New technologies are profoundly re-shaping traditional telecommunications networks. 5G, edge computing and virtualisation are dissolving the boundaries between core and access networks, while over the top applications are producing fundamental shifts in the ways telecommunications services are delivered and used. Content, voice and other complex services will increasingly be delivered entirely via internet protocol.

The internet-of-things is the’next wave’ of internet evolution in which applications and services are predominantly used by machines, rather than people. These changes will further increase demand for fast, reliable and secure telecommunications services as well as high capacity connections to data centres.

Our telecommunications team advises telecommunications network operators, over-the-top service providers, acquirers of telecommunications services, and other sector participants.

We assist with the full spectrum of telecommunications matters, including retail and wholesale contracts, carrier licensing and regulatory compliance, spectrum licensing, infrastructure rollouts, satellite communications projects and infrastructure sharing joint ventures.

We also advise on inbound investment in Australian telecommunications projects, including navigating increasingly restrictive foreign investment rules relating to critical infrastructure and engaging with the Critical Infrastructure Centre and Foreign Investment Review Board.