ATUG awards annual gongs Written by Stuart Corner Tuesday, 07...

ATUG awards annual gongs
Written by Stuart Corner
Tuesday, 07 March 2006
The Australian Telecommunications Users Group (ATUG) has announced the winners of its 2006 industry awards, at its annual dinner in Sydney last night. March 7.

The organisation's highest Award, the Charles Todd Medal, went to Neville Stevens - chairman of ACIF. The award "recognises the person whom ATUG considers has made the most significant contribution in terms of developing telecommunications services as an essential element in national economic growth, enabling healthy competition, and promoting to end users the value of world best practice in telecommunications."

Stevens is well known within the communications and information technology industries. During the past two decades he has had a major involvement in all Commonwealth Government industry, telecommunications, broadcasting and information economy issues from both a domestic and international perspective.

The Chairman's Award - which "recognises an outstanding contribution to the communications industry and continuing support for ATUG and its objectives"- went to Bob Lions, a former executive at OTC and Standards Australia who "has contributed selflessly to ATUG in all aspects of its activities."

Other awards were:
- Carrier of the Year: PIPE Networks
"For demonstrating market leadership through their innovative delivery of facilities based services over a fibre network which is fast becoming the core network for other carriers services."

- Best Communications Solution - Small Business: engin
"For innovation and market leadership in bundling voice and broadband services over the deregulated local loop>"

- Best Communications Solution - Regional: Eastern Goldfields Regional Reference Site and MacKay Sugar
For "efficient and cost effective provision of a communications solution to businesses in regional areas one involving medical services, the other sugar production."

- Best Communications Solution - Large Business: Intel Solutions Services
Intel Solutions Services provided the Alfred Hospital with an Airspan WiMAX network between the main hospital and two satellite facilities which "resulted in increased productivity and performance leading to improved patient care and high return on investment."

- Excellence in Telecommunications Management - AARNet
"AARNet has designed and built the third generation of one of the world's most advanced and wide reaching networks for future generations of Australian researchers and educators."

- Innovations in Telecommunications - Telstra Fixed SMS Service
"Customers can now send and receive text messages (SMS) from their compatible home or business phone - as you would from a mobile."

- Communications Journalist of the Year: Michael Sainsbury (The Australian)
"For investigative reporting and in depth analysis of major telecommunications events."