This document outlines the agenda and goals of a consultation meeting on leveraging the digital economy for small businesses in the Northern Rivers region. It discusses how the NBN will provide faster and more reliable broadband access. Examples are provided of how businesses and industries in other areas have used digital technologies to improve customer service, increase efficiencies, and explore new business models. Meeting participants are asked to discuss opportunities and challenges for small businesses in the region, as well as priorities and individual action plans. Next steps include documenting outcomes and ongoing engagement through online platforms.

2. Digital Economy Strategy
Consultation:
Small Business

3. Why are we here?
• Introduction – Fergal Coleman
• To discuss the digital economy and how Northern
Rivers can grasp the opportunities
• It’s not a meeting about the NBN – the NBN is one
(important) enabler
• It’s about information, discussion and ongoing
involvement
• We want your ideas and thoughts

4. We have already started
• www.digitalnorthernrivers.com.au
• Diagnostic: www.digitaleconomy.net.au
• Twitter: @digital_nr #digitaleconomy
• Get involved, contribute and stay up to date

5. Agenda
• Introductions (5 min)
• Overview of the NBN (15 min)
• The digital economy (10 min)
• Small business – some examples (5 min)
• What the digital economy means for small business in the
region? (40 mins)
• How can your small business :
• Deliver better service to it’s customers
• Get efficiencies in their organisations(40 mins)
• Next steps (5 mins)

6. What does the NBN mean?
• Faster… much, much, faster
The NBN will provide 93 per cent of households broadband speeds of
up to 100 megabits per second (Mbps), or about 28 times faster than
most people experience today. The remaining premises (seven per
cent) will be connected via a combination of wireless and satellite
technologies providing peak speeds of at least 12 Mbps.
• More reliable
• Ubiquitous

7. Speed Comparison

8. NBN is a wholesaler
Pricing: http://www.bit.com.au/Guide/312738,nbn-prices-the-
cheapest-plans-from-14-providers-compared.aspx

9. Future Proofing
Google Fiber
here, and
Singapore
building this

10. We Need to Get Up to Speed

11. The NBN is not the Digital Economy
The Digital Economy is what we decide to develop using the NBN:
It involves innovation and change: new skills, new processes, new
business models

12. The Digital Economy is about better lives!
The eight National 'Digital Economy Goals' focus on the areas of:
• Online participation by Australian households (Digital Divide)
• Online engagement by Australian businesses and not-for-profit organisations
• Smart management of our environment and infrastructure
• Improved health and aged care
• Expanded online education
• Increased teleworking
• Improved online government service delivery and engagement
• Greater digital engagement in regional Australia.

13. Examples and new models
• Households: Kansas City – 6 HD movies being streamed in one house! Digital
champions, Digital divide
• Shoes of Prey, Freelancer.com.au
• Smart farms – UNSW Armidale, foodtraders.com.au
• Health and Aged Care – Fruit Ninja and Health!, Lower Murray Medical and
Vidyo, Edisse.com
• Education: Coursera.org, khanacademy.com,
• Increased teleworking – It works - My company! (Anglesea, Docklands, Mumbai,
Dublin)
• Data.gov.au, Gov2.0, online consultation, virtual libraries
• Big Data, 3D printing, crowd sourcing

14. Examples: Creative Industries
• Micro business – The Bagpipe tuner
• 3D Printing

15. Examples: Cloud computing

16. The importance of innovation
“Today, just about everything is becoming a commodity, except
imagination, except the ability to spark new ideas. If I just have the
spark of an idea now, I can get a designer in Taiwan to design it. I can
get a factory in China to produce a prototype. I can get a factory in
Vietnam to mass manufacture it. I can use Amazon.com to handle
fulfilment. I can use freelancer.com to find someone to do my logo
and manage my backroom. And I can do all this at incredibly low
prices. The one thing that is not a commodity and never will be is
that spark of an idea.”
Tom Friedman, NY Times Editorial, 20 March 2010

17. Examples: Co-working and collaboration
• Co-working spaces

18. Small Business @ Northern Rivers
1. What needs to be done to leverage high speed
broadband?
• Strengths and weaknesses of small business in NR
• Opportunities – what are they and how can we maximise
them
• Threats – what are they and how can we minimise them?
What three things should the sector prioritise?

19. For your own organisation
1. Discuss with a partner how the Digital Economy will change your
business?
• New markets/customers
• New ways of making/delivering your service – do you need to
change
• New suppliers/partners
• Internal efficiencies – using web technologies
What’s the one thing you will do in your own organisation after
today?

20. Next Steps
• We will document the outcomes from today
• We will follow up with further questions?
• A draft will be made available for comment
• Stay involved, promote and engage with us at
www.digitalnorthernrivers.com.au
• www.tweed.nsw.gov.au/telecommunications
• Send us your case studies!
Thank you!