Andrew Nikolic (Bass, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am pleased to report that the IT sector in Tasmania has recently had some wins on the international scene and is generating much-needed optimism at a time when the economy is struggling after 16 years of Labor and Labor-Green government. Late last year Launceston based company Anderson Morgan announced it had secured a $100 million deal in the United States to roll out wi-fi internet and was looking to break into the Asian market. It meant 10 jobs last year alone. The business harnesses world-first technology to produce 'intelligent' wi-fi that provides free public internet access in shopping malls and other public places.

With the huge increase of smartphone, iPad and tablet use and the many applications requiring internet access, the demand for this sort of technology continues to grow. Anderson Morgan recently installed free wi-fi technology in the Launceston CBD on a controlled basis. People who use the service can connect for an hour and transfer a maximum 500 megabytes of data. Anderson Morgan has also installed this technology in several Tasmanian tourist towns—again, with great success. This is increasingly necessary for travellers who rely on portable devices for email and banking. Anderson Morgan has shown that, with the right product, it does not really matter where you are based. And I congratulate them on this extraordinary success.