New communications infrastructure has been installed across South Australia’s District Council of Yorke Peninsula to provide high speed communications to major business and population centres in the region.
The Yorke Peninsula Network was established by Council in conjunction with communications infrastructure provider, Agile Communications. This partnership is providing broadband to the community at a cost equivalent to metropolitan areas, while using the latest technologies for maximum coverage.
Council’s Broadband Coordinator, Andrew Cheel, said microwave towers have been installed at five centres – Maitland, Mount Rat, Minlaton, Warooka and Yorketown.
“Previously, there was no broadband in the area,” Andrew Cheel said. “With Council’s central IT and communications infrastructure too slow, staff needed to travel to a central office to do work. A number of businesses that wanted move to the region also decided not to because there was no affordable high speed communications.”
Council identified wireless communications as the most cost effective, flexible, scalable and rapidly deployable technology that provides the greatest coverage. As a result, the Yorke Peninsula Network is now providing wireless broadband over a 20 kilometre wireless loop.
“Businesses and residents in these Yorke Peninsula townships and the wider community now have access to broadband data and low cost voice call services,” Andrew Cheel said. “The community is experiencing reduced isolation through better communication with the rest of the world, access to education and as a means of entertainment.
“All residents have been offered zero cost installation, with the only cost to clients being a monthly plan fee, which is available on a no lock in contract. This has enabled the 50 per cent of our residents who are on fixed incomes to be financially able to install broadband. With a total population of 11,000 people, to date, some 2,000 installations have taken place.”
Council is also directly benefited through fast broadband to all Council offices, depots and ancillary buildings, enabling corporate activities and client access.
Andrew Cheel said after the first year of operation, Council saw cost savings of $76,200.
“This saving was due to the availability of an Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN), which is a circuit switched telephone network system that allows digital transmission of voice and data over ordinary telephone copper wires. This translates to free internal calls corporate wide, one line for computer and telephone, and flexibility for staff to move offices between towns without reprogramming telephone systems.”
The project has been funded by the Australian Government’s Coordinated Communications Infrastructure Fund (CCIF), the South Australian Government Broadband Development Fund (BDF), the District Council of Yorke Peninsula and Agile Communications.
For further information contact Alan Rushbrook, Council’s Director Finance and Corporate Services, on (08) 8853 3800.
