The purchase of two Starlink mobile satellite units by Nutrien Ag Solutions division livestock and stud stock manager John Settree has given the agency a surefire connection with the world wide web as it carries out sales and auctions on behalf of its client base.
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Mr Settree is critical of a perceived lack of action addressing rural and regional telecommunications during the current election campaign as it heads for polling day on March 25.
"There are still many black spots in regional NSW, in some cases just 10 kilometres outside of a big country centre," he said. "No one in regional Australia seems to be talking about regional connectivity, and we need to fix or improve our service connectivity.
"The service (in regional areas) seems to be as bad as ever. This is why we've chosen to buy two Starlink units for the Nutrien sales teams because we now know we can get contact anywhere in the bush."
He said online sales of seedstock and other agricultural produce are gaining popularity, but poor connectivity is forming hurdles for agencies to carry out their jobs.
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Mr Settree said the two satellite connection units are easily transported and set up. The satellite dish and receiver can fit into a 50-litre tub and only needs and has had plenty of use in the first two months of the year with stud stock sales on the state's Northern Tablelands and New England areas.
"All you need is the app to line up the receiver, and you're in business.
"It worked well, and we only need a connection to a power supply. These days most sheds or sale barns have some power source," he said.
"Service in some areas can go from four bars to zero in almost the blink of an eye, and Starlink now provides a secure service for us."
He said both units are set up with the Traveler Mode of connection and can be used anywhere in Australia.
Starlink Business users can expect download speeds of up to 350 Mbps and latency of 20-40ms, enabling high throughput connectivity for offices of up to 20 users, storefronts, and demanding workloads across the globe.
Simon Chamberlain
I have comprehensive experience in rural and regional journalism, as well as more than six years as a media officer for several politicians and worked in local government. I rejoined The Land in May 2022 and have loved being back in harness, reporting on a massive range of topics.
I have comprehensive experience in rural and regional journalism, as well as more than six years as a media officer for several politicians and worked in local government. I rejoined The Land in May 2022 and have loved being back in harness, reporting on a massive range of topics.
