Farmers warned to upgrade as 3G shutdown looms
As the clock ticks towards the 3G mobile network shutdown, farmers are being warned to upgrade or risk losing connection to their supply chain.
Rural internet suppliers have improved their time-of-day (TOD) performance over the last 12 months, now matching ADSL and VDSL in urban areas.
The internet speed monitoring company TrueNet says time-of-day variances on fixed wireless are worse than ADSL, but the actual speeds overall are faster.
TrueNet says TOD is a critical performance criterion and ISPs serving the rural sector have responded by matching standard connections with Rural Broadband Initiative (RBI) funded connections at 95% or better.
The company says fixed wireless is now a viable and successful technology in rural regions and places between ADSL and VDSL in performance.
“As fixed wireless gains in popularity it’s expected to suffer from some congestion as demand grows, so it’s good to see that the rural wireless speed has settled around 78% of best hour speed.”
Former head of New Zealand Trade and Enterprise Peter Chrisp is the new director-general of the Department of Conservation.
The New Zealand Nature Fund (NZNF) has congratulated the government on recently announced changes to the Active Investor Plus (AIP) Visa Growth category.
Milking cows in the environmentally sensitive Lake Ellesemere/Te Waihora catchment in Canterbury has kept Tony Dodunski on his toes.
A revolving door of chief executives at milk processor Synlait is a warning sign, says Lincon University senior lecturer in agribusiness Nic Lees.
Safer Farms Regional Champions are putting Crush Protection Devices (CPDs) through their paces and sharing their first-hand experiences with other farmers.
New Zealand rural apparel brand Back Country is inviting Kiwis to part ways with tired, holey socks at Fieldays with a giant 'Sock Swap Fence' inspired by one of New Zealand's iconic rural roadside landmarks.

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