Rural businesses are being hamstrung by poor internet access and Wagga needs to take advantage of a one-off opportunity to improve the situation said an expert in regional innovation.
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The comments come in the wake of the government announcing the Regional Digital Connectivity program which will see Wagga and Dubbo as the first locations to investigate the design of data hubs and fibre cables to make internet connectivity faster and more reliable.
Dianna Somerville, community manager of Bridge Hub, said poor connectivity prevents local businesses from taking full advantage of online markets, as well as causing other major issues.
She said these issues can manifest in locals who live 20 minutes out of Wagga having no reception to call emergency services, or schools being behind on the latest technology to educate their students.
"The NSW government held a round table discussion in Wagga for a few weeks ago for feedback on this and it was fantastic," she said.
"We need increased internet and stability and speeds that will allow a business to work online in today's world.
"That will also mean students, as they become more and more remote-oriented, can have that connectivity to greater education. It also means people in more remote and outlying areas can be connected to Wagga."
Ms Somerville said the way to about this was making sure there was infrastructure put in place.
"We need to be rolling the infrastructure works into the Special Activation Precinct and the work that is happening at Bomen," she said.
"We also should have a data centre which makes a lot of sense for Wagga because of our location.
"We should look at becoming a fail-safe option for Canberra, for when there are server issues."
Ms Somerville said not only will this lead to better connectivity, but it will create high-tech jobs.
"We need to breed more talent," she said.
Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional NSW John Barilaro said the Regional Digital Connectivity program will invest in new data hubs and backhaul infrastructure to improve data and mobile connectivity for businesses.
"In regional NSW connectivity is king and if you are not connected you can't compete," he said.
"Not only do we want regional NSW to be competitive, we want to be the best in the world when it comes to attracting investment and exporting our first-class products."
Treasurer Dominic Perrottet said this unparalleled investment is a turning point in connectivity for regional NSW.
"An initial investment of $90 million in the 2019/20 Budget is the first stage of a four-year $400 million down payment to better connect regional NSW, and ensure we lead the way when it comes to digital connectivity," he said.