News

Article Summary

• What is the best type of internet for me?
• Who is NBN Co and what do they do?
• What is an internet service provider and which one should I choose?
• What is Starlink and is it suitable for where I live?
• Where can I go to get good advice from people who understand the problems in regional Australia?

There are several internet connection options for Mid North Coast residents, with the National Broadband Network (NBN) available to every single property in the region. Towns and cities have access to fibre optic wireless connection, and in the less populated areas of the region, fixed wireless and satellite options are available. There are also some legacy ADSL connections, but most telcos do not offer new ADSL contracts.  If you need high quality internet connectivity for work, study or home, it’s beneficial to check the coverage available to you in your chosen location before you move there. The Regional Tech Hub can do a free and independent report of the options available to you at your address. 

ADSL internet: Also known as Asymmetrical Digital Subscriber Line, ADSL is last century’s legacy broadband internet connection, transmitting data through a copper wire using your premise’s phone line. Telstra owns the ADSL line, and according to their submission to the ACCC’s Wholesale ADSL declaration inquiry (PDF), less people are using ADSL, there are a range of options for customers to use instead of ADSL, and most other providers don’t offer new ADSL plans. It’s likely that over the next couple of years, Telstra will stop providing an ADSL service, arguing that it is more expensive to operate and inferior to just about every other service. In areas without access to a fixed broadband service (people who live out of town), this is likely to mean that people currently on ADSL with no access to a fixed broadband network will need to change to a satellite network or other available internet service.

Mobile Broadband: internet delivered directly to your mobile device via a mobile phone tower.

Fixed Wireless: there are both NBN and non-NBN fixed wireless services, both of which require line of sight access from your premises to the nearest internet base tower. However, on the mid north coast there are limited non-NBN providers.

NBN Broadband: NBN Co is the government owned company tasked with building the Australian broadband network. Generally speaking, towns with more than 2000 people have access to some kind of fibre optic cable broadband. Although NBN Co builds and owns the network, you will need to buy your access from one of many internet providers – and while you’ll need to pay for your NBN plan, the cost of connecting the NBN to your home is completely free, with the Australian Government covering the cost. Broadband on the Mid North Coast consists of a suite of options including fibre optic cable connections, which is any type of NBN connection that uses a physical line running to the node, kerb or premises. There is also fixed wireless, which uses data transmitted by radio signals from a transmission tower to an outdoor antenna attached to the premises, and the Sky Muster satellite service which delivers the internet to regional and remote Australia, via two satellites. 

NBN Co is working on a series of upgrades across the Mid North Coast over the next couple of years:

• For higher business data demands, they have announced a premium, high-performance fibre access network designed to be both fast and reliable. Business NBN Enterprise Ethernet is NBN’s flagship fibre access product, with synchronous speeds available up to almost 10Gbps. This is available in the NBN fixed line footprint within larger towns in the region.
• In some towns, they are extending fibre deeper into selected towns and suburbs. Selected homes and businesses serviced by the NBN network via Fibre to the Node (FTTN) and Fibre to the Curb (FTTC) can now upgrade to Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) with an eligible plan.
• Back in March 2022 NBN Co announced a $480 million investment in the NBN® Fixed Wireless network by the Australian Government, supported by an additional $270 million from NBN Co. The investment will help to deliver faster speeds to homes and businesses across semi-rural, regional, and remote Australia. This program is of particular importance in the region as there is a greater proportion of people connected to fixed wireless and satellite customers in the hinterland surrounding towns and villages.
• On the satellite front NBN Co have added NBN Sky Muster Plus, a new premium satellite service for homes and small businesses. The service has been enhanced to provide more data, providing NBN Sky Muster users with unlimited unmetered data across all online content and applications, with only two exclusions – video streaming and VPN traffic – which will continue to be metered between 4pm and midnight. They are unmetered outside those hours.
• Contact NBN Co for information about the NBN rollout in your area or when to connect.

