States and start-ups: establishing public competitors in Australian communications

This paper will explore and contrast three earlier State-owned or supported communications enterprises: the Pacific Cable opened in 1902; Amalgamated Wireless Australasia (AWA), which launched international wireless telegraphy services in 1927; and AUSSAT, the domestic satellite system established in 1985. The Pacific Cable and AWA provided new connections between Australians and the world; AUSSAT connected Australians to each other and eventually to New Zealanders and some Pacific Islanders. Each enterprise was a partnership