AGRICULTURAL Bureau of SA chairman and Barossa councillor Mark Grossman said city residents would be "jumping up and down" if they had to put up with the internet speeds traditionally experienced in the bush.
Subscribe now for unlimited access to all our agricultural news
across the nation
or signup to continue reading
Mark said while rural areas had a small population base, the internet was just as vital as it was in metropolitan areas.
"A lot of farmers use the internet for marketing, checking market prices and other information, but of course that's only accessible when the system is working," he said.
"The main thing we want to see is everyone have the same service right across the nation - no matter where you are," he said.
"We'd like to have the ability to get the same service that you'd get in the centre of a capital city."
One business experiencing the benefits of reliable internet access is 919 Wines at Glossop. Owner Jenny Semmler said switching to the NBN in August had revolutionised their business.
"Previously we had copper line connected to our closest exchange," she said. "We were right at the end of the line, and had deteriorating line quality.
"It was affecting our business, everyday transactions occur on the internet these days. We'd set up a new wine shop but making that work relies on reliable and decent internet speeds."
After signing up for an unlimited NBN plan, she said speeds were "quite slow compared to what I expected" but had since improved.
“There have been no drop-outs. We'd be trying to do transactions and it would drop out halfway through," she said.
