Regional Digital Connectivity program
The NSW Government has committed over $400 million to bring a faster and more reliable digital network to regional NSW.
What is the program delivering?
The Regional Digital Connectivity program will ensure families and businesses across regional NSW have better access to mobile, internet and digital services.
The program will address the digital divide between metropolitan centres and regional NSW. It will do this through large-scale investment with the telecommunications industry to improve mobile coverage and internet connectivity for the most underserved areas of the State.
The program is focused on the following priority areas:
- Mobile Coverage – to address mobile black spots where people live and work through investment in future-proof mobile phone infrastructure and emerging technologies to deliver increased rural and regional mobile coverage;
- Gig State – to bring metro-level internet speeds and pricing to rural and regional NSW through investment in improved connectivity infrastructure; and
- Farms of the Future – to enable farmers and agribusinesses to use agricultural technologies (ag tech) for increased productivity and resource management such as water monitoring.
- Smart Regional Spaces – to assist regional NSW to successfully engage in the smart places movement through strategy development, new technology and data solutions.
The Regional Digital Connectivity program is in addition to the Connecting Country Communities Fund that has helped deliver 123 new regional mobile towers in NSW so far.
The program will also co-fund delivery of 22 new regional mobile phone towers as part of Round 5A of the Commonwealth Government’s Mobile Black Spot Program.
Latest Updates
Mobile coverage
The NSW Government has committed $50 million for Stage 1 of the Mobile Coverage Project to invest in infrastructure, emerging technologies and services to deliver improved mobile phone service in rural and regional locations.
The Department is also working with the Commonwealth Government and industry stakeholders on identified black spots to ensure this vital infrastructure complements past and future investment.
Gig State project
The $100 million Gig State project will deliver improved internet connectivity outcomes for rural and regional communities, prioritising areas currently on a satellite internet service.
Gig State will provide connectivity solutions for the localities of Wamboin, Bywong and Sutton as well as the Cobar Corridor, including Nyngan, Trangie, Narromine, Warren and Cobar.
Farms of the Future
The NSW Government has committed $48 million for the Farms of the Future program.
The program is being delivered in partnership with DPI (Department of Primary Industries) in five target regions across 11 local government areas. The program will deliver both on-farm connectivity and support to assist farm businesses to adopt ag tech to boost productivity and improve resource management, including water and drought preparedness.
Smart Regional Spaces
The $2.4 million Smart Regional Spaces: Ready, Set, Go! project is aimed at pivoting the smart cities movement into rural and regional NSW, to ensure regional communities can reap the benefits associated with ‘smart place’ initiatives.
The project will partner with regional councils, connect them with industry experts and empower them to invest in new technology and data-driven solutions, appropriate for their regions. It will also develop a suite of freely accessible digital tools, templates and training modules, appropriate for all 91 regional councils in NSW.
Contact
For information about the program, please contact: RDC.program@regional.nsw.gov.au