A $20.5 million Federal Government commitment to deliver 67 additional base station projects in the bush is a step in the right direction to improve connectivity.
Announced by the Minister for Regionalisation, Regional Communications and Regional Education, Bridget McKenzie, this next chapter of the Mobile Black Spot Program includes 30 macro cell and small cell base stations projects in NSW.
A survey of NSW Farmers members concluded over 78% were either unsatisfied or very unsatisfied with their mobile service identifying poor coverage and lack of continuous access during voice calls as their major concerns.
NSW Farmers President James Jackson said farmers need certainty of voice and data services, especially as the agriculture sector leverages technology to improve food and fibre production and reach $30 billion in output by 2030.
“Rural and remote communities need certainty of connectivity to keep safe and undertake business transactions and that is why all 30 of these projects are important,” he said.
“We also call on Government and telecommunications providers to continue to listen to, and work closely with, mobile users to ensure they can best access technology improvements as they roll out.”