In light of what is transpiring around the world and in Australia with COVID-19, I would like to take this opportunity to confirm that all NAS locations are open for business and will remain so for as long as possible.

All NAS locations have very solid inventory levels at present.  We have orders placed with our major overseas suppliers to ensure we sufficiently replenish our inventory over the coming months.

For any customers who visit our branch locations I would like to advise you of the following measures NAS is undertaking to ensure your health and safety, as well as the health and safety of our team:

• All surfaces that may get touched get wiped down and disinfected not only every day, but after every customer visit.
• Door handles, benches, EFTPOS machines, trolley’s, displays and the bathrooms all get cleaned as per above.
• NAS has also installed a hand paper towel dispensers in bathrooms with a closed lid bin for disposal for better hygiene.
• Hand sanitizer is placed at all NAS trade counters for your use.
• All NAS team members are being temperature tested when they arrive at work daily.  Anyone who records a temperature of 37.5 degrees Celsius or above will be sent home immediately.

Please let’s all adhere to the space separation (minimum of 1.5 meters) when interacting in the branch locations for our collective safety.

We welcome any orders to be phoned, text messaged or emailed ahead of time for processing if convenient. You can pull up right outside our branch locations for minimal contact and loading should this prove more convenient for you.

Some of you may have had difficulty in calling our 07 3015 8700 phone number in Brisbane recently.  Unfortunately we were experiencing issues receiving phone calls to our Brisbane telephone number range from some networks.  Our telephone system partner identified an issue with call porting between networks.  Thankfully, the fault has now been rectified and failing network congestion, you will be able to reach us on the usual telephone numbers.

If you have become used to calling us on our alternative number 07 3607 8199 over the last few weeks, please be advised that this number will continue to work.

The team at NAS Australia will remain at the coal face for as long as permitted by the relevant authorities.  Please stay well. Your health and safety comes first for us.

As an industry, it is imperative that we recognise how essential the products and services we provide are to many Australians.  The team at NAS are reminded daily by those we support of how vital the VAST TV and Radio service is for remote and regional Australians.  Often, for remote residents with constrained broadband access, their VAST service is the primary method of contact with the rest of the country.  During these unprecedented times, rapid dissemination of information through this satellite service is essential.

Older Australians, who are potentially at greater risk from COVID-19, rely heavily on traditional media for their news, especially television and radio.  Many of this demographic are self-isolating and their continued access to working television reception systems is essential for the transfer of critical information and the reduction of their loneliness.

As a supplier of these telecommunication products and services, moving forward in these uncertain times, I firmly believe that our segment of the telecommunications industry must be classified as an essential service; ensuring continuity of service and supply to those most in need.  My team have made contact with similar businesses in the UK, Italy and New Zealand and they are still active in their markets, even in severe lockdown situations like Italy.

It is imperative that all members of our industry prepare as best we can for COVID-19 related contingencies, and we take our responsibility very seriously to keep our staff and immediate customers safe and well.

We hope, in our own way, to make a useful contribution to the wellbeing of our nation and all of its residents.  We look forward to continuing to make our particular contribution for as long as it's safe and possible to do so.  To my fellow industry members, please recognise how essential you are to many in need and when the opportunity presents, lobby others to recognise how essential your service is.  For now stay active, stay connected and most importantly, stay safe.

At NAS Australia we recognise that during these most uncertain of times there is no precedent to follow; these times are unprecedented.  As a result, we thought it best to reach out to our valued customer base and ask for your understanding.

NAS imports the vast majority of our product range.  In doing so, we need to pay our suppliers before stock leaves their factory.  Depending on locale, containers can take up to 8 weeks to land, clear and unload; tying up significant cash flow in the process.

We have heard recent reports that some suppliers have rescinded all customer trading accounts, reverting them all to cash. I assume these decisions have been made because the COVID-19 situation and resulting economic crisis has no precedent.  I would like to stress that this is not something we are considering.  Having said this, to enable NAS to keep our product supply pipeline full, enabling the continued purchase of stock for all in our supply chain, we need your assistance.  We would greatly appreciate if all NAS Account customers continue to pay their account within terms.  If this is not possible, please make contact with our accounts department as early as possible for there is nothing more worrying than no communication.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued custom.  We do very much appreciate your support.

The team at NAS Australia were proud supporters of Jess Evans who successfully circumnavigated Moreton Island to raise money for the Black Dog Institute.  The first person to achieve this feat, Jess bravely swam without a cage and took four days to complete the swim.  In doing so, Jess raised almost $25,000.

