Retail News CRM

Tag: Australia

  • Three in Four Consumers Frustrated by Inconsistent Retail Experience

    Three in Four Consumers Frustrated by Inconsistent Retail Experience

    Not only do today’s shoppers expect a great service experience, they want it to be integrated and harmonised across channels. According to recent research by Manhattan Associates, three quarters of shoppers say they expect a consistent cross-channel shopping experience, yet just 14 percent claim to enjoy such an experience today. With 82 percent stating they expect their online experience to be duplicated in store, and 78 percent saying they feel they know more about the products and services in store than the store associate, it is clear where the consumer thinks retailers need to invest.

    Furthermore, half of the consumers surveyed said they would like store assistants to make personal recommendations in the same way a website already recommends products they might like, indicating that personalisation within every selling channel – not just online – is high up on the consumer’s agenda.

    The rewards for those retailers able to effectively provide customers with a consistent service experience across channels is potentially huge, with 56 percent of the consumers surveyed stating a seamless service capability as the main reason they would be willing to commit their loyalty to a retailer.

    Other key findings include:

    • 45 percent of consumers stated “a reward scheme that gives you exclusive promotional offers” and 35 percent stated “fast delivery” as key reasons they would stay loyal to a retailer
    • 64% of consumers consider “free delivery” as the most important fulfilment option a retailer should offer as part of their online service proposition, ahead of any chargeable option
    • 47 percent view “product advice” and 33 percent of consumers consider “checking stock availability” as the most important aspects of the service provided by store assistants
    • Regarding reasons consumers are more likely to go to a physical store rather than buying online, 62 percent of respondents said “to get the product there and then” and 53 percent stated “to try and feel the products before buying in-store”
    • As to what consumers would like to happen when they go into a store and the product is not available on the store shelf, 42 percent said “they would like the store assistant to check if it is available in a store nearby where they can collect it from” whilst 19 percent stated “they would like the store assistant to order the product for them and have it delivered to their home or to the same store for collection”

    Raghav Sibal, managing director, Australia and New Zealand at Manhattan Associates, commented, “Consumers clearly have an expectation of what a retail experience should look like in today’s digital world and are willing to offer their loyalty in exchange for retailers able to meet that expectation. Now is the time for retailers to invest in technologies that keep them ahead of the curve and take the appropriate steps required to close the gap between customer expectation and today’s reality. Those that do will be the ones that will thrive in 2017 and beyond.”

    The research by Manhattan Associates questioned 2,000 adults in Australia about their shopping experience and expectations.

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  • Double win for AirAsia at World Travel Awards

    Double win for AirAsia at World Travel Awards

    AirAsia has been voted Asia’s Leading Low-Cost Airline for the fifth year in a row at the 2017 World Travel Awards Asia and Australasia.

    It beat 10 other contenders – Air India Express, Firefly, GoAir, JetKonnect, JetStar Airways, Lucky Air, Nok Air, Scoot, SpiceJet and West Air.

    AirAsia also fended off nine other contenders to win the title of Asia’s Leading Low-Cost Airline Cabin Crew at the awards ceremony in Shanghai.

    The World Travel Awards are considered prestigious and much sought-after trophies in the global tourism industry, and are voted on by international travel and tourism professionals.

    AirAsia Group chief executive officer Tan Sri Tony Fernandes said the awards were a special win because it recognised the airline’s efforts to always do better.

    “This year, we are focusing on improving our check-in systems to make the whole process easier.

    “RoKKi (AirAsia’s onboard WiFi portal) is our big push to make the in-flight experience better, and our Santan in-flight food goes from strength to strength.

    “We are excited to bring our uniquely Asean products to the rest of Asia and the world,” he said in a statement.

    Fernandes also thanked his cabin crew, describing them as “simply the best – special, warm and real”.

    The airline’s North Asia president, Kathleen Tan, said it had listened to its passengers for the past 16 years and refined its vision of low-cost travel.

    “We have continuously ensured that we only deliver services that epitomise the best of Asean hospitality,” she said.

    “Thank you to those who voted to make us Asia’s No. 1 for five years in a row and for giving us our second cabin crew award.”

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  • Happy Customers Key to Improving a Business’ Bottom Line

    Happy Customers Key to Improving a Business’ Bottom Line

    “You’ve got to start with the customer experience and work backwards to the technology,” said Steve Jobs. And as more and more customers interact with businesses over a variety of touchpoints and channels, it has become essential for businesses to offer a consistently seamless experience. But while everyone is rushing to launch customer experience (CX) programs, it is not easy to know where to focus to drive the most value and change.