Service Providers: NBN Co builds the network, and then sells access to the network to service providers such as Telstra, Optus and all the other internet service providers, who then sell the service to you. There are a LOT of different service providers, so you will need to do some research. The Regional Tech Hub is a great resource for regional internet connection. Contact your provider about plans and pricing, installation and activation enquiries, ongoing support and trouble shooting.

Low to Medium Earth Orbit satellites: while NBN Sky Muster uses two high to very high satellites to provide their service, Starlink uses new low to medium earth orbit satellites, which orbit 60x closer to earth than the NBN satellites. Newly available in Australia since late 2022, Starlink satellites offer faster speeds, with less latency (delay) and unlimited data, at a higher cost. Watch for new offerings by Australian telcos in this space, with Telstra planning its own low earth satellite technology. This type of technology is best suited to out of town or non-metropolitan users, as the speed can be impacted with very high users in built up areas, and as more people subscribe.

For more information:

Regional Tech Hub: offers independent advice and support and helps regional Australians negotiate often confusing phone and internet options and technical issues.

Better Internet for Rural, Regional and Remote Australians: a ‘one-stop shop’ of relevant info & links for all things bush telecommunications. BIRRR offers support, independent advice and advocacy and negotiates often-confusing bush broadband options and issues. 

Article Summary

• Who owns the mobile phone towers and networks?
• Who are the telcos and who are the mobile phone providers?
• What is the 3G network and why will it be closing in 2024?
• How can I boost my mobile phone service?

The Australian Government and the NSW State Government work in collaboration with the three biggest Australian telecommunications companies (telcos) to build mobile phone infrastructure, address mobile black spots and protect key infrastructure from natural disasters.

In Australia, there are only three mobile phone networks – the Telstra network, the Optus Network, and the TPG Telecom network (previously Vodafone). Telstra and Optus are the main telcos who are responsible for building mobile phone infrastructure on the Mid North Coast, with TPG Telecom limited to major metropolitan areas (their associated brands are vodafone, TPG, iinet, internode, LEBARA, AAPT and felix).

In Australia, each mobile phone tower is locked to the constructing telco’s customers, which limits customers to connecting to their provider’s towers only. In regional areas, this contributes to the patchy reception experienced by residents, travellers and tourists, who, depending on the provider they are connected to, may or may not be able to connect to the tower in their vicinity.

Who are all the other mobile phone providers you might wonder? They are subsidiary mobile providers who use the Telstra and Optus networks to provide mobile phone services (often called Mobile Virtual Network Operators– MVNOs) – and we let you know which of these smaller providers use which network.

Mid North Coast Telcos

Telstra: Telstra services around 40% of the Mid North Coast population, providing a wide range of mobile network and complementary technologies to individuals and organisations. Click here for their 3G, 4G and 5G coverage maps. They have seven planned upgrades or new builds for towers and small cells across the region in 2023. On the Mid North Coast there have been 15 base stations funded by the five rounds of the Mobile Blackspot program – 13 sites are complete, with two more scheduled to be complete halfway through 2023. See below table for towers and locations. Telstra also has a national map of towers on its website.

Note that Telstra will be closing its 3G network in June 2024. This is to enable investment in the next generation of mobile technology. Closing 3G will free up bandwidth to be repurposed for 5G and is in line with the global decline of 3G technology, which is 20 years old and was designed for text and calls only. Telstra has committed to provide 4G coverage equivalent to their 3G coverage by the time they close their 3G network. 

The MVNO’s who sell their services using the Telstra network include: ALDI mobile, Belong, Boost Mobile, Exetel, Lycamobile, MATE, more, numobile, Tangerine Telecom, Woolworths Mobile.

Optus: Optus provides mobile and internet services to individuals and organisations, as well as mobile phone infrastructure. Click here for a snapshot of their 3G, 4G and 5G coverage map of the Mid North Coast. 

As part of Optus’ ongoing commitment to improving its mobile network and customer service in regional Australia, the telco has invested $11 million into the Mid North Coast region in the last five years, with a further investment of $1.3m planned in the next 12 months. The Mid North Coast is a priority for Optus, with 19 towers built over the last 5 years and 3 more planned over the next 12 months. Optus also has a national map of their towers.