If you would like to know more about the momentous 100 klm swim, you can view the channel 7 news video here:

https://www.facebook.com/7NEWSBrisbane/videos/1248172848719358/

Well done Jess – what an amazing effort!

As reported in our last Digest, NAS was recently selected as a National Distributor of Tiandy IP CCTV products.

With 25 years of experience in the surveillance industry, TIANDY TECHNOLOGIES has built a solid reputation as a vendor of highest quality products with proven reliability.  Tiandy is currently ranked number 9 globally in the 'A&S Security top 50' rankings.

The range has proven to be incredibly reliable and very well priced. Tiandy's Super Starlight technology is available in both the Lite and Ultra series so even the residential surveillance systems can now utilise the full colour at night offering. Some of the Ultra models bypassed this performance and could operate in full colour at 0.0004lux. Like most of the highest performing night fighting cameras, Tiandy's Super Starlight cameras also operates at 2MP, whereas the standard starlight range operates in colour at an impressive 0.005lux and are available in 4, 5 & 8MP models. The full Tiandy range of cameras are available from the NAS Australia Branches in Cairns, Sunshine Coast, Brisbane & Newcastle.

With plenty of stock on hand in all branch locations and with more stock on its way to us, you can be assured that we will have a Tiandy system in stock that meets your requirements.

Should you be interested, please have a look at these unboxing videos that demonstrate how straight forward the Tiandy cameras are to install:
https://youtu.be/XoMT0AkeUk8
https://youtu.be/NhN-nEJml3s

If you would like to know more about the products contact NAS Australia on 07 3015 8700 or email us at sales@nasaustralia.com.au

See the light, give Tiandy a try.  Backed by the NAS Security team, we will ensure your transition to Tiandy is a seamless and rewarding process.

It will be very interesting to see what impact the COVID-19 pandemic has on the method of content access, the health of FTA V Pay TV services and who will court sports broadcast rights moving forward and at what cost.

“Successive Foxtel chief executives over the years have strategised how to build subscription TV penetration into Australian homes. As if the current team doesn’t have enough problems keeping existing customers at present, now a new 21st FTA channel is presenting viewers with much content formerly only available for a cost.”

“Nine will launch 9Rush, which it is calling the new home of high adventure, high octane and high adrenaline reality programming, in partnership with Discovery on Sunday April 5 at 7pm.”

“9Rush, Australia’s latest multi-channel, will be designated as Channel 96. It won’t be available on the Foxtel platform, something that Foxtel iQ4 satellite subscribers will find frustrating as neither is Nine’s Gem or 9Life.”

“9Rush will commence at 7.00pm on Sunday, April 5 with the exclusive premiere of the new series of Top Gear UK, featuring Australia’s favourite British import, Freddie Flintoff (who is part of the commentary team on Australian Ninja Warrior).”

“For anyone with a taste for adventure, a need for speed or who enjoys the thrill of the chase, with Discovery’s extensive back catalogue of globally renowned, premium real-life entertainment content, this is the channel for you.”

“All titles are brand new, free-to-air-first programs that feature characters who must be seen to be believed.”

The complete article can be accessed here:
https://www.mediaweek.com.au/tv-guide-9rush-launch-makes-it-21-free-fta-channels/

“Foxtel’s great hope – its Kayo Sports streaming service – has begun 2020 in a terrible state.”

“Kayo’s subscriber base dived to only 370,000 as at February, down from just over 400,000 in November 2019. This month it also lost its Rugby rights to Optus Sports, which has more than double Kayo’s subscribers, and follows in the wake of Foxtel losing the broadcasting rights for the English Premier League to Optus in 2016.”

“Now with the coronavirus pandemic spreading throughout the world, Kayo is facing the real prospect that a large number of its live sports offerings will be cancelled.”

The complete article can be accessed here:
https://www.macrobusiness.com.au/2020/03/foxtel-dealt-another-death-blow/

“Initial insights from Virtual Australia (VOZ) – the foundation of Australia’s new Total TV reporting standard – confirm that to fully evaluate the performance of television content, it’s essential to have a national view of how that content is consumed over time and across devices.”

“In the first stage of a phased rollout, OzTAM, Regional TAM and Nielsen have released top line findings from the new VOZ integrated Total TV database, which brings together broadcast viewing on TV sets (‘linear’) and connected devices (BVoD) to provide all-screen, cross-platform planning and reporting for Australia’s television industry.”

“OzTAM CEO Doug Peiffer said: “We’ve long observed that as Australians have embraced the mind-boggling array of content, screen and platform choice now available that the reach of broadcast TV goes well beyond the TV set itself.  It’s been unclear though to what extent such ‘any time, any place, any screen’ viewing impacts the Total TV picture, until now. Early VOZ data shows that BVoD brings a significant weekly reach gain across younger demographics.”