    CX management has increasingly become a key differentiator for top Asia Pacific brands in today’s increasingly competitive market. According to Forrester’s “2016 Predictions for Business Leaders In Asia Pacific” report, more businesses in the region will recognise the need to improve their customer experience across all customer touchpoints and will thus put pressure on international companies that do not seek to localize their CX initiatives.

    A well-designed CX program will deliver real-time, actionable feedback from customers about their experiences and expectations, as well as their future intentions to recommend or purchase and connect multiple types of feedback across all customer touchpoints, helping organisations to focus on the areas of greatest impact. By using appropriate customer measures, both lead and lag, organisations can then understand their performance by leveraging real-time stakeholder dashboards and comprehensive reports that need to be fully adaptable as customer priorities and business needs change.

    Volkswagen Australia is a prime example as its customer insights dashboard are made available for dealerships on mobile devices and desktop. Its dynamic closed-loop follow up effectively enables allof its dealerships to resolve customer issues using automated ticketing and customized, role=based dashboards.

    Here are three key methods in which organisations can more effectively manage the customer experience:

    1. Employees drive experience: Many organisations forget about the impact employee engagement has on the customer experience. At the end of the day people drive change and an engaged workforce is essential for long term success of a customer-centric brand. 
    1. Customer feedback is key: Managing the customer experience depends on the ability to build a stable, repeatable process for capturing customer feedback and helping people learn from that feedback so that it is embedded into the way teams work and make decisions every day.
    2. Map the journey, not the moments: Businesses who map the customer journey by segment better understand the unique paths their customers take. This lets them measure things like barriers in the journey, what drives satisfaction, what drives purchase decisions, the relative importance of each stage in the customer journey and more.

    Organisations that can tie journey performance metrics to actions can deliver customer experiences that are tailor-made to encourage loyalty and repeat purchases. It is important for businesses to measure journeys, and not simply one-off interactions. Organising teams around key journeys will also allow businesses to connect their functional silo teams, encouraging them work together to innovate and deliver customer value and find ways to improve efficiency, which in turn reduces cost.

    Organisations that use a sophisticated, yet easy-to-use platform can gather real-time snapshots of their customers’ experiences and determine where they can make operational and strategic improvements. By gathering this kind of feedback and analysing it for insights, businesses can continuously improve their customer’s experience. This will in turn help companies improve revenue, and gain competitive advantage in the market.

  • Australia retail sales see surprise rebound in April

    Australia retail sales see surprise rebound in April

    Australia’s retail sales saw a surprise uptick in April, on the back of a revenue rebound across department stores, including David Jones and Myer, and strong sales in cafes and restaurants.

    According to the data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), retail spending rose 1 per cent – the biggest monthly gain in close to three years – to $AU25.89 billion, surpassing market expectations of a 0.3 per cent rise.

    It’s a sound recovery for the Australian retail market, after a weak two months. Revised ABS data showed that retail sales fell 0.2 per cent in March and were flat in February.

    Cafes, restaurants and fast food sales were up 1.1 per cent in April, said the ABS, and food retailing rose 1.2 per cent. Department store sales were 2.5 per cent higher, it said.

    However, other categories merely inched forward. Sales growth in clothing and footwear was 0.3 per cent while household goods rose 0.4 per cent after falling for two straight months.

    By state, retail sales were up 2.4 per cent in Queensland after five consecutive months of falls as households replaced cyclone- and flood-damaged possessions, following Cyclone Debbie.

    Retail sales in New South Wales, Australia‘s most populous state and home to its most expensive real estate including Sydney, rose 0.1 per cent.

    Australian retail sales have been subdued over the past year or so at a time when wages growth is stuck at a record low 1.9 per cent.

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  • Shoes Of Prey delivers women’s custom footwear in two weeks at retail prices

    Shoes Of Prey delivers women’s custom footwear in two weeks at retail prices

    The future of shoes is two weeks away. That’s how long it takes Shoes of Prey to build and deliver custom-made women’s footwear in just about any size, color and style imaginable.

    Founded in 2009 in Australia but now based here in Los Angeles, Shoes of Prey lets women choose from millions of design options, from gold metallic stilettos to purple fishskin peeptoes, at prices in step with everyday retail.  The company has designed more than six million shoes, according to the company’s 2016 end-of-year report, after raising $26 million in venture funding. Manufacturing is outsourced to China but plans are, ahem, afoot to speed delivery by adding factories in North America and Europe.

