Critical Connections: Secure and Sovereign?

A two-part series on the future of telecommunications: infrastructure, access and sovereignty.

Australia's telecommunications sector stands at a regulatory crossroads. The physical infrastructure underpinning our digital economy, from mobile towers and fibre to subsea cables, data centres and now low-earth-orbit satellites, has never been more strategically significant, yet much of the framework governing it was built for a different era. At the same time, the sector's long-standing model of co-regulation is being tested.

The series examines two of the most consequential questions facing the sector: one about how telecommunications is regulated at home, the other about how Australia secures the infrastructure it increasingly relies on from beyond its borders. Critical Connections brings this conversation to audiences in Sydney (Part 1) and Melbourne (Part 2).

Part 2: Secure and Sovereign? (Melbourne)

From satellites overhead to cables beneath the sea, the infrastructure carrying Australia's data has never been more critical, or more exposed. As we come to depend on connectivity that sits beyond the reach of domestic regulation, hard questions arise about sovereignty, security and resilience. This session explores the expanding role of satellite connectivity under the new Universal Outdoor Mobile Obligation, the strategic weight of subsea cables and data centres, and spectrum as a strategic national security asset. What does it mean to rely on critical infrastructure that may be owned, operated or routed offshore, and what frameworks do we need to respond?

Relevant to carriers and carriage service providers, satellite, cable and data centre operators, government and national security agencies, consumer advocates, and anyone with a stake in Australia's digital future.

Opening Remarks:

• Hon Paul Fletcher, Principal, Paul Fletcher & Associates, Chair, Vodafone Fiji

Panel Discussion:

• Ebony Aitken, General Manager for Government and Regulatory Affairs, Vocus

• Michael Brealey, General Manager of the Communications and Infrastructure Division, Australian Communications & Media Authority (ACMA)

• Chris Hofer, Head of International Spectrum Management and Strategy, Amazon Leo

Moderated By:

• Jessica Kruger, Partner, Mallesons

Registration: 5.30 pm for 6.00 pm

Seminar: 6.00 pm to 7.30 pm

Networking drinks: 7.30 pm to 8.00 pm

This event series is kindly hosted by Mallesons