“VOZ answers key questions for Australia’s television industry, including:
Question: What proportion of Total TV content is viewed on TV sets and connected devices, and how much incremental reach does BVoD deliver to broadcast viewing?
Answer: Each week, 85 per cent of Australians watch broadcast TV and almost a quarter (6 million people) watch BVoD. 4.2 per cent of viewers watch BVoD exclusively, meaning they watched no linear TV during the period.”

The complete article can be accessed here:
https://advanced-television.com/2020/02/27/australia-85-watch-broadcast-tv-weekly/

“Australia's biggest sports are likely to split broadcasting rights deals and sell them to telco providers or streaming giants as television networks come under increasing financial pressure.”

“New research from Venture Insights released on Monday says the costs of broadcasting rights for Australia's major sports, the AFL, NRL, Cricket Australia and Australian Open swelled by almost 8 per cent each year over the past decade, causing broadcasters such as Nine Entertainment, Seven West Media, Network Ten and Foxtel to reach their limit on cost of sports codes.”

“The data shows Cricket Australia has been able to grow the value of their sports rights most significantly in the decade, up 16 per cent from the 2007 arrangement.”

“In 2007, Cricket Australia landed a deal for $29 million a year, but in 2019 the organisation commenced an agreement with Foxtel and Seven, a deal worth $200 million per year. At its half-year results last week, Seven West Media wrote down the value of onerous content contracts, which included the cricket rights deal.”

“The NRL has grown the cost of its rights by 11.9 per cent in the same period, while the AFL has posted a 7.9 per cent increase, and The Australian Open increasing their sports rights costs by 8.4 per cent over the period.”

“Venture Insights said the growth did not align with viewership numbers for the sports or the revenue decline of local broadcasters.”

The complete article can be accessed here:
https://www.smh.com.au/sport/sports-rights-more-likely-to-go-to-telco-and-tech-giants-report-20200221-p5431t.html

“The coronavirus crisis has led to a massive spike in home security fears.”

“As the COVID-19 pandemic deepens, government restrictions set in and more and more employees are forced to work from home, householders are looking for ways to make their homes safer.”

“Demand for home-security related services has boomed by as much as two-thirds, according to hipages, Australia’s biggest online marketplace for tradies.”

“The key systems that have seen a boom are home CCTV, which has risen by 15 per cent, security screens and doors has increased by 20 per cent, while demand for home alarm installations has jumped 67 per cent.”

“Trades have been marked by the government as essential services and as such are permitted to continue operating.”

“We are seeing some fluctuations in work volume as Australians are adapting to the changing environment and the new health measures and recommendations from the Government,” hipages CEO Roby Sharon-Zipser said.

“One of those fluctuations is homeowners looking at making their home safer for working from home purposes,”

“There are other motivations here at play also, and one of those may be akin to Doomsday prepping.”

“Highly respected security expert Daniel Lewkovitz said homeowners are seeing the current crisis as the ideal time to upgrade their home security.”

“A lot of people are spending a lot of time at home in their castle and they have wanted to upgrade their security or didn’t have the time to do and are now realising how things are and that they should be getting around to doing it,” said Mr Lewkovitz, CEO of Calamity Monitoring.

“Home security is something we all need. But given people are so time-poor these days it is easy to kick the can down the road and say you will do it another time. But then one day you wake up and your home has been violated overnight and you realise you have made a horrible decision.”

“Right now is always the best time to do your due diligence and housekeeping and now people are spending much more time at home they are recognising that. And that’s what those statistics illustrate.”

The complete article can be accessed here:
https://www.realestate.com.au/news/demand-for-home-security-services-have-spiked-due-to-coronavirus-according-to-hipages/?rsf=syn:news:nca:news:spa

“Security services have been designated ‘essential services’ by the NZ Government during the current stage 4 COVID-19 lockdown. The ruling applies to the industry even if security services are being provided to premises for a non-essential service.”

“Businesses that are designated essential services are exempt from the lockdown, are able to remain open and can continue providing services to customers while taking all necessary precautions to ensure the safety of staff and the public.”

“The ruling highlights the importance of security and automation solutions to the operations of every government department and commercial organisation involved in the fight against the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus, as well as organisations managing their sites with reduced staff levels or with facilities shuttered by complete lockdowns.”

