Comms Connect Melbourne 2026 Confirms Keynote Line-Up Headlined by NEMA's PSMB Taskforce

Following the opening keynote, Kylie De Courteney of NSW Telco will present an update on the agency's latest public safety deployments and their role in supporting the wider PSMB rollout.

The 19th edition of Comms Connect Melbourne has confirmed a further high-level keynote speaker, with Bradley Creevey, Assistant Coordinator General of the National Emergency Management Agency's (NEMA) Public Safety Mobile Broadband (PSMB) Taskforce, set to open the conference on 14 October. His address will provide a detailed update on the national rollout of Australia's PSMB platform, a programme of central importance to the country's public safety and emergency services community.

Following the opening keynote, Kylie De Courteney of NSW Telco will present an update on the agency's latest public safety deployments and their role in supporting the wider PSMB rollout. The first day's programme will also examine the Tasmanian Government Radio Network (TasGRN) project, with Tim Rutherford, Chief Information Officer of the Department of Police, Fire and Emergency Management Tasmania, sharing the stage with Andrew Johns, Wireless Engineering Principal at Telstra.

The second day of the conference opens with an international perspective, as Hamad Alnuaimi, ICT Advisor to Abu Dhabi Police, outlines how 5G and smart city initiatives are being applied to enhance citizen safety. Shane Fitzsimmons, former NSW Rural Fire Service Commissioner and current Board Chair of the Connectivity Innovation Network (CIN), will then present practical examples of collaboration driving innovation in critical communications. Among these is a recent Wi-Fi antenna development undertaken jointly by the NSW State Emergency Service, CIN and The University of Sydney.

The day two programme also includes a session from Louise Francis, New Zealand Country Manager at Ecosystm, entitled "The AI shift that's rewiring emergency communications". Drawing on real-world use cases from international markets, the presentation will explore how the challenges associated with artificial intelligence are being addressed in order to build next-generation emergency communications capable of meeting future operational demands.

Comms Connect Melbourne is regarded as one of the principal regional events for the critical communications and public safety sectors in Australia and New Zealand, bringing together government agencies, emergency services, network operators and technology providers. Further details on the programme and registration are available via the event website at https://wfevents.eventsair.com/commsconnect-melbourne-2026/

Image: Image represents conference program Comms Connect Melbourne 2024