Displaying items by tag: Regional communications

Labor responds to the recent Coalition Government spending spree on regional communications by promising more than $600 million of funds to improve connectivity for roads, regional communities and farms.

Australian telco Pivotel and content and connectivity provider SES have agreed to construct a new satellite ground station at Pivotel's Dubbo teleport. The ground station will enable the delivery of enhanced telecommunication services to regional communities.

Telecommunications resilience in bushfire and disaster prone areas to ensure communities can stay connected during emergencies has been strengthened by a $37.1 million investment from the Australian Government.

Passage of the Telecommunications Reform Package is a key step towards guaranteeing country communities access to reliable communications, according to the Regional, Rural and Remote Communications Coalition (RRRCC), which has again issued a call to Government for the legislation to be passed by the Senate.

Australia’s second largest telco Optus is preparing to build 16 new mobile sites as part of the NSW Government’s mobile black spot program at a total cost of $12 million, with half of the funding provided by Optus itself and half by the State Government.

Ways of improving broadband access in rural, regional and remote Australia were under the spotlight at a meeting on Tuesday between the regional telecommunications lobby group the Regional, Rural and Remote Communications Coalition (RRRCC) and the executive team from NBN Co.

The Labor Party says the release of the Productivity Commission report into the Universal Service Obligation (USO) highlights the imperative to reframe the objective for universal telecommunications services to provide baseline broadband and voice services as the NBN rolls out.

The coalition pushing for improved regional communications services says the federal government’s newly announced broadband monitoring programme doesn’t go far enough and more needs to be done to redress communications problems still plaguing rural and remote areas.

A new, coalition to fight for better communications services for Australians living in regional, rural and remote areas of the country has been formed  by advocacy groups including the communications industry peak body, the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN).

Faster broadband to homes and businesses in rural and remote areas of Australia will become a reality over the next few months with the nbn set to launch into orbit its first network satellite.