    Customers usually appreciate the idea of designing shoes. Psychologist Barry Schwartz famously talks about The Paradox of Choice and how option profusion makes consumers less happy rather than more. But the Shoes of Prey 3D design interface keeps people on track with recommendations for heel height, colors, materials… Possibilities are limitless, but framed pre-designed shoe options, hence helping clients.

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  • Bolloré Logistics Australia Becomes Certified Australian Trusted Trader

    Bolloré Logistics Australia Becomes Certified Australian Trusted Trader

    On April 28th, 2017, Bolloré Logistics Australia became the first international transport and logistics company in the country to be officially accredited as an Australian Trusted Trader under the Australian Economic Operator (AEO) programme developed by the Australian Border Force (ABF).

    Obtaining the Trusted Trader accreditation is the result of extensive audit processing which satisfies the AEO that Bolloré Logistics in Australia sets and maintains the highest level of international supply chain and customs compliance.

    “Being certified an Australian Trusted Trader further supports and facilitates the handling of clients’ international supply and expedites the flow of legitimate trade from all sites in Australia,” says Michael Pinnock, National Customs Manager at Bolloré Logistics Australia.

    This certification is applicable to all five sites in Australia: Brisbane, Darwin, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney.

    Bolloré Logistics Australia will have complete access to the programme benefits when they are introduced in full in the 2017/18 financial year. Benefits will include: reduced cargo inspections at the border, improved cargo lead time, duty deferral, streamlined reporting and priority trade services.

    As a Trusted Trader, Bolloré Logistics Australia also receives a suite of trade facilitation benefits. This includes Mutual Recognition Arrangements established between the Australian Government and Bolloré Logistics which will reduce the customs regulatory burden for Australian exporters entering foreign markets. For example, currently in effect with New Zealand, the Mutual Recognition Arrangement will provide Trusted Trader exporters with border processing benefits.

    As the programme develops, further benefits will be made available to Bolloré Logistics Australia as a Trusted Trader. These include: enhanced cross-agency collaboration with other border agencies, labour mobility and trade in services or even secure trade lanes.

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  • Indonesia floats idea of Oz wine requiring halal certification

    Indonesia floats idea of Oz wine requiring halal certification

    Trade Minister Enggartiasto “Enggar” Lukita has floated the idea of requiring Australian wine sold in Indonesia to pass halal certification and use plain packaging in retaliation for the neighboring country “undermining” the selling of Indonesian tobacco and paper.

    Enggar said he recently that he had voiced his resentment to Australian Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment Steven Ciobo after Australia mandated in 2012 that cigarettes sold in the country must use plain packaging and levied anti-dumping duties on imported A4 paper from Indonesia in April.

    “We facilitate imports of Australian beef. But I am devastated by the barriers slapped on our tobacco and A4 paper,” said Enggar at a gathering late on Thursday.

    “I told Steve that I would consider requiring Australian wine sold in Indonesia to also have plain packaging and pass halal certification, but I deliver it in a light way though, and it was just an expression of my resentment,” he said.

    Indonesia and other tobacco-producing countries, such as Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Honduras, filed a complaint with the World Trade Organization (WTO) against Australia for what they consider illegal trade barriers by mandating plain packaging.

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  • Telstra to connect 29 stadiums for Fox Sports

    Telstra to connect 29 stadiums for Fox Sports

    Australia’s Telstra has secured a contract to connect 29 sporting stadiums across the country using its nationwide Distributed Production Network end-to-end IP network for cable TV broadcaster Fox Sports.

    Under the long-term contract, Telstra will use the network to connect the stadiums to new Remote Production Hubs in Sydney and Melbourne.

    The deployment is expected to be completed ahead of next year’s National Rugby League and Australian Football League seasons.

    Telstra’s DPN has been custom-built for the media industry to allow customers to remotely produce live broadcasts combining multiple raw camera feeds and audio signals from centralized production hubs.

    According to Telstra Broadcast Services head Trevor Boal, the DPN network will deliver a standard capacity of 100Gbps for each stadium using diverse network paths, and will support the broadcasting of more than 520 live tier sporting events per year.

    “Telstra’s DPN is designed to help our broadcast customers meet the rapidly growing demand for live content by offering access to our high capacity, low latency, multi-tenant network of scale,” he said.