The MVNO’s who sell their services using the Optus network include: amaysim, Aussie Broadband, Catch Connect, Circle.Life, Coles Mobile, Dodo, gomo, Moose Mobile, Southern Phone, SpinTel, Yomojo.

Site Name	Carrier	Site Status (carrier indicative)
Brierfield	Optus	Complete
Byabarra-Bagnoo Road	Telstra	Complete
Comboyne A	Telstra	Complete
Comboyne B	Telstra	Complete
Ebsworth Fire Road, Booral*	Telstra	Complete
Elands	Telstra	Complete
Firefly	Optus	Complete
Girvan*	Telstra	Complete
Hickeys Creek	Telstra	Complete
Mount Seaview	Optus	Complete
North Dorrigo	Telstra	Complete
Sherwood	Telstra	Complete
Taylors Arm	Telstra	Complete
Wherrol Flat	Telstra	Complete
Yarrabandinni	Optus	Complete
Lord Howe	Telstra	2023, Q2
Millbank	Telstra	2023, Q2

Ways to boost your mobile phone service

Even though mobile phone reception is improving on the Mid North Coast, there are still times and places where reception is patchy, especially along the highway, in less populated areas, and if there are obstacles between you and the tower (obstacles could be geographical or human-made). Some options to boost your mobile phone reception include wi-fi calling,  antennas and mobile phone signal boosters.

For people who need to be connected wherever they are, in all conditions, then satellite phones are an option. They require an investment of $500-$1500 per handset, often needing a separate service plan with associated monthly costs. Before purchasing a satellite phone, it is important to research the coverage and pricing options available to ensure you select the best option for your needs and you are aware of the call costs (often you pay for incoming calls as well as outgoing, and prices range form a few $ per min to $5/min). Telstra also offers satellite phone services.

Opening Address: Imagine an unstoppable community

Dr Clare Allen: General Manager for Port Macquarie Hastings Council – click here to see presentation.

Housing: 

Click on the link to read a summary of the discussions and speaker details

Workforce:

Click on the link to read a summary of the discussions and speaker details

Circular Economy:

Click on the link to read a summary of the discussions and speaker details

Tonight, 25 October 2022 Treasurer The Honourable Jim Chalmers MP (Treasurer of the Commonwealth of Australia) and Senator the Honourable Katy Gallagher (Minister for Finance, Minister for Women, Minister for the Public Service of the Commonwealth of Australia) announced the 2022-23 Commonwealth Budget.

The budget seeks to deliver on the Commonwealth’s commitments to:

• Provide responsible cost-of-living relief that delivers an economic dividend
• Build a stronger, more resilient and more modern economy
• Begin the hard task of budget repair to pay for what is important

There are two new programs for the regions:

• The Growing Regions Program will deliver on the Government’s strategic priorities for regional Australia through an open, competitive grants process.
• The regional Precincts and Partnerships Program will provide a strategic, nationally consistent mechanism for funding and coordinating projects that support the transformation of important locations across communities in regions, regional cities and rural Australia.

Telecommunications:

• $400 million to expand regional mobile coverage and improve the resilience of communications systems;
• $200 million for two further rounds of the Regional Connectivity Program, to improve connectivity in regional, rural and First Nations communities;
• $30 million over three years to accelerate Australia’s agricultural sector through the On Farm Connectivity Program, to extend connectivity for farmers and their machinery, and grow Australia’s agribusiness;
• $20 million for an independent national audit of mobile coverage to establish an evidence baseline to guide and better target future priorities; and
• a further $6 million over three years to extend the Regional Tech Hub to support better consumer awareness, connectivity literacy and trouble-shooting.

Read more:

2022-23 budget papers

Treasurer’s speech

The Hon Catherine King MP, Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government

The Hon Michelle Rowland MP Minister for Communications

In 2022, Regional Development Australia Mid North Coast commissioned a Rapid Review on Career Adviser Resourcing in NSW Schools. The author, Ben Archer, has dedicated his career to helping others in developing their skills and enhancing their career outcomes, and works for both Taree Universities Centre and James Cook University in career advice and development departments.

