Application development and innovation is the key to fulfilment of the NBN promise, says Tim Ebbeck
Sydney, Australia, — Chamber of Commerce Business Briefing – Tim Ebbeck, President & CEO of SAP Australia New Zealand (ANZ), today described the National Broadband Network (NBN) as a ‘critical piece of national infrastructure’ to Australia’s economic future and made an appeal to prospective research and co-innovation partners to work with SAP on the development of ‘next generation’ Internet applications.
Speaking at a business briefing to the American Chamber of Commerce in Sydney (AMCHAM) on the topic of the NBN and Australia’s Digital Future, Mr Ebbeck invited interested parties to approach SAP with a view to establishing collaborative research and development programs to develop products and services that will help fulfill the potential of the NBN.
Making the case for government to prioritise the construction of the NBN, Mr Ebbeck cited research from Oxford University that shows Australia to be middle-ranked among 66 nations in terms of broadband infrastructure. Mr Ebbeck said the current broadband network will not sustain us in the future and he described the NBN as a national priority, with potential to make Australia a leader in the global digital economy.
“First generation Internet and broadband saw an incredible amount of facilitated innovation – new business models, new services and the transformation of business networks.
“We are now on the cusp of a new Internet revolution. The NBN will see high-speed broadband as ubiquitous as electricity is today. This is a critical piece of national infrastructure, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to stimulate economic growth and innovation.”
Mr Ebbeck highlighted the productivity benefits of high speed broadband, including new Web-based health and patient care capabilities, productivity-enhancing web services and the facilitated innovation that will drive economic growth and wealth creation.
“We need to build the NBN and turn our focus now to the development of applications that will realise the benefits of ubiquitous high speed broadband infrastructure in Australia.”
Mr. Ebbeck referenced proposed changes to research and development tax incentives, which are designed to promote local investment in innovation by overseas organisations. He said the proposed changes to the legislation would benefit young Australians in the Information Communications and Telecommunications (ICT) industries by putting them at the forefront of R&D efforts focused on the digital economy.
The AMCHAM presentation follows the release of an iPhone navigator application developed by SAP Research, which combines microblogging updates from Twitter with Google Maps. The application shows real time traffic conditions in Brisbane and in the next few weeks, Sydney, to help drivers avoid incidents on their route.
Australia plays a key role in SAP’s global R&D efforts through its Sydney and Brisbane facilities; the latter performing the role of Asia Pacific headquarters for SAP Research. SAP Researchers in Australia focus on Business Process Management, new technologies for a web-based service economy, Web 2.0 applications, and software for end-user empowerment, working closely with local enterprises and Universities. Australia has successfully commercialised a large number of R&D projects within the global SAP product portfolio.
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