Slow internet holds back Redlands businesses

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Poor internet connectivity in parts of the Redlands is holding back small businesses and hurting our local economy.

There is no point in spending a tidy $90 a month on a wireless 25 GB data plan that your kids can’t even do their school work with; it’s an indisputable rip-off!

Being a local webhosting entity, I receive numerous complaints from my clients about the internet’s sluggish pace in Redlands. Business relies on fast internet speeds as a multitude of clients all want to access their websites simultaneously.

Our servers are currently no match for those in neighbouring bigger cities and other countries in the world with better internet speeds; we are losing a great deal of business.

Strange as it sounds, a couple of 3rd world and developing countries currently have better internet connection than Redlands, Queensland; they include Bangladesh, Guatemala and Honduras even in terms of unlimited internet pricing. At this pace, we will soon be ranked alongside Mexico.

We are unable to compete on a global scale, translating to meagre earnings, all courtesy of the Federal Government providing us with inferior internet connectivity; their cables are no match for the fast moving, competitive world we are in.

Without fast connectivity, you can hardly get anything done; by the time you do it, your worldwide competitors will have already bagged the spoils. Due to the consistent lack of strong internet connections, we have already lost jobs to India and the Philippines and it’s likely we will lose many more. Melbourne and Sydney are enjoying a business boom all courtesy of sufficient access to the National Broadband Network (NBN). So where’s our NBN?

Where’s our NBN?

In the Redlands, 93% of internet customers within the NBN footprint have been promised fast-speed connection. As per the Government’s commitment, connection speeds will reach 25 Mbps download and 5Mbps upload when it’s all done using the pay TV hybrid fiber coaxial cable (HFC) or the new NBN fibre-to-the-node (FTTN) service.

The latest rollout plan published by NBNCo provides the following information about when Redlands suburbs will get connected to the NBN.

• Carbrook, Mount Cotton, Redland Bay should already be enjoying FTTN connections.
• Alexandra Hills, Birkdale, Cleveland, Ormiston, Thorneside and some of Wellington Point will get HFC in the first half of 2017
• Karragarra Island, Lamb Island, Macleay Island, Russell Island will get FTTN in first half of 2017.
• Thornlands and parts of Wellington Point will have to wait until second half 2017 to get connected via FTTN.
• Capalaba, Coochiemudlo Island, Sheldon, Thornlands, Victoria Point will get FTTN in the first half of 2018.

About 7% of customers in the more remote areas of the Redlands will have to contend with slow satellite and wireless connections.

NBNCo has not included Stradborke Island in their latest schedule of work. This is despite the fact that our government promised to prioritize fast connections to areas with substandard internet connection.

Business Internet Survey by Redland City Council

Redland City Council is so concerned about the Redlands’ internet infrastructure that they are undertaking a survey of business users.

The internet survey asks respondents to state their business details, turnover, industry type and determines the efficiency of your internet speed and asks which internet provider you are currently with. It also goes into detail asking what you may wish to use the internet for which can be anything from social media, business applications, payroll, entertainment, research, web hosting etc.

The purpose of the survey overall is to address what concerns you may have with the internet speeds and to determine if it is sufficient for you, how it affects your local business and if it affects your business being based in the Redlands.

If you are running a small business in the Redlands that depends upon access to the internet you should have your say by completing the Council’s internet survey and expressing any concerns you have about speed and reliability of services.

Here is a link to the Redlands Business Internet Survey.
(https://yoursay.redland.qld.gov.au/redlandbusinessinternetsurvey)

Provision of internet services is a Federal Government responsibility so if you have concerns about the current service or the NBN rollout schedule you can contact your Federal MP, Andrew Laming.

Jesse Wade

Jesse Wade

Jesse is the Owner of Web Haven, a locally based Cleveland small IT marketing agency.

Jesse has 12 years’ experience in the IT sector across Australia.

Published by Redlands2030 – 27 September 2016