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.”
A former Fonterra director with farming interests in India says he's surprised with the political posturing over the Indian free trade agreement.
New Zealand exporters are putting the blowtorch on politicians to get the free trade deal with India over the line.
Some of New Zealand’s best-loved food brands have been quick to sign up for a new campaign which reinforces their home-grown status.
New research is helping farmers better understand and manage fertility, with clearer tools and measures to support more robust, productive herds.
Southland crop farmer Mark Dillon took out his fifth New Zealand conventional ploughing title at the NZ Ploughing Championships held over the weekend at Methven.
Ensure your insurance is fully comprehensive and up to date because as a rural contractor you don’t know what’s around the corner.

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