Telecoms, Media & Technology

From early public policy discussions on next generation fibre networks and mobile network rollouts, through to today, we’ve proudly advised leading fibre and mobile operators across the Asia Pacific, the Middle East and beyond.

We’ve acted for fixed and mobile incumbent operators, new wholesale network and infrastructure companies, access seekers, regulators and policy makers on their most important projects.

In the fixed segment, we are lead external advisers to Australia’s next generation broadband company, nbn co, on its long-term regulatory undertaking and its most important commercial arrangements with its wholesale customers. In the mobile segment, we have advised New Zealand’s leading operator, Spark, on its multi-decade arrangements for access to existing and new infrastructure provided by de-merged mobile infrastructure owner Connexa. Over many years, we’ve advised on the rollout of 2G through to 5G networks, spectrum licensing and sharing, and network roaming.

We assist as telecoms providers, users and suppliers continue to invest in major new mobile tower build programs, terrestrial backbone projects and related long-term investment and use arrangements.

Investment in digital infrastructure continues to boom, across submarine cable infrastructure, data centres, passive infrastructure de-mergers and strategic infrastructure acquisitions. We assist hyper-scalers, carrier-neutral cable companies, national telecoms operators, investment banks and other digital infrastructure investors on all types of digital infrastructure.

Submarine cable infrastructure is undergoing generational renewal. We’ve advised the new leaders in cable infrastructure in substantial global investments. Our clients have selected us as lead advisers to major consortium members for cable systems that connect over 85% of the global population. We act on supply contracts, joint build agreements, construction and maintenance agreements, , bandwidth and capacity arrangements, landing party arrangements, regulatory compliance, and all other legal considerations for building and operating a submarine network.

Our experience is second-to-none. We’re consistently chosen as legal advisers by some of the most active technical infrastructure investors globally, including to co-ordinate and manage complex legal aspects of multi-jurisdictional projects – partnering with local counsel as needed to create seamless outputs.

On the heels of the submarine cable investment wave, data centre demand and capacity continue to explode, with further growth anticipated from the transformational potential of AI. We’ve advised on the purchase and development of data centres, customer supply terms, foreign investment rules, connectivity, co-investment in power arrangements, and transformation of data centre compute and storage infrastructure – including innovative OEM supply models. We’ve also assisted major suppliers of data centre equipment.

Our telecoms regulatory practice is exceptional. We have decades of experience in every area of telecoms regulation. The largest network operators, digital infrastructure investors, regulators and governments turn to us for advice on their most critical and strategically important regulatory projects.

Our work includes designing and advising on long-term economic frameworks for access regulation, such as the legislative structures for wholesale separation of network operators, and the Australian national broadband network company’s multi-decade access undertaking to the Australian competition regulator. We also advise regulated entities, access seekers and regulators on telecoms access disputes and market design.

We advise fixed, mobile and satellite operators as well as corporate users, regulators and governments on spectrum regulation and trading. We also advise on land access and interconnection, investment rules, technical regulation and consumer protection.

Regulators and governments draw on our expertise to understand market dynamics and ensure that market regulation operates effectively and achieves intended policy outcomes.

We regularly advise on security of critical infrastructure laws, ensuring that boards and management are fully aware and informed about their obligations and best practices to protect the infrastructure with which they’re entrusted.

We also advise on strategies for effective privacy compliance, particularly in novel businesses and for the processing of large and sensitive data sets. Our clients rely on our insights and deep industry knowledge to respond critically and effectively to suspected data breaches and cyber incidents.

As governments and private organisations seek to secure information of citizens, customers and employees, we’re working with some of the foremost digital identity technology providers to ensure that identity data can be shared securely and safely, without over-sharing. Our clients trust us to develop responsive, customised deal solutions in a formative marketplace that has untested business models.

We’ve worked with telecoms operators and investors on significant de-mergers and structural separation of passive InfraCos, active NetCos and customer-facing ServeCos. These assignments include separations and re-structures stemming from regulation and increasingly, from commercial-led opportunities to optimise investor returns by unlocking value in vertically integrated assets.

Our work has extended to major new market structure initiatives such as the rollout of neutral host and common backbone infrastructure companies across both the fixed and mobile segments. We contribute deep insight and commercial acumen in structuring long-term commercial and regulatory frameworks to align incentives across infrastructure investors, customers and public interests.

We’ve scrutinised infrastructure sales and sharing agreements for regulators and other interested parties, applying our market experience to provide deep insights on long-term competitive and economic impacts.

We’ve assisted satellite operators across several generations of satellite broadband delivery, from narrowband satellites to high-throughput GEO sats, and now new and planned LEO sat networks.

In the coming years, LEO sat networks will transform the economics of global telecoms and enable new universal service opportunities. This expanded connectivity will unlock novel business opportunities enabled by transportable communications, and improve social inclusion by bridging the digital divide for remote communities. We’re advising on cutting edge projects that enable these transformations and a variety of other exciting use cases.

Our work in the space segment spans all areas from market entry, government engagement on universal service and digital inclusion policies, law enforcement and security co-operation, spectrum use, and a variety of commercial arrangements with supply chain specialists and national telecoms operators.

The last few years have seen extraordinary public and media interest in artificial intelligence. Beyond the headlines, boards, senior management and regulators are experimenting and grappling with the implications. We’re advising clients on anticipated regulation and potential regulatory models for managing the novel challenges and opportunities of AI.

Our clients are seeking to anticipate and shape the regulatory frameworks that are likely to affect them both as developers and corporate users of AI systems, including those that are deployed within their own business and those which interact with customers. Simultaneously, they’re seeking to implement safeguards that allow them to harness AI’s benefits in a way that aligns with their risk management frameworks. We’ve been helping clients apply these considerations in their specific contexts while also advising on intellectual property, privacy and other practical legal considerations.

We’ve assisted our clients with the development and implementation of some of the most ambitious smart city projects in their regions. This work includes advising on PPP structures that allocate public and private sector capital and risk to optimise public benefits and private investor returns, co-ordinating complex supply chain and multivendor procurement, and accessing data and connectivity to ensure economical smart city platforms.

We’ve also assisted in the rollout of a wide variety of IoT platforms including smart metering and smart sensor solutions, novel agritech platforms, public mesh connectivity, and behind-the-meter smart energy solutions. We’ve helped clients procure long-term connectivity from telecoms operators and navigate spectrum licensing, and we’ve advised on infrastructure procurement, privacy, network, and land access considerations.

We’ve assisted major telecoms operators, corporates and hyper-scalers to invest in transformational projects, like the rollout of new generations of mobile technology, GPON variants, the strategic transformation of operational and billing systems, major new hardware and software procurement, turnkey design and build services, strategic build and maintain projects, and cloud transformation projects.

We have a proven track record of managing complex global multi-source negotiations with some of the largest global providers. Our clients return to us as their needs and relationships change over time, trusting our advice as they navigate these changes and resets.