- Digital connectivity project to enhance farming and emergency management capabilities in the Scott River region in the State's South-West
- McGowan Government to invest $418,000 to support improved mobile broadband
A new digital connectivity initiative supported by the McGowan Government will provide a much-needed lift to mobile coverage and smart technology access for agribusinesses and the community in the Scott River region.
The Government will fund $418,000 towards a project by Connected Farms to install four communications towers, delivering a wide area mobile broadband and voice over 4G LTE network to an area spanning 936 square kilometres.
The area, in the State's South-West, has a mix of high-value horticulture, cropping, timber, dairy and livestock industries with strong growth potential which has been hampered by patchy mobile coverage.
The project will enable businesses in the area to access digital technologies, resulting in an increase in data use and decision-support tools enhancing productivity, sustainability, and workforce management of their operations.
In addition, it will allow all mobile users to have the ability to make 000 emergency calls, regardless of their carrier.
As stated by Agriculture and Food Minister Alannah MacTiernan:
"Currently, there are areas within Scott River East with poor or no mobile coverage.
"The Connected Farms project is an opportunity to overcome this challenge and enhance the uptake of smart farming and business technologies within this prime agricultural precinct to lift productivity and enhance community safety.
"There are more than 120 regional businesses and premises within the proposed coverage area which will have the opportunity to benefit from this new telecommunications infrastructure.
"This project is funded by the WA Government's State Agricultural Telecommunications Infrastructure Fund."
