Teesdale set for better net

TEESDALE’S notoriously bad internet is getting an overhaul following an announcement by the Federal Government that the town is set for National Broadband Network optic fibre to the premises service, also known a FTTP

The NBN FTTP service will partly replace the town’s mix of ADSL and fixed wireless services, and owner of the Teesdale General Store, Sunny Patel, said he’s looking forward to the improvements.

“The internet connection is very, very terrible” he said. “It loses connection every now and then. Our EFTPOS machine goes down frequently.

“Better connectivity will mean a lot. All the systems run on the internet. I wanted to upgrade my EFTPOS and point of sale system and nowadays all that runs online, and I can’t do it because the internet connectivity is low.”

It’s not just business that’s impacted by the town’s current poor internet services, home users like Casey Cavanagh also find it hard to do basic things online.

“It’s bad, it cuts in and out all the time. It’s no good at all,” she said.

“Faster internet speeds would be amazing. I have a home business and I can’t even log in with the internet being in and out all the time.

“We get half-way through Netflix and it just cuts out, or not even half-way, just cutting in and out throughout the whole movie.”

Victorian Senator Sarah Henderson said the improved internet service and accessibility would have many benefits for Teesdale.

“The recent pandemic has shown us just how vital staying connected is, for our health, work and study and remaining in contact with loved ones and this targeted uplift to connectivity will give local residents access to better high-speed, reliable broadband and mobile services,” she said.

“Residents inside Teesdale will be upgraded to FTTP which takes them off the fixed wireless tower, freeing up additional capacity for those residents living outside the town who will remain on the fixed wireless network which is a solid win for the community.”

The upgrades are part of a nationwide $2.7 million rollout of the Regional Connectivity Program with work to start in the next few weeks and be completed by June 2022.