The literature says that school-based Career Advisers play a vital role in helping young people transition effectively out of high school and into further education or employment. This role is of particular importance in regional, rural and remote schools, where students are more likely to experience socio-economic disadvantage, higher unemployment and higher levels of mental illness than their equivalents in urban areas.

It makes sense then, that having well-resourced and supported Career Advisors within these schools can have a positive impact on the economic development of a community. Despite these benefits, Career Advisors have tended to experience a downward trend in their levels of resourcing, reductions in time allowance, and are more likely to juggle multiple positions of responsibility, including teaching subjects they’re not qualified for.

The rapid review identified three main barriers for Career Advisers, including a lack of understanding of the importance of Career Advisers, especially by the school executive; Career Advisers being overloaded with irrelevant tasks; and inadequate financial budgets for Career Advisers, especially in regional, remote and rural schools.

The report recommends that Principals and Executives be made more aware of the potential impact that a well-resourced Career Adviser can have, not just on their school, but on their community as well.

Ben Archer is a Workforce panellist on Ignite MNC 2022.

Read the report here: Rapid Review on Career Adviser Resourcing in NSW Schools

It’s not only housing that’s a pressing issue in our region right now.  We also have dire workforce issues throughout the region not only in terms of not enough people in the workforce – also in terms of skill shortages.

While this may not be solved in the immediate future, there is a MASSIVE (and logical) opportunity in opening workforce pathways for young people to join our local business communities.

And while this is not easy, there are actions that we can all undertake to assist young people, their parents AND employers to ensure opportunities connect:

• Have the conversation.  TALK to the young people you know about careers and jobs and what they entail.
• SUPPORT the young people you know to connect with work experience, part time work, training opportunities and programs.
• Workforce Blueprints: Information about four key industries who are prominent employers in the MNC http://rdamnc.org.au/publications/industry-blueprints/  These can be downloaded, printed and shared online
• School Based Traineeships (SbATs): A great opportunity for young people to experience work (paid) and stay enrolled in school. https://education.nsw.gov.au/public-schools/career-and-study-pathways/school-based-apprenticeships-and-traineeships  Please note, these can be difficult to access and there are many steps involved. However, if this is an option for you as an employer or young person please don’t give up.  Get in touch with RDAMNC for further information about how to navigate the SbAT system.
• Work experience.   While this is often the responsibility of the child or parent to arrange, if your young person is interested in doing work experience – or exploring different career pathways please make sure your careers teacher knows.
• More information.  Year 13 has a vast range of information about different careers and work opportunities post school
• My Future Workforce – free to register for jobseekers, students and employers.  If you want to host a work experience student you can also link here www.myfutureworkforce.com.au
• Wage subsidies https://www.dese.gov.au/wage-subsidies
• Regional Industry Education Partnerships (RIEP) Program https://www.nsw.gov.au/education-and-training/vocational/vet-programs/regional-schools-industry Connect with your RIEP officer HERE

Do you think your business is too small to work with Defence? Or that you need to be based in a major city? Think again.  The Office of Defence Industry Support is here to support you.

What is ODIS:

Opened in November 2021, ODIS is a one stop shop for defence industries.  The service provides advisory, guidance and mentoring services for SMEs to better enable them to work with defence.

More specifically, ODIS provides:

• Defence business advice
• Direct linkages to Defence procurement programs
• Identify current SMEs who can meet Defence needs
• Direct linkages to Defence end users
• Assist SMEs to work with end users
• Tailor grants to assist the development of SMEs
• Work closely with other key Australian Government initiatives

You must have:

• An Australian Business Number
• Be developing products or services that have a specific Defence application which meets a capability need
• Clear on your business goals and priorities

And be able to:

• Deliver to the specification you have quoted on
• Access advice and support available
• Learn and adapt

Use the Defence Business Readiness Tool (DBRT) to assess the readiness of your business to work with Defence against four key factors: Leadership, products, services, business culture and business processes. ODIS Business advisors can support you to use this tool.

