What's on at Comms Connect Melbourne?

The next edition of Comms Connect is due to take place in Melbourne at MCEC on 14–15 October.

A major conference and expo for critical communications and public safety professionals in the Southern Hemisphere, the event has much to interest those who work within the electrical, communications and data sectors. Over 1600 attendees are expected this year, including more than 450 conference delegates, from industries including utilities, mining, aviation and emergency services.

With opening speakers including Kylie De Courteney, Managing Director of the NSW Telco Authority, and Shane Fitzsimmons, former NSW Fire Commissioner and current Board Chair of the Connectivity Innovation Network (CIN), the conference offers a generous line-up of speakers, with three streams of presentations to choose between on each of the two days.

The wide range of topics discussed includes interoperability, smart cities, public safety mobile broadband (PSMB), marine communications, remote communications, drone tech, integrated sensing and communication (ISAC), and private networks for mining. Read on for some highlights:

Wednesday, 14 October

Speakers on Day 1 include Gareth McKay, Managing Director of Australian energy storage business Valen Power, who will take an agnostic look at rapid-deployable power for critical communications. McKay works closely with network operators and government-funded resilience programs to understand the operational realities of remote and disaster-prone sites. In this presentation, he will compare diesel-only, separate solar-and-battery, and fully integrated hybrid approaches against criteria including weight, towability, refuelling burden and restoration speed.

Peter Scougall, General Manager, Strategy & Growth for Ventia Telecommunications, will explore one of the world’s largest scientific and digital infrastructure programs: the Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO), which combines remote communications networks, high-capacity data transport, advanced signal processing and mission-critical operational technologies across vast geographic distances. Scougall will examine how technologies developed for large-scale scientific infrastructure can inform the future evolution of utilities, transport, defence and satellite communications networks.

In a discussion about developing resilient connectivity beyond terrestrial networks, Riley Porteous, Communications Systems Team Leader at Surf Life Saving NSW, will present the innovative ‘Drone-in-a-Box’ solution he has helped develop for emergency services.

Thursday, 15 October

Day 2 includes a presentation by Molly James, Service Delivery & Roaming Manager at Omnitouch Network Services, on what it’s like to deliver a critical communications network against an ‘impossible’ deadline in one of the most remote parts of the world. This was the challenge faced by Ascension Island, when its previous provider gave three months’ notice to decommission the island’s only telecommunications network — a scary prospect for an isolated community living in proximity to an active volcano.

Shane Fitzsimmons will return with a presentation on the Connectivity Innovation Network’s (CIN) ongoing work in developing technically innovative solutions for public safety and disaster resilience. Drawing on experiences from major disaster events and engagement with emergency services agencies across Australia, Fitzsimmons will highlight how meaningful consultation with frontline responders and stakeholders has shaped a new generation of technologies designed to address persistent gaps in connectivity, situational awareness and data sharing.

Bringing their direct experience of real-world deployments, Simon Hill and Matt Wroughton from Excelerate Technology Group will discuss how European emergency service organisations are utilising hybrid connectivity solutions that combine space and terrestrial networks to deliver resilient, always-on communications in mission-critical environments.

These are only a handful of the presentations scheduled for this year’s Melbourne conference. Flexible attendance options are available for Comms Connect, including one- or two-day conference packages, with or without workshops, or expo-only passes. For more information and to register, visit melbourne.comms-connect.com.au.

What: Comms Connect Melbourne
When: 14–15 October 2025
Where: Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC)
Web: melbourne.comms-connect.com.au

Images courtesy of Comms Connect.