Innovations in Telecom
by Mehdi Muntazir
The evolution of wireless broadband technology has unveiled an entirely new genre of products, services and applications. Unprecedented technological innovations coupled with high speed wireless networks are yielding unprecedented benefits in every aspect of human life. Today these technological advances can facilitate many domains of individual as well as social issues.
On a personal level, people are using wireless networks to make live video calls, stream videos, interact on social media networks, download music and movies etc. The introduction of Smartphones has opened new doors and new opportunities for individual needs. Apple’s Iphone which is considered as the flagship of smartphone industry has more than 65,000 applications, many of which employ 3G or Wi-Fi. With more bandwidth and better mobile devices, new products and applications are on the rise integrating high speed networks with latest features. Iphone’s latest augmented reality apps which blend actual footage as seen by the camera with computer-generated data have created tons of buzz already. These augmented reality apps incorporate phone’s GPS, compass, wireless connection and camera into powerful, highly useful and time saving application.
On a broader level, these telecommunication networks are being used to improve social issues such as health care, environment, education etc. Telstra is the biggest and fastest telecommunications network in Australia. The company is renowned for pursuing challenging task, exploiting technology in an innovative and productive manner. In Australia, breast cancer is the second most common cause of cancer related death. More than 2500 women died from breast cancer in 2005. Early diagnoses using digital mammographic screening can substantially reduce deaths from breast cancer. In order to combat the issue, national mammography screening program was established which is now known as BreastScreen Australia. At present, it operates in over 500 locations nationwide via fixed and mobile units.
In April 2008, a tele-health initiative powered by Telstra’s Next G UMTS network revolutionized digital mammography for women living in rural and regional Tasmania. With the integration of 3G broadband and digital mammography equipment, images can now be transmitted directly from any corner of the country to the radiology facility in Hobart. In the past images were couriered in hard form to the reading facility, a process which was both inefficient and time-consuming. The program has effectively reduced the time taken for individual mammograms to be transferred from mobile screening units to the reading facility from as much as 5 days to just a few minutes. As a result of this initiative there has been a 30% decline in the number of breast cancer related deaths, a commendable achievement by all means.
Telstra is also playing a leading role in reducing and avoiding carbon emissions. In October 2007 Telstra commissioned consulting company Climate Risk to produce a report “Towards a High-Bandwidth Low-Carbon Future”. The purpose of the report was to identify how people and businesses can reduce their carbon footprint using high-bandwidth telecommunications network and Australia can reach its Kyoto protocol objectives. The report shows how telecommunications network can help reduce Australia’s greenhouse gas emission by almost five percent by 2015 and deliver up to $6.6 Billion a year in cost saving for Australian businesses and households.
Similar initiatives by Telstra and other companies worldwide are making new headway, employing telecommunications for addressing complex social task. It is imperative for companies to identify these opportunities and play an effective role for building a better society.
