

The eCarnivale event continues for the rest of that week, with breakout events for home, entertainment and other categories.

To help moderate the traffic, subscribers will be given early access to Click Frenzy events whilst for the public, the shopping site goes live at 7pm for the start of each event.

Read: After Click Frenzy …. Comes The Big Q

“Due to the outage and the subsequent controversy via social media, there’s a perception that Click Frenzy failed,” Arnott said.

“Its popularity exceeded our wildest forecasts, and the site was down for the first 15% of the 24 hour period, which caused a major stir across media and social media.”

Read: Click Frenzy: What The Retailers Say

“There are still plenty of critics, but we’ve been buoyed by the overwhelming industry support for Click Frenzy, and we’re determined to deliver.”

The co-founder of the sale event insisted there’s been “great enthusiasm” from consumers  and “we’ve had an incredible response from existing and new retailers on our Click Frenzy database for the Mother’s Day campaign and subsequent events.”

However, the organisation was not available for comment when contacted by CN.

If you would like further information on participating in Click Frenzy 2013, email info@clickfrenzy.com.au or call 03 9585 9869.

Aussies Loving Wi-Fi, Mobile Broadband Shunned

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AS Telstra announced public WiFi hotspots, consumers shun mobile broadband for WiFi and tethering.Telco’s are missing out on revenue as consumers embrace Wi-Fi and smartphone tethering, a new study by Telstye shows. 

Australia’s mobile broadband market grew only 3 per cent in the past 12 months to December, as using public Wi-Fi and smartphone tethering becomes more popular – eating into 3G/4G and SIM-only devices including tablets and notebooks.
Yesterday, Telstra announced it would build more than 8000 Wi-Fi hotspots around the country to bring Wi-Fi internet to community areas and social precincts such as shopping strips, business centers and transport hubs.
Public Wi-Fi hotspots are “sprouting like mushrooms and are now widely supported by local councils, shopping centres, local businesses and increasingly our transport networks,” says Telsyte Senior Analyst, Mobility, Alvin Lee. 
According to Telsyte’s research, tablet usage is still mainly at home. 
It is expected smartphone tethering will continue to disrupt the mobile broadband market, the study shows. 
For some, Wi-Fi tethering with a smartphone has replaced dedicated mobile broadband services as people are becoming more comfortable with sharing the mobile Internet connection with other devices.
Smart accessories like smart watches are also designed to connect to the Internet through phone tethering.
“The opportunity for dedicated mobile broadband is diminishing even as mobile traffic continues to grow,” says Lee. 
This market “disruption” will increase demand for smartphone data pack sales, however, something all the major telcos have been pushing, of late. 
With Wi-Fi enabled devices becoming ubiquitous, telcos are currently only able to monetise 20 per cent of the consumer media tablet market.
The Australian mobile services market had nearly 31 million services in operation at the end of December.
Almost one in four services are now running on high-speed 4G LTE networks. 80 per cent of businesses with 20 + employees operate Wi-Fi networks.