    “In a world first, multiple channels of uncompressed linear contribution video at the lowest possible latency will be traversing our network from sporting venues up to 3500 kilometers away from the Remote Production Hubs.”

    Telstra has already previously integrated its live, point of view miniature wearable camera technology Globecam into Fox Sports’ broadcasts.

  • AirAsia eyes budget-conscious Aussie travellers

    AirAsia eyes budget-conscious Aussie travellers

    Benyamin Ismail, the CEO of budget airline AirAsia X, wants the coastal city in Borneo to become as familiar to Australians as the famous Bali beach destination.

    AirAsia is eyeing Aussie travellers and wants the Malaysian-based low-cost carrier to be a serious contender in our budget travel market.

    Its pitch to local travellers is its network can offer flights to places we might not have been able to afford before.

    Speaking on the airline’s 10th anniversary in Australia, Mr Ismail, said it wants to beef up its Aussie operations to win budget travellers, and show us there is life beyond Bali.

    “We see a lot of Australians travelling to Bali. So of course, we know that is a very strong market and we have been doing well in that market, but we have been trying to educate that there is life beyond Bali,” Mr Ismail told news.com.au.

    It’s just that many Australians haven’t been able to get there, affordably, before.

    “We want to focus on other islands in Malaysia — Penang, Langkawi and Kota Kinabalu.

    “We are also looking at Sri Lanka — Colombo has a very nice stretch of beaches so we are pushing hard on that. And we are also looking at Vietnam.

    “We know that there is an attraction there, we just want to make these markets affordable.”

    AirAsia currently operates flights out of most of our major airports — Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Gold Coast and Darwin.

    Flights from Sydney to Kota Kinabula start from $278 one-way, from Melbourne $288, or Perth from $228.

    But Mr Ismail believes its their network within Asia that will open up low-cost travel to Australians once they are in the region.

    For example, trips from Kuala Lumpur to Penang can go for as low as $10 or Bangkok to Phuket for $55 for a basic economy seat without all the comforts.

    However, like most low-cost carriers, ticket prices only include a basic economy seat. If you want to add baggage allowance, a meal, standard seat selection and in-flight entertainment, you’ll have to pay an extra. These fees change depending on departure and arrival destinations and ticket prices can change depending on demand.

    But Mr Ismail said giving passengers this choice on how they fly is an important part of how budget airlines are able to keep prices low.

    “If you are really concerned about the cost and value for money, you don’t have to buy food, for example. That is the good thing about low-cost carriers, you pay for what you use,” he told.

    “Whereas full-service airlines charge everything onto one ticket, but 60 per cent of those things you might not need. That’s really why we are able to transfer savings to our customers too.”

    He said AirAsia is also able to make travel more affordable for Australians by focusing on volume and efficiency.

    “We run a very cost-efficient operation which allows us to charge lower fares,” Mr Ismail said.

    “We have more seats on our planes. We are a very high density aircraft, so the cost per seat is much lower. But how we operate staff is also quite efficient.

    “When we look at the number of staff per aircraft — the number of total airline staff divided by the number of aircraft — we are at about 90 staff per aircraft.

    “Low-cost carriers like Ryanair or EasyJet run their airlines at about 72 to 80 staff per aircraft. Full service carriers are sitting about 160 to 180.”

    And he assures that efficiency doesn’t equal poor service.

    “It just means if you arrive at a terminal to board, in a low-cost airline you might only have one staff member there welcoming you rather than five,” Mr Ismail said.

  • Foschini buys owner of Australia’s Tarocash and Rockwear

    Foschini buys owner of Australia’s Tarocash and Rockwear

    Australia‘s Retail Apparel Group (RAG) is being taken over by TFG (or The Foschini Group) for a maximum price of A$302.5m, the South African giant said Thursday.

    TFG, which also owns the Whistles and Phase Eight fashion businesses among a raft of other chains, said current management would stay in place at RAG, which means CEO Gary Novis will continue to oversee the business’s expansion. The 30-year-old value-to-mid-priced menswear specialist has 400 stores and has been growing steadily in recent years.

    TFG is paying cash for its latest buy and while the purchase price is not completely clear at present, that is because the takeover deal is priced at seven time RAG’s earnings for the year to the end of June, or that A$302.5m figure, whichever of the two is lowest.

