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Fund provides broadband to Pt Pirie region

27 July 2011

Communities surrounding Port Pirie in the State’s mid north will now have access to high-speed broadband internet following a $112,000 State Government grant, Regional Development Minister Gail Gago announced today.

The funding, made available through the State Government’s Enterprise Zone Fund Upper Spencer Gulf and Outback, will assist Aussie Broadband Pty Ltd to provide internet broadband services to towns in the area disadvantaged by limited broadband coverage.

Ms Gago says a number of local communities will be able to access WiMAX coverage and share in the economic and social benefits of high-speed broadband internet, including improved delivery of vital regional services such as health, education and emergency response.

“Local businesses in the Port Pirie region are also set to benefit from improved efficiency and productivity across the transport, commerce and resource sectors,” the Minister said.

“More broadly, the project will provide essential telecommunications infrastructure to support the development of mining offices beyond Port Pirie.

“It will also have positive flow on effects in terms of social inclusion and social participation for residents in these regional areas.”

Aussie Broadband South Australian Director Ian Watson said that the project will involve the installation of wireless technology at Wirrabara and the Port Pirie Hospital and connect to Adelaide via the existing Nextgen fibre network.

“This will extend broadband coverage to the townships of Appila, Wirrabara, Port Flinders, Gladstone, Georgetown, Laura, Caltowie, Stone Hut, Crystal Brook, Redhill, Warnertown and the surrounding rural areas,” Mr Watson said.

“As a result of this funding, in the next few months many residents and business across a large area of the Upper Spencer Gulf will have access to a quality high-speed WiMAX broadband service that would otherwise have been unavailable.”

The project is expected to be completed later this year.

Ms Gago said that the Enterprise Zone Fund Upper Spencer Gulf and Outback is a $4 million rolling fund, available over four years, aimed at capturing the benefits of growing industries to further strengthen Upper Spencer Gulf and Outback communities.

“This project is set to create economic and social benefits distributed across these communities and beyond the organisation that receives the grant,” the Minister said.