Diamantina Mayor Geoff Morton said he is delighted his shire section of the Barcoo Diamantina Connecting Remote Communities Project has been completed.
“The linking of Boulia – Bedourie – Birdsville by optic fibre brings to a close 12 years of work by many people in the planning, lobbying and delivery of the plan to connect the 5 towns in Barcoo and Diamantina Shires with optic fibre and mobile phones,” Cr Morton said.
“The final piece in the puzzle, the construction of a 4G mobile tower in Bedourie, has been completed. ADSL2+ and 4G are now available in Bedourie and Birdsville.”
Cr Morton said that the completion of the optic project would bring download time for large files from seven minutes down to seven seconds. “Internet download speed has increased from 1.2mbps (using satellite) in the Bedourie Administration centre to 94mbps using our new 4G connection,” he said.
“It brings the Diamantina a communication backbone for the future generations of the 21st century. This is one of the greatest leaps forward for our towns, along with electrification in the 1960s and the introduction of television in the 1980s.”
Cr Morton acknowledged funding partners the Australian Government, the Queensland Government, the Shires of Diamantina and Barcoo, who each contributed $2.15 million toward the $16.5M needed to lay the 543 kms of optic fibre cable, provide mobile 3G/4G to 5 towns and build necessary complimentary infrastructure at their exchanges.
Cr Morton thanked Telstra for being an exceptional partner in the planning and delivery of this project. “From the top of the organisation through to the workers on site, they have been professional throughout and this project would not have been possible without their skill and dedication. They have done a wonderful job, completed on budget and on time,” he said.
The Mayor said living standards of the two shires would be lifted along with the safety of residents and travellers.
“It will encourage businesses and enable uses that we have not yet comprehended,” he said.
“It should also be pointed out that these shires would be some of the few in Australia that have had to fund what most of Australia take for granted, good reliable communications. It is not the first time Birdsville has had to fund its own telecommunication, in the 1970’s Birdsville had to find 25% of the cost of putting in a radiotelephone system linking the town with the rest of the world, something the town did in a short period of time.”
Derek Barry
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
