Enterprise-level wireless for WA's Mid West farmers

Western Australia’s Agriculture and Food Minister, Alannah MacTiernan, has switched on the latest telecommunications tower for a new wireless network serving farmers in WA’s Mid West region.

The tower, at Eneabba, is one of 29 across the Chapman Valley and North Midlands.

The networks are being installed by Geraldton-based LogicIT Solutions using local labour, with financial and in-kind support from shires and grower groups. Broadband services are available through Node1 Internet.

High-speed broadband is now available to Irwin, Mingenew, Three Springs and Chapman Valley shires, with services to be rolled out to Coorow, Carnamah, Morawa, Perenjori and Northampton shires and parts of the City of Greater Geraldton in the next few months.

As well as the WA Government’s $1 million investment, the Mid West network has benefited from a further $1.5 million of financial and in-kind contributions from LogicIT, shires and grower groups.

The $5 million Digital Farm Grants program aims to provide fast, reliable, affordable and scalable broadband services to areas outside the nbn’s fixed line and fixed wireless footprint.

“Farmers need enterprise-grade broadband to stay competitive in a 21st-century global market, and the nbn simply hasn’t delivered the connectivity our agricultural sector needs,” said Minister MacTiernan.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/John Casey

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