Vocus owns and operates independent voice and data networks stretching across Australia. We have the ability to offer services with the control you would expect of a network service provider. We have also been purchasing services in the Industry for over 20 years, so we know the type of company you want to deal with and that is what we strive to deliver.

Executive Team

The Executive Team has a combined total of 37 years owning, operating, designing and building carrier networks in Australia. They have commissioned E1 capacity to the USA before de-regulation, negotiated 3 bi-lateral PSTN SS7 Voice Interconnects, commissioned optical SDH capacity on undersea cables and built data centres.

 
 
 
     
 
   

CEO Profile

James Spenceley has been involved with the Internet and Telecommunications industry in Australia for more than 12 years. During this time Mr Spenceley designed and deployed the COMindico (now Soul) network - at the time regarded as the single largest and only converged voice and data network in Australian history. Additionally, Mr Spenceley was responsible for connecting the first independent wholesale IP network to the Southern Cross Cable System and launching the company’s wholesale transit product. This product provided the impetus for reducing the industry’s per Mbps Internet transit price by over 90 percent. A regular speaker at IP and Telecommunications conferences, Mr Spenceley is also a founding director of AusNOG and for many years has successfully sourced and deployed switches to non-profit Internet exchanges around the world.

 
   

CFO Profile

Paul McConnell has over 20 years ICT experience. In 1988 Mr McConnell worked with Geoff Huston to provide a permanent Internet connection for an ANU campus residence. At the college’s request, Mr McConnell then established and ran the first private Internet caféfor the campus.

In 1994 Mr McConnell and Mark Purcell connected the first permanent Internet connection for any Canberra-based ISP. This was under the APANA banner. The following year Mr McConnell founded his own Internet consulting and ISP business - OfficeLink+. As the oldest Canberra based ISP, OfficeLink+ was responsible for connecting the Australian Parliament House to the Internet and provided ISP and consulting services to numerous large government departments (such as Centrelink).

As the Managing Director of his own highly successful Telecommunications company, Mr McConnell has over 15 years experience in successful financial management with a specific focus on Telecommunications. Now based in Sydney, Mr McConnell is delighted to provide Vocus Communications with the combination of his passions: successful business processes and the ability to directly benefit the Australian ISP and Telecommunications Industry.

   
 

COO Profile

Paul Brooks brings to Vocus a background in large-scale network engineering and service provider operations, having designed, operated and managed carrier-grade international and national telecommunications networks for more than 12 years.

During the 1990’s Dr Brooks engineered the AU/NZ Internet networks for Sprint International (later Global One). During his time at Global One he headed up the APAC Engineering group deploying the global ATM, Frame Relay, MPLS and IP core network throughout. Dr Brooks also pioneered the use of HDSL technologies on the Australian copper network.

Following Global One, Dr Brooks was the CTO of TransACT Communications, where he was responsible for IT Engineering the voice, data and video triple-play services. Returning to Sydney in 2004 he formed an independent telecommunications advisory practice providing consulting to enterprises, carriers, ISP’s and Government.

Dr Brooks is a recognised expert in DSL technologies, ULL, LSS and access network design. He has been appointed as an independent technical expert for the ACCC and the NZ Commerce Commission bringing UCLL to NZ. He is active within the Communications Alliance chairing two working groups in 2007 focussing on VoIP Interprovider Interconnection and Interprovider QoS for IP Networks, and is a frequent speaker at industry conferences.

Dr Brooks is a Foundation Member and Director of ISOC-AU - the Australian chapter of the Internet Society - and holds a PhD in Astrophysics from UNSW.