    For that outlay, the company will acquire a raft of retail brands including Tarocash, yd, Connor and Rockwear. It is buying the business from Navis capital, which acquired a controlling stake in 2011. Navis partners Philip Latham and Ravi Jeyaraj said they have achieved their original aim of consistent growth over the succeeding years as the company opened new stores and launched new brands.

    Despite the Australian fashion retail sector facing the same headwinds as many other countries globally, as well as some that are unique to the market, RAG is performing well and is expected to post double-digit rises in both sales and profits for the current fiscal year.

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  • Australia’s Cotton On group top performing eco fashion retailer of 2017

    Australia’s Cotton On group top performing eco fashion retailer of 2017

    Cotton On Group has become the top performing fashion retailer of 2017 in Australia, says a fashion report. The recognition solidifies the Group’s commitment to ethical and sustainable retailing, highlighting the steps it takes towards ensuring a safe, fair and sustainable environment in which its products are being sourced and manufactured.

    The Ethical fashion report by Baptist World Aid (BWA) grades companies on the efforts put in for a transparent and eco-friendly working condition. The research team assesses each company’s labour rights management system according to 40 specific criteria. These assessments consider three critical stages of the supply chain as a proxy for the entire supply chain: raw materials, inputs production and final manufacturing.

    “The environment in which our products are made and the materials used to make them form a critical part of our ethical responsibility – it’s just the right way to do business,” Cotton On Group’s ethical sourcing manager David Nesbitt said.

    “Over the last five years, we have worked closely with BWA to build on the strength of our existing ethical sourcing programme, allowing us to sense check and continually enhance our programmes with a focus on end-to-end mapping of our suppliers,” added Nesbitt. “We know we are on a continuous road to improvement and are committed to an ever-better supply chain for the long haul.”

    The Group’s ethical sourcing programme, including its 14 Rules to trade, has been in existence since 2009 and governs the sourcing, manufacturing and supply of products. Adherence to this code of conduct relies on the strength of the relationships the Group holds with its suppliers – some of which have been partners of the business for over 20 years.

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  • Zara stays strong in Australia despite profits slowdown

    Zara stays strong in Australia despite profits slowdown

    While some chains struggle in the Australian market, Inditex’s Zara is committed to the country and is seeing its operations growing although profit has fallen, according to local press reports.

    On Wednesday, the same day that rival Topshop’s local franchisee announced a voluntary administration filing, The Age reported that the Spanish chain by contrast has enjoyed another year of double-digit growth in the country.

    It saw A$256.36m in sales in the year to January 31 2017, boosted by the opening of three new stores in the Sydney suburb of Parramatta, the Gold Coast and Brisbane. That figure was up 15.5% year-on-year, although this was slower than the 24% rise seen in the previous year. And its profit was slower too with the company making A$10.3m compared to $15.26m in the prior year.

    Like Topshop, Zara arrived in Australia in 2011 and had 18 stores by the end of January this year. It had 1,700 employees, several hundred more than it had working for it in Australia a year earlier.

    The local operation is 90% owned by Inditex and 10% by Peter Lew through his International Brand Management unit. Lew is the son of retail entrepreneur Solomon Lew.

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  • Australia Topshop franchisee in administration, but says it’s business as usual

    Australia Topshop franchisee in administration, but says it’s business as usual

    The franchisee for Arcadia’s Topshop and Topman said Wednesday that it has filed for voluntary administration. Austradia Pty Ltd has named Ferrier Hodgson partners James Stewart, Jim Sarantinos, and Ryan Eagle as its administrators.

    But Stewart said in a regulatory announcement that it will be “business as usual”  as the administration team “works closely with Arcadia Group on supporting and right-sizing the Australian business to a sustainable platform going forward.”

    Stewart said that the 760 employees will continue to be paid by the administrators and normal customer policies such as gift cards and product returns will continue during the administration period.

    It seems clear that the Topshop and Topman names will survive in the Australian market with a clear demand there for its particular brand of trend-focused fast fashion. Topshop/Topman has been operating nine standalone stores, 17 Myer concessions and an online business in Australia and has enjoyed annual sales of around A$90m.

    The separately owned and operated Australian franchise opened locally in 2011 and Myer owns around one-fifth of the operation. Earlier this year Myer said that losses at the Topshop operation grew to A$0.6m in H1 from A$0.1m a year earlier.

    Its administration filing is further evidence that times are as tough for fashion retailers in the country as they are in many other countries around the world, even for some of the biggest names in affordable fashion.

