Article – Bill Bennett
In this week’s newsletter: Tait Communications now fully owns the contract to build the Next Generation Critical Communications network. Tablet computers are making a comeback.
Tait takes control of the development of the Next Generation Critical Communications network
Kordia has terminated its joint venture with Tait Communications to build the Next Generation Critical Communications network.
This means that Christchurch-based company Tait retains the contract to build the network.
To reflect the change of ownership, the former Tait-Kordia joint venture was renamed Tait Systems NZ.
Kordia says it will continue to work as a subcontractor on the terrestrial mobile network project.
The LMR network will replace the communications systems of the Police, Fire and Rescue Service, Hato Hone St John and the Wellington Free Ambulance Service.
Yoram Bent, CEO of Tait Communications, says Tait Systems has the right structure to complete the project on schedule, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2026. He says the company has scaled up and redesigned operations while hiring experts and additional resources.
LMR is an encrypted digital radio network shared by New Zealand’s emergency services. It will replace the existing network, which is based on older technology that, in some cases, is becoming increasingly difficult to support and is nearing the end of its life.
Neil Livingston, interim CEO of Kordia, says the move means his company can now focus on bringing its core infrastructure and network services capabilities to the project and locating the equipment at Kordia’s own sites.
Tablet shipments increase in the second quarter
New iPad Pro and iPad Air models featuring the company’s M3 and M4 processors played a major role in Apple’s third-quarter 2024 earnings, with revenue from the company’s tablets rising nearly 24 percent year-over-year to $7.2 billion.
In its earnings call with reporters and analysts, Apple said the increased sales of these new models indicate strong demand and customer interest in the latest iPad offerings.
Apple sells more tablets than any other brand, so good times for the iPad can mean good times for the entire industry. According to data from research firm Canalys, global tablet shipments rose 18 percent in the year to the second quarter of 2024, which is the same period as Apple’s third quarter.
Rival market research firm IDC recorded growth of 22.1 percent over the same period. According to IDC, Apple’s iPad sales increased everywhere except in China, where the company struggled with domestic rivals Huawei and Xiaomi.
As in the phone market, Apple and Samsung also dominate the tablet market. The Korean company has a market share of 20 percent. Behind the two market leaders are three Chinese companies: Lenovo, Huawei and Xiaomi (in that order).
InternetNZ makes the .kiwi mahi
The owner of the top-level domain .kiwi is now buying registration services and support from InternetNZ.
This is a strange move, as InternetNZ, the organisation behind the .nz namespace, is a non-profit operation, while
.kiwi is a privately held company that has been in business for just over a decade. The two compete in the same market and will continue to do so.
InternetNZ stated that it signed the agreement to provide services for .kiwi after receiving legal advice on competition law.
While the two are competitors, they are not nearly as large. InternetNZ manages over 700,000 .nz domains, while there are around 11,000 .kiwi domains. The majority of .kiwi domain owners also own a .nz or .com domain.
Datagrid appoints new management team
Alfred Au Yeung, Pierre-Emmanuel Goiffon and Pauline Martin have joined Southland-based Datagrid as the company advances plans to build a data centre in Makarewa, near Invercargill.
Alfred Au Yeung will become the company’s senior vice president of sales and business development. Au Yeung most recently worked as a consultant and was previously head of strategic projects and network infrastructure investments at Telstra.
New Chief Technical Officer Pierre-Emmanuel Goiffon previously worked in the corporate and government team at Vocus New Zealand (now 2degrees), while Senior Energy Manager Pauline Martin has worked at Genesis, Mercury and Mighty River Power.
More news…
Intel: Our balance sheet is a smoking ruin, but we believe our new chips work
The headline for Simon Sharwood’s story at The Register is not exactly timid, as the once world-leading chipmaker is attempting to make a comeback. Or at least to catch up with the competitors who are undercutting the company.
If possible, turn off 2G support on your phone to avoid SMS Blaster attacks
Timely and important advice from Juha Saarinen at interest.co.nz, although he makes it clear that many people reading the article will not have the option to turn off 2G support.
Data centers use too much electricity. Can we make them more efficient?
At The Conversation, academics Paul Haskell-Dowland and Bogdan Ghita start with some surprising statistics that partly explain why New Zealand company Datagrid is making such a fuss about the sustainability of its data center project:
According to the International Energy Agency, the electricity consumption of global data centers could double in a few years and reach 1,000 terawatt hours (TWh) by 2026. This is roughly equivalent to the annual electricity generation of all of Japan.
Some forecasts suggest that 8 to 10% of global electricity production will be needed to sustain the unstoppable growth of data centers.
These numbers are not evenly distributed around the world. In Ireland, where the sector is being encouraged, data centers are expected to supply more than 30% of the country’s electricity needs over the next two years. Similar reports predict an increase in Australia from 5% to 8-15% of electricity demand by 2030.
The mobile backhaul transport market is expected to be worth $24.5 billion over the next five years
Dell’Oro Group estimates that demand for mobile backhaul transport equipment will reach $24.5 billion between 2024 and 2028. It says the numbers have been revised downward due to slower 5G rollouts, but the long-term picture remains solid.
Technology with Bill Bennett
Listen to me on RNZ Nine to Noon talking to Paddy Gower about how the Foreign Investment Fund (FIF) tax rules are deterring talented professionals from staying in or returning to New Zealand. We also talk about last week’s AI-driven crash in tech share prices and the ruling that Google acted illegally to maintain its search monopoly.
“Kordia terminates contract with Public Safety Network” was first published on billbennett.co.nz.
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