Australia Post has officially launched its Digital Mailbox as part of the government-owned company’s $2 billion investment in digitising its communications and delivery mail network.
Users of the Digital MailBox will be able to access their bills and account statements, make payments and use the mailbox as a “digital vault” to upload documents from any computer or mobile device which has Internet access.
Users will also be able to choose who they can receive electronic communications from, with only approved and certified providers able to connect to the service.
Companies that have signed up with the digital mail service include Telstra, AMP, Westpac, ANZ and National Australia Bank.
The encrypted mailbox will be hosted in Telstra’s Cloud.
“This is a truly historic development for Australia Post,” Senator Stephen Conroy, Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, said in a statement.
“It is embracing the emerging digital economy and taking advantage of the possibilities offered by the rollout of super-fast broadband through the National Broadband Network (NBN).”
The Department of Human Services and the Australian Taxation Office are currently taking part in trials of the mailbox as a communication tool.
However, it has not been smooth sailing for the launch of Australia Post’s Digital Mailbox. In August this year, the Federal Court dismissed a trademark suit brought by Australia Post against joint venture Digital Post Australia (DPA), alleging that DPA's name was too similar to its own.
The court found the suit was without merit, with Australia Post appealing the decision and DPA stating it was on track to deliver a digital postal service.
A Gartner analyst has also said the investment in Australia Post’s Digital Mailbox is “speculative” and it is impossible to tell whether its investment will pay off.
Australia Post recently reported an overall group profit of $281 million in 2012, despite a loss of $148 million for its regulated mail business for the year, a 20 per cent increase over 2011.
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