Unless specialised applications can operate seamlessly between networks without complex and expensive bridging technology the promise of a nationwide broadband capability by the end of 2004 may run into some snags.

New Zealand Trade and Enterprise and the Ministry of Economic Development have contracted InternetNZ (Internet Society of New Zealand) to define common standards so videoconferencing, voice over IP and multicasting can be achieved without excessive cost or complication.

Historically such connectivity has been achieved on a bi-lateral basis with Telecom negotiating technical and commercial agreements with TelstraClear or other carriers on a case by case basis. "When you’ve got 17 or more suppliers involved it goes exponential and becomes virtually unworkable," says InternetNZ executive director Peter Macaulay.

For many organisations the answer has been to contract a single carrier for all their needs – for example the Department of Health uses a virtual private network to connect between carriers. For others a single vendor is often employed to contract third parties. "This can be a horrendously costly and shonky way to work," he says.

Common direction sought

The process to sorting out a better way has been kept under wraps for two months and involved two rare meetings where senior representatives from the main carriers, ISPs and technology companies have so far agreed to a common direction.

While most carriers, ISPs and equipment providers seem to be in accord there is apparently some dissent with a few parties unsure about the need for formalized standards. For example the Telecommunications Users Association (Tuanz) is wondering what all the fuss is about. Chief executive Ernie Newman has been at both meetings but wants to see a lot more evidence of a problem before it gives any kind of support to a comprehensive standards setting process.

"We don’t think it will prove to be a major issue. Government is spending a lot of money on Probe and individual agencies have a lot of commitment to various intranets. It is good a watchdog has been set in place to monitor interoperability but we’re comfortable that’s about as much as needs to be done."

Mr Newman says Tuanz believes any issues will be sorted out through normal commercial pressures, market conditions and dialogue.

InternetNZ has retained former TUANZ chairperson Judith Speight to co-ordinate the interoperability initiative. After initial government funding to get things moving the group, which claims it is two thirds of the way through it task, may go the industry for another $200,000 so it can complete the project by December.

No compulsion

The next step will be further consultation and a series of guidelines on how to move forward with a set of existing and evolving standards that will be adopted by the New Zealand industry. "This will bring the cost down and remove the need for organisation to go through a complex tendering process to work out who their service provider is going to be," says Mr Macaulay.

"There’s no compulsion – we’re not dealing with lawyers - but it would be in everyone’s interest to sign off so we’re not operating in isolation internationally or locally."

Mr Macaulay says currently there’s no quality of service across multiple vendors and its virtually impossible to run good voice over IP across multiple vendors for collaborative applications, secure communications or other specialist applications for broadband.

InternetNZ ran a show and wanted to have a speaker from the Canadian broadband network Canary but we had to use ISDN links because you can’t get a reliable IP link across multiple vendors, says Mr Macaulay.

He says clear standards would enable New Zealand to move forward with any of the applications that are likely to arise because of ubiquitous broadband. There’s also no single standard for multicasting or video conferencing. "If a school in Invercargill wanted to have a video conference with a MAF specialist in Whangarei they’d typically have to go through a bridge."

Proven capabilities

Chris Stewart, general manager of AsNet, which provides specialist bridging services for video and audio conferencing for clients including the Ministry of Education common standards recognised by all carriers would make his job a lot easier.

"Each of the carriers does things differently but at the end of the day it’s still an IP request coming to another IP address request and working that detail through. If the interoperability group has its way carriers will need to prove they each have the capabilities across their networks and form some kind pairing exchange."

He suggests the technical issues shouldn’t be too much of a problem but the commercial issues of who pays who how much for what are likely to be a sticking point and will need to be worked out separately.

AsNet manages the interface between network providers on behalf of its clients and claims it is the only organisation that could handle a nationwide conference across the five or six networks that are part of Probe. "Once different people dial into our bridge they can become part of a virtual class or a videoconference but it’s very complex, as we have to terminate each call."