Chairman's Column, The

Telecommunications Journal of Australia, Spring 2006 by Coutts, Reg

WHAT IS THE FUTURE OF THE TSA?

As I said in my first Journal article as Chairman, many of the facets of the telecommunications industry are changing, both worldwide and in Australia. As the Telecommunication Society of Australia we have a proud history going back to the very beginning in the 19th century, before the invention of the telephone, before there was a 1PMG', a 'Telecom' or the dynamic industry of today. In the 1990s we adapted to the competitive industry, and Optus became one of our key industry sponsors in addition to our ongoing 'foundation sponsor' Telstra. However, I believe the TSA needs to change more fundamentally to remain the 'meeting place for ICT professionals', and to do this we need to broaden our scope and deepen our value proposition to both members and sponsors.

The telecommunications industry in which many of us grew up has changed dramatically over the last ten years. This change has been more pronounced in the last few years as the industry recovers from the 'telecoms bust' and comes to be recognised as a key component of a larger industry - the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) industry. Digitisation of 'content' and the Internet revolution have indeed changed the industry forever.

We recognise that the ICT industry is a core industry that underpins our national competitiveness; but as an industry sector it is over supplied with professional and industry associations. It has been suggested that depending on how one classifies the groups there are currently nine organisations competing to assist us! The recent merger of SPAN and ACIF into the Communications Alliance is illustrative of consolidation and renewed focus. In this context, in September the TSA Board endorsed opening discussions with the Australian Computer Society (ACS) to examine the potential for a close working relationship while retaining the distinctive nature of the TSA. TSA and ACA have jointly announced these discussions, and we have provided updates on these discussions in our newsletters.

Since that time I have been canvassing opinions of our members and industry sponsors. There has been wide ranging feedback from the members who responded to the on-line survey on the announcement that the TSA is in formal discussions to enter into what I have termed an Operational alliance' which over time MAY lead to integration of the TSA entity within the ACS as a distinct Communications SIG (Special Interest Group). If the ACS Council agrees at its November meeting to the draft case for operational alliance, we will work with ACS management to specify in detail how the alliance should develop. During that period, of at least 12 months, the TSA will continue to operate, retaining its Board and its State-based TSA committees to host State and national programs of topical seminars.

The TSA will continue to publish the Telecommunications Journal of Australia but in revised form and timing, probably as two larger issues per year rather than four. The TSA will continue to hold the distinctive Innovation Address function in Melbourne at which the annual TSA Innovation Award is presented and the prestigious Charles Todd Oration in Sydney. This year Robin Eckermann, from his experience in building TransAct in the ACT against many odds, will give his vision of what broadband offers - not only to the industry and customers but to the nation in terms of the environment!

Under this TSXVACS operational alliance the TSA will offer TSA members and industry sponsors all the current benefits of TSA but with the potential to increase benefits over time through involvement in the broader environment of ICT professionals. TSA members will have the opportunity to have greater contact with like-minded ACS members, and will also have an incentive to join the ACS as full members according to their qualifications/experience in ICT (Note: not just IT!) :

To build the bridges from the Other side', I am the incoming Chairman of the SA ACS Committee in 2007, and at the same ACS Council meeting on the 17th November I hope to become the Chairman of the ACS Communications Board as well. In these roles I will be in a position to influence events to ensure that an ACS/TSA alliance delivers benefits to both Societies.

This is a big change for the TSA, but the Board and I see that it is imperative to be proactive and proceed in a measured way. In that context we continue to seek your views. I am meeting each corporate sponsor individually over the next few months to seek their views on how to best develop this plan over time.

The initial feedback from members to the announcement of these plans raised a number of questions:

* Why is there a need for the TSA to merge with any other organisation, and why with the ACS?

* Any merger such as becoming a SIG of the ACS MUST allow the TSA to keep its unique identity as 'The TSA' and not disappear in a 'computer' oriented group;

* Any merger MUST allow for the continuation of the highly regarded Telecommunications Journal of Australia (TJA);