Digital Futures report: A case study of the Northern Inland region
Telecommunications are essential to communities in regional Australia. They enable people to keep in contact across vast distances, assist with access to emergency services and help drive economic growth.
Communications technologies also play an increasingly important role in enabling regional Australia to participate in the digital economy. It has been estimated that the productivity benefit of telecommunications for the Australian economy is $11.8 billion over the period to 2025.
The RAI partnered with Vodafone to identify opportunities for the NSW Northern Inland region to promote regional development through better access to, and engagement with, communications technologies. This report focuses particularly on the region’s two largest centres, Armidale and Tamworth.
It presents an overview of the current state of telecommunications in the Northern Inland region and identifies the vast amount of work already being done to improve the region’s access and engagement. It also includes recommendations on how the region can continue to grow, prosper and improve connectivity through collaboration and the use of communications technologies.