    The arrival of more global chains in the local market and an increasing move by consumers towards e-sales have added to the competitive pressures at a time when shoppers are also re-assessing where and how they spend their discretionary cash. And the arrival of Amazon this year will not make the retail environment any easier with local chains that have been battling sluggish sales likely to see even more market share seeping away.

    Myer has itself seen challenges on the sales front with the company reporting a 3.3% sales drop for Q3.

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  • AU budget a welcome boost for supply chain efficiency

    AU budget a welcome boost for supply chain efficiency

    The significant infrastructure investments contained in Australia’s Federal Budget have the potential to deliver substantial improvements to supply chain efficiency and significantly boost economic growth, according to the Australian Logistics Council (ALC).

    “The Government should be commended for making clear commitments to two significant infrastructure projects crucial to the freight and logistics industry,” said ALC managing director, Michael Kilgariff.

    “The transformative potential of the Inland Rail project has been talked about for decades, with incremental progress being made over the past several years, including a positive assessment of the business case by Infrastructure Australia. The $8.4 billion commitment announced in the Treasurer’s speech tonight will finally allow its construction. At long last, we can stop merely talking about this project’s potential, and instead begin to witness it.”

    “Establishing a safe, reliable port-to-port rail link for freight between Melbourne and Brisbane is the only way we can simultaneously meet Australia’s burgeoning freight task, alleviate congestion on existing freight networks, create regional jobs and boost growth,” he said.

    “To fully unleash the benefits of this project, the line must run to the ports of Melbourne and Brisbane, and comprise efficient rail linkages to the ports of Botany, Kembla and Newcastle in NSW. We must also support the development of intermodal freight hubs at appropriate intervals along the route.”

    “The commitment of $5.3 billion to construct the Western Sydney Airport and the $75 million to duplicate the Port Botany freight rail line likewise bring to fruition critical freight infrastructure projects that will further support economic activity and job creation.”

    “The Budget’s strong focus on infrastructure is timely, coming less than six months after the Federal Government agreed to ALC’s request to develop a National Freight and Supply Chain Strategy. We welcome the measures announced tonight as a positive first step in continuing efforts to deliver a safer, more efficient supply chain. The importance of this is made clear by the industry views outlined in a recent ALC Working Paper,” he said.

    “It’s also pleasing that Infrastructure Australia has been provided with an additional $11.9 million to deliver its core functions of assessing projects and producing an infrastructure pipeline.”

  • Telstra lays out plans for Programmable Network

    Telstra lays out plans for Programmable Network

    Australian operator Telstra has outlined its plans to offer SDN and NFV, cloud platform and data centers as well as global and Australian networks in one integrated and intelligent platform.

    At the ITW Conference in Chicago, Telstra outlined its planned network-as-a-service called the Telstra Programmable Network.

    This new network will be programmable at its core and enable the automation and provisioning of services. It will be designed to help businesses quickly add new capabilities to deliver better experiences without significant infrastructure upgrades. It will also allow simple and secure access to multiple cloud services via a simple user interface.

    “The Telstra Programmable Network is designed to help our customers meet the rapidly growing global demand for data and the proliferation of applications, as well as embrace cloud computing by offering flexible and dynamic access to our high bandwidth, low latency and secure networks,” said Jim Fagan, Director Global Platforms.

    “Our vision for the Telstra Programmable Network is to help businesses optimize their IT by offering automated, on-demand and near real-time provisioning, consumption-based pricing and new data insights on network usage,” said Fagan.

    “The Telstra Programmable Network brings together all of our SDN technologies such as PEN, Telstra’s first globally connected on-demand networking platform, and continues their development under one vision, architecture and investment program.”

    International IP-VPN customers will also be able to access the Telstra Programmable Network’s capabilities from any of Telstra’s 2,000 points of presence worldwide after launch. This includes extending their network via Telstra’s portal or API to access the internet and a range of public cloud services including Amazon Web Services and IBM SoftLayer.

    To complement the rollout, Telstra will implement a significant capability upgrade of its core international IP network in the coming months.

    This will introduce increased bandwidth and flexibility, which the new service will demand. In addition, these enhancements are expected to increase Telstra’s peering capacity by up to 70% and provide enhanced security with traffic segregation capability to mitigate DDoS traffic.

    “These initial investments will establish the groundwork for the Telstra Programmable Network with future enhancements, such as orchestrated real-time SD-WAN and security, to be announced in the coming months,” said Fagan.

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