The SEN article can be accessed here:
https://securityelectronicsandnetworks.com/articles/2020/04/01/new-zealand-designates-security-an-essential-service-during-covid-19-lockdown/

“Security integrators and technicians, security officers, control room operators, support staff, including remote providers of support, have been classified by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as “essential critical infrastructure workers during the COVID-19 response”.

“The DHS guidelines from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency (CISA) are intended to assist both state and local officials when making decisions regarding essential workers in their own jurisdictions.  The guidelines encompass residential work as well as commercial and industrial applications and are likely to cover technical services including locksmithing and network support, among others.”

“The list of “Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers” identified by the CISA Report include:

* Maintenance of communications infrastructure including privately owned and maintained communication systems supported by technicians, operators, call-centres, wireline and wireless providers, cable service providers, satellite operations, undersea cable landing stations, Internet exchange points, and manufacturers and distributors of communications equipment

* Installation, maintenance and repair technicians that establish, support or repair service as needed

* Customer service and support staff, including managed and professional services as well as remote providers of support to transitioning employees to set up and maintain home offices, who interface with customers to manage or support service environments and security issues, including payroll, billing, fraud, and troubleshooting

* Dispatchers involved with service repair and restoration.”

The SEN article can be accessed here:
https://securityelectronicsandnetworks.com/articles/2020/03/25/security-integrators-officers-operators-support-staff-essential-critical-infrastructure-workers-dhs/?utm_source=Security+Electronics+%26+Networks+Newsletter&utm_campaign=438ab6eb0f-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_03_26_10_56&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_f98805971a-438ab6eb0f-99682529

“This Report is the New 2019 Definitive Resource for Access Control, Intruder Alarm / Perimeter Protection & Video Surveillance Market Research.”

“The total value of world production of Physical Security products at factory gate prices in 2019 was $34.3Bn, an increase of 8.5% on 2018 whist the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) over the last 5 years has been 7.24%.”

“Over the last 10 years the market has grown by a CAGR of 6.27%, however different rates of growth apply in each of the 3 businesses (Access Control, Video Surviellance, Intruder Alarm / Perimeter Protection) and geographic territories. We forecast the market will reach $56.76Bn in 2024.”

“This report is a detailed analysis that brings together all the factors that influence this industry’s future. To do this we assess the structure and size of the combined physical security industry then break down by size of product, sales by major sector and geographic region and forecast sales to 2024.”

The report can be accessed here:
https://memoori.com/portfolio/the-physical-security-business-2019-to-2024/

“Smart home solution sales will overtake sales of security solutions for the first time this year.”

“Globally, homeowners will spend $US19.4 billion on security systems this year, with smart security cameras and smart locks being the most-purchased products. This figure is expected to double and reach $35.6 billion value over the next 4 years.”

“In comparison, the exponential growth rate of smart home solutions is astonishing. In 2017 the market was worth $43.4 billion – it is forecast to reach $91 billion value this year on its way to $US158B by 2024, growing at a rate of 19.3 per cent.”

“The penetration of 5G and the involvement of companies like Apple, Google and Amazon is expected to drive the smart home market forward – as is consumer appetite for automated solutions that can be managed by apps using smart phones and tablets.:

Source sen website:
https://securityelectronicsandnetworks.com/articles/2020/02/07/smart-home-systems-overtake-security-systems/

“A team from the University of Queensland claim their technology is cheaper, more energy efficient and more flexible than traditional solar panels.”

“Scientists claim to have developed solar power technology that can produce around 20 per cent more energy in cloudy weather, compared to conventional solar cells.”

“Researchers say their co-called “British-weatherproof” technology is cheaper, more energy efficient and more flexible than traditional solar panels – and can convert solar energy to electricity in low light conditions.”

“The team believe their work, published last month in the journal Nature Energy, represents a “significant step” towards making the technology commercially viable and contributing towards global renewable energy targets.”

The article can be accessed here:
https://www.sciencefocus.com/news/australian-researchers-develop-british-weatherproof-solar-cells/

“SpaceX’s Starlink has passed the first of a series of regulatory hurdles needed before it can operate as a foreign-owned satellite operator with permission to use Australian radio frequencies.”

“Local news outlet ABC News Australia reports Elon Musk’s SpaceX has been approved by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) to become part of the Foreign Space Objects Determination (FSOD), a list of companies that may use Australian airspace.”

“ACMA, however, notes that SpaceX must still go through a more thorough regulatory process before ultimately obtaining a license to be able to be allocated Australian frequencies to use for communications between its satellites and ground stations based in the land down under.”

The complete article can be accessed here:
https://www.teslarati.com/spacex-starlink-satellite-australia-radio-communications/