An investigation by The SE Voice has discovered the Limestone Coast has the potential to diversify into modern, tech-driven industries and lead the state in the process. Discussions about how the South East could become a hub for in-demand computing fields like cloud computing are occurring behind closed doors, from council to state level.
According to the SA Government, cloud computing depends on infrastructure driven by three principles – the cost of energy, the carbon footprint of that energy production and connectivity. “The South East has high-speed connectivity and South Australia’s leadership in renewable energy is seeing some of the lowest wholesale prices for energy in the country, as well as attracting the world’s best knowledge in renewable energy,” South Australia’s Trade and Investment Minister Stephen Patterson told The SE Voice.
Mr Patterson added, going forward, every industry would be driven by artificial intelligence and data. “Solving problems in sectors like the forestry industry using data could lead to that sector diversifying into developing technology businesses,” he said. Member for Mount Gambier Troy Bell believes the region could re-write its narrative by building cloud computing infrastructure, turning the South East’s cold winters to our advantage.
“We have got to think towards the future … 100 years ago, someone looked towards the future and decided to plant trees,” Mr Bell said. “We built an amazing industry and thousands of jobs off of that vision. Looking into the future, forestry will always have a major part in our community, but there are other opportunities as well.”
When files are saved online at cloud storage services, they end up on individual servers found at physical data centres around the world. Mr Bell believes the Limestone Coast could lead SA as a hub for data centres or server farms. “We have got a critical part of the infrastructure to make this happen and we have the climate,” he said.
“Now all we need is the State Government or Federal Government supporting a push to have the South East identified as an ideal location for computing hardware. “Not only are there construction jobs, the technology jobs of putting it together, but the maintenance and the ongoing growth of this industry is something that our community will benefit from. “It’s certainly a strong possibility that we should be looking at.”
University campuses in the Limestone Coast have, for more than five years, had access to hyper-fast internet speeds through Australia’s Academic and Research Network (AARNet). AARNet is a not-for-profit National Research and Education Network (NREN) – a national resource owned by the Australian universities and Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) “for the greater good”.
It’s an exclusive network for universities that businesses can only access under strict conditions, with multiple 10 and 100 gigabit per second links across Australia. However, cloud service providers may be eligible to connect to it. “Access to AARNet services is only available for universities and other entities with a research and education mission,” AARNet marketing and communications director Jane Gifford told The SE Voice.
“Only some service providers that serve those types of entities may be eligible to connect to AARNet through the AARNet Connect program.” Locally, AARNet has helped University of South Australia more than triple the number of programs it offers, since the fibre installation of AARNet between Mount Gambier and Keith in 2015.
According to UniSA acting provost and chief academic officer Joanne Cys, Mount Gambier is now one of the best-connected regional cities in Australia. “The nature of the technology and connection speed mean that UniSA students in Mount Gambier are as well connected as any student studying at a metropolitan campus,” Ms Cys said. “The university has access to communications links that operate at 10 gigabits per second, which is 100 times faster than the 100 megabit per second speeds associated with the NBN.”
Ms Cys said the number of programs being offered at UniSA’s Mount Gambier campus through SATAC has increased from two programs to seven programs since 2015. While far lower than the speeds of AARNet, the speeds available to locals in our region through the National Broadband Network (NBN) are still the equivalent of those being offered in capital cities.
It comes as NBN Co increases the local promotion of its business-grade fibre product, which offers businesses access to speeds of up to 952 megabits per second. A presentation at a recent Women in Business event by the Mount Gambier Chamber of Commerce was dedicated to NBN’s business product, with the entire event seemingly geared around digitisation.
However, one attendee at the Women in Business event noted connectivity problems near the Mount Gambier and District Saleyards, highlighting gaps in connectivity on the Limestone Coast.
An NBN official told the attendee the company would aim to rectify the problem at the saleyards. It is unclear if other gaps in connectivity exist in the Limestone Coast.