Need support?  Contact

Petr Kodat
Assistant Director

Industry Engagement Team NSW
Office of Defence Industry Support (ODIS)
Australian Industry Capability Division (AIC)
Capability Acquisition & Sustainment Group (CASG)
Department of Defence

Email: petr.kodat1@defence.gov.au
Mobile: 0427 567 262
Web: www.defence.gov.au/odis

If you’re doing it tough right now, you’re not alone. We’ve put together a list of resources to help you through, specifically aimed at small business owners.

Ahead for Business have developed a new online training program for business owners. The program aims to enhance capacity and confidence in promoting positive mental health and wellbeing within small business. It will deliver a variety of activities, case studies, information sheets and videos which explore key topic areas of mental health, wellbeing, coping with stress, help-seeking strategies and action planning. There will be four, 10-15 minute modules to complete each containing practical tips and tools, and reflective questions. For more information and to register interest please visit this link:

Counting on U Training Program: Counting on U is an Australian-wide, workplace mental health, and relationship-building program, that aims to provide training to business advisors (e.g. accountants, bookkeepers, financial planners, coaches, lawyers and tax advisors) to better support the needs of small-to-medium (SME) business owners. Business advisors will be offered free training to better support the mental health and financial wellbeing of small-to-medium enterprise (SME) business owners. Training will be conducted online and 4500 participants will be recruited. Register your interest here. 

Lifeline: is a national charity providing all Australians experiencing emotional distress with access to 24 hour crisis support and suicide prevention services. We are committed to empowering Australians to be suicide-safe through connection, compassion and hope. 13 11 44. 

Community Connectors: A Lifeline program aimed to skill people in local communities who perform a community connector role through their contact with people either through their work or volunteer roles. The program is for people who would like to be able to safely and effectively support someone in distress or experiencing a crisis. No pre-existing skills or knowledge required. For more information contact Cath Bird: 0400 709 101 

Accidental Counsellor: is aimed at those who would like to be able to safely and effectively support friends, family, colleagues, and strangers who are in distress or experiencing a crisis. Accidental Counsellor by Lifeline will provide you with basic skills and a structure to enable you to provide immediate support and assistance using the ‘Recognise, Respond, Refer’ model. The skills learnt in the Accidental Counsellor course can be applied in many contexts, and will provide participants with skills in active listening, calming and effective gentle questioning. You will also learn how to ask openly about suicide risk and respond safely whatever the answer. The course is open to anyone and no pre-existing skills or knowledge are required. We can also tailor the course to suit your corporate environment. 

 Mental Health at Work: NSW Government programs to support good mental health at work, including free programs, tools and resources to help create a healthy workplace and to help support someone recovering from mental health issues. Call 13 10 50 or visit their website for more information. 

Beyond Blue Coronavirus Mental Wellbeing Support Service: Struggling to cope during the pandemic? Our trained counsellors are available 24/7. Give them a call on 1800 512 348 or visit their website to access resources, chat online and community forums. 

NewAccess for small Business Owners:  free and confidential mental health coaching program, developed by Beyond Blue to give small business owners, including sole traders, the support they need. Over six sessions, coaches with a small business background will work with you to overcome difficult issues, providing you with practical skills to manage stress and get you back to feeling like yourself. NewAccess for Small Business Owners is available nationally by phone or video call.   

Mental Health Support: From 9 October 2020, the Australian Government will make available 10 additional Medicare subsidised psychological therapy sessions each calendar year. These extra sessions are for people experiencing severe or enduring mental health impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic, and the measures needed to contain it. You will need to see your GP, psychiatrist or paediatrician to be referred for the 10 additional sessions. 

Black Dog Institute: Resources and support for COVID-10 related anxiety and stress designed for managers and workers. 

Head to Health: has been created by Australia’s Department of Health to provide Australians trusted information and digital resources to help support mental health and wellbeing during the pandemic. Helpful information includes: 

• maintaining good mental health 
• managing financial stress 
• how to access mental health services 

• how to talk to children about coronavirus 
• protecting the elderly.