The Australian Broadband Advisory Council (the Council) has today released its report into connectivity for the agri-tech sector, which will help policy makers to get the right settings in place for a digitally connected industry.
The Australian Broadband Advisory Council (the Council) has today released its report into connectivity for the agri-tech sector, with the report set to help policy makers get the right settings in place for a digitally connected industry to thrive.
The report was developed by the Council's Agri-tech Expert Working Group (the Working Group), established in 2020 to consider how connectivity can support productivity and encourage greater adoption of digital technologies across the sector by reducing barriers and encouraging uptake.
As part of its work to date, the Working Group considered whether a 'connectivity threshold' exists in regional and rural Australia and, if so, the extent to which it is enabling or holding back the adoption of digital agriculture.
Discussions with farmers in different sectors across the country have indicated that while there have been significant gains in connectivity, there is a persistent problem of inconsistent, unreliable or 'thin' coverage which means that connectivity opportunities could be constrained.
This report will help inform broader government priorities for digital agriculture, including development of the Digital Foundations for Agriculture Strategy, and regional communications more generally, including for the 2021 Regional Telecommunications Review.
For more information on the report, visit Agri-Tech Expert Working Group report.