Robin has been a passionate advocate for the socio-economic benefits offered by broadband for some 15 years now. However, only in recent years has the threat of climate change come onto the radar as one of the most serious threats ever to face humanity. Having three grand children has sensitised him to the responsibility of the current generation to become better custodians of the planet.
Robin will summarise the threats that are posed by climate change, and the recommendations of the world‚s leading scientists in terms of the action that needs to be taken to avert the most serious of consequences. Changing lifestyles and applying technology figure prominently in these recommendations.
Robin will then take an entertaining look at the way in which broadband has begun changing lifestyles - leading into a discussion about the state of Australia‚s network infrastructure and the major investment challenges that lie ahead if Australians are to have access to the best that technology can offer.
To bring the two themes of the talk together, Robin will look at some of the ways in which broadband and ICT more generally can be exploited to help address the challenges posed by climate change - featuring ideas presented by the winners of the Telecommunication Society‚s "Broadband for Environmental Sustainability" Challenge in 2007. This challenge will be repeated in 2008.
Bio
After more than 20 years as an IT professional, Robin Eckermann discovered broadband in the early 90‚s and became convinced that the world sat on the threshold of a communications revolution that would transform the way that people would work and live.
From 1996 he led the establishment of what became recognised as one of Australia‚s most advanced broadband initiatives - TransACT‚s fibre-to-the-kerb network - delivering triple play services (phone, video and data) to tens of thousands of users in Canberra since 2000. More recently, he has been involved in leading edge broadband infrastructure developments (especially fibre-to-the-building) throughout Australia and abroad.
Robin has been an Adjunct Professor in network & communications technologies, business models and project management at the University of Canberra since 2005.
