Broadband boost for Geelong suburbs

GEELONG communities are among the big winners of the latest round of projects to improve broadband connectivity in regional Victoria.

The Victorian government announced a $73 million deal with NBN Co last week that would aim to provide fixed wireless network upgrades for thousands of households and businesses, in a much-needed digital boost for the region.

Lara, North Geelong, Geelong, Highton, Belmont, Grovedale, Corio and Ocean Grove are the Geelong region suburbs that will see improvements in the next two years.

The program is targeting internet speeds of 1 gigabit per second, which the government said was typically 10 times faster than current performance.

The state said its latest program would begin providing improved internet from mid-2023 with the last projects finished by mid-2024.

The government said a total of 34,000 residents and 7,700 businesses would access the improved services across 54 suburbs in Victoria, targeting regional areas and outer Melbourne locations.

Digital Economy Minister Jaala Pulford said connectivity improvements would help the local communities keep pace with modern demands.

“Better connectivity in Victoria is critical in creating more opportunities for jobs, supporting small business and keeping people connected.

“This project is delivering better internet services for thousands of families and businesses, now and in the future.”

NBN Co chief strategy and transformation officer Will Irving said the Commonwealth Government enterprise welcomed the opportunity to improve connections in suburban and regional Australia.

The government acknowledged that connectivity issues outside of inner Melbourne was having a significant impact on the lives of regional Victorians.

The rollout announcement comes after a national infrastructure report last month found that internet infrastructure was among the chief concerns in the Geelong region as services had failed to keep pace with rapid population growth.

Regional advocacy group G21 said in response to the report that a lack of reliable digital connectivity in the region was hampering potential of local businesses and students and left residents vulnerable to emergencies such as natural disasters.