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nbn helping to create a hive of activity

17 January 2017

 

Innovators, entrepreneurs and start-up business enthusiasts in Geraldton are taking advantage of the benefits of fast and reliable broadband as the fully nbn™ connected City thrives.

It’s been six months since the final area in the City of Greater Geraldton was switched on enabling around 20,000 premises to connect to the nbn™ network. Seeing the immediate benefits of fast broadband, co-founder of Pollinators and CityHive, one of Australia’s leading regional co-working spaces, Andrew Outhwaite said the region has really embraced the opportunities which have been made available through the nbn™ network.

nbn has been transformative in terms of the ability to do business – from web conferences and cloud-based collaboration, to providing access and an attractive location for global influencers – it’s really allowing our community to foster a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship,” Andrew said.

“In fact, with things slowing in the mining sector, it has actually provided an opportunity for people to think outside the box or finally launch the venture they’ve always wanted to start.

“We have a couple of local ventures who’ve started up online, global businesses while enjoying the benefits of flexible working hours and accessing high-speeds anywhere in town, a local life-coach who can provide her services worldwide at the touch of a button and many accessing online training and education to upskill or obtain expertise in other sectors.

“At Pollinators’ our mission is to nurture innovation and people that enable healthy, resilient communities by taking control of where, when and how you do business and nbn is helping us achieve this through access to fast broadband.”

Pollinators’ offers 20 co-working spaces, private offices, a creative industries hub, digital training to not-for-profits and small businesses, accelerator programs for new ventures, mentoring and networking.

 

nbn spokesperson, Ebony Aitken said when it comes to work and business, a study commissioned by nbn shows that the network is helping to bridge the digital divide between metro and regional Australia.

“Almost 30 per cent of nbn-connected internet users in both metro and regional areas say the internet is vital to their job or business – significantly higher than the results for areas yet to be connected,” she said.

“With new Australian solo-businesses popping-up every day, the nbn™ network provides growing flexibility that provides ideal conditions for start-up businesses to take the plunge and get their business idea off-the-ground.”

 

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, there was a 25 per cent uplift in sole-traders in the last year, representing a rate of more than 70 new businesses per week, compared with an average of around 55 per week in 2009.

 

Visit our nbn™ blog series to hear more of Andrew’s vision and learn about how access to fast broadband is transforming Australian small businesses. 

 

Media enquiries

Ebony Aitken

nbn™ Media Hotline

Mobile: 0438 581 241

Phone: 02 9927 4200

Email: ebonyaitken@nbnco.com.au

Email: media@nbnco.com.au


Resources

  • Click here to access the nbn Broadband Index
  • nbn’s network footprint recently expanded to three million premises now able to order an nbn service with more than 330,000 of those premises in Western Australia. More than 135,000 premises in WA are active on the nbn™ network.
  • We’re designing the nbn™ network to provide these speeds to our wholesale customers, telephone and internet service providers. End user experience, including the speeds actually achieved over the nbn™ network, depends on the technology over which services are delivered to your premises and some factors outside our control like equipment quality, software, signal reception, broadband plans and how the end user’s service provider designs its network.

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