Sluggish internet speeds and smart phone connectivity remains a burden for farming families.
More than half of nearly 1200 farmers report internet download speeds either at bare minimum levels or below at 20 megabytes per second (Mbps). Mobile phone services had declined the past year from 20% to 32%.
Federated Farmers’ Rural Connectivity Survey has revealed many farming families and businesses are "treading water"or going backwards for mobile and internet coverage, reliability and speed.
National board member Richard McIntyre said it wasn’t good enough.
"For a sector that underpins the lion’s share of New Zealand’s export earnings, and one where productivity gains and reporting requirements are increasingly aligned with used of technology, apps and devices, this is really concerning."
The survey showed a continuing trend of farmers moving to wireless broadband, now 52%, and, despite the expense, satellite services, 19%, as old copper lines fail to deliver on speed and reliability.
"But we saw a greater number of farmers remark that the quality and reliability of their internet connections had deteriorated as local network infrastructure had become over-subscribed, either by increased numbers of users or increased demand by those users," Mr McIntyre said.
A similar issue is happening with mobile phone services with a third of rural users saying their connectivity has declined the past year.
Nearly 70% of surveyed farmers reported problems with calls dropping out and being unable to make and receive calls or send and receive text messages even when they have two signal bars on their cellphone.
For many, the decline in mobile services means they are no longer able to rely on mobile broadband as a back-up for times when their internet connection is disrupted.
For others, it appears nearby mobile towers have become incapable of handling voice calls and mobile data as they have become overburdened by more people making greater use of them.
Mr McIntyre said Federated Farmers raised the issues with the Government following 2020 and 2019 surveys.
He said the group acknowledged that $60 million was earmarked for rural telecommunications in this year’s Budget, with $45 million dedicated to upgrading or adding towers.
