We at Telecoms IQ quickly caught up with Matthew Schultz, NBN and Digital Economy Coordinator at Ipswich City Council. In this interview, he shares how he believes Telcos and construction companies should come together for the NBN. Matthew Schultz will be speaking at the Communication Network Design and Construction 2011. For more information about the event, please visit www.commdesignconstruction.com.au or call +61 2 9229 1000. Or email us on enquire@iqpc.com.au

1. Construction companies and Telecos to forge
partnerships to support NBN
Q&A with Matthew Schultz, NBN and Digital Economy
Coordinator at Ipswich City Council
Communication Network Design and Construction 2011
Communication network design and construction is a difficult process given
the circumstances that fibre optic cable needs to be laid under. The logistics
involved as well as the construction considerations that need to be taken into
place is an important process and developing a best practice should be seen
as crucial to a projects success.
IQPC’s Communication Network Design and Construction conference
addresses such pressing needs by presenting expert insights and industry
case studies into minimising construction disruption, overcoming “to premises”
construction issues, and best practice and technical developments. This event
will ensure that your team achieves all of these goals.
Telecoms IQ: The biggest project within the industry is the NBN.
So in you perspective what you perceived to be the main challenges in
implementing it?
Matthew Schultz: I could say that the main challenge is being the sheer
size and scale of the NBN. This is in addition to the individual myriad of local
issues that will be faced by constructing the NBN further down in every urban
street in Australia.
Telecoms IQ: The NBN is the largest infrastructure project in the
nation’s history, with high stakes among numerous industries, so where
should we look to model and benchmark our process?
Matthew Schultz: I think we can look to model from many overseas
countries in the deployment of their SDTP networks. This can include Verizon
in the U.S, the myriad of European initiatives, and the activity that is currently
happening in Japan and Singapore.

2. Telecoms IQ: How do you see the various stakeholders coming
together to work towards implementing the NBN?
Matthew Schultz: So far, there is good evidence of stakeholders working
together to address the practical information of the NBN project and I am
confident that this momentum of industry engagement and goodwill of
stakeholders working together will continue.
Telecoms IQ: How do you think construction companies and
Telcos should work with city councils to ensure the smooth
implementation of the NBN?
Matthew Schultz: Councils are staking to forging close partnerships with the
relevant construction companies in telecommunication carriers, such as NBN
Co., to ensure local issues are recognized. This will also support and expedite
the NBN role at typical issues that large councils will be interested and include
components of the NBN that require aerial cabling; the placement of further
distribution hubs in road reserves and local streets; and the potential impact
and implications in future designs.
Matthew Schultz, NBN and Digital Economy Coordinator at Ipswich City
Council, will be presenting at the Communication, Network Design, and
Construction 2011. For more information about this event, please visit
www.comdesignconstruction.com.au or E-mail enquire@iqpc.com.au.
Alternatively you can call us on 02-9229-1000.
Telecoms IQ: Can you give us a little
introduction about yourself and your experience in
communication networks?
Matthew Schultz
Yes certainly look I always had quite a range of
experiences in the information technology,
telecommunications, geospatial, and engineering
perspective. More recently I have been specializing in
mixed generation broadband infrastructure development
projects and with a focus on SDTP network design from a local government
perspective an emerging digital innovation initiative over high speed
broadband network to realize economic benefits.