People in rural areas don’t want perfect internet connectivity. They just want a reliable service that allows them to perform basic online activities.
Poor connectivity means people in rural areas have no choice but to rely on libraries, marae and schools to connect to WiFi, or study or work late at night or early in the morning to avoid crowds.
These are some of the findings of the Rural Digital Connectivity Survey by Research First, commissioned by the Department for Primary Industries and Business, Immigration and Employment.
New Zealand has more than 4.5 million internet users, with an internet penetration rate of 94% as of January 2021, but rural communities say connectivity is substandard, congested and unreliable. I am.
The research was conducted last year during the Auckland Memorial Day floods and Cyclone Gabriel, which reinforced the importance of resilient networks.
Rural users want Internet access for the same reasons as urban users. These include running a business, attending school, studying, accessing medical appointments, connecting with friends and family, finding information, shopping online, playing games, and using social media and live streaming.
The researchers say the core issues are limited bandwidth that limits access and usage, unreliable coverage, the high cost of possible solutions such as satellites, and a lack of knowledge and confidence about connectivity options. I discovered something.
Users are adapting to poor connectivity by traveling to locations with better service and learning to avoid dropped connections, high usage times, and localized dropout zones. states.
One interviewee was told to cut down trees to improve reception, but countered that the trees were a primary shelter.
Another person pays $300 a month for WiFi service that is worse than what’s available in town.
One person who runs a business from home has to stop working at 3pm when the network becomes too busy, while another has to stop working at 1am to avoid losing connectivity and losing work. You must complete your studies.
Some people open documents at 5am or midnight to avoid slow WiFi speeds, but those holding online meetings constantly struggle with frozen links.
Poor connectivity has also been cited as a barrier to employment for farmers and business owners.
One interviewee said that people in rural areas park outside their local school or marae and connect to WiFi networks to send emails, shop online or do other tasks that require a reliable connection. I mentioned that it is common.
One person said that during the coronavirus lockdown, connectivity was so slow that children were unable to do their schoolwork.
Some users relied on access through an extension modem or multiple booster modems from the original modem or a neighbor’s modem to ensure connectivity in different parts of the home.
Other solutions require investment, such as VHF systems and satellite phones, but since the study was completed, One New Zealand and SpaceX have begun a partnership to provide 100% mobile coverage across the country.
For many Internet users, the copper cables that provide landline access are the most reliable source of WiFi connectivity.
Users told researchers they were worried about what would happen to their internet access if the line was cut.
Research First says that instead of looking at per capita costs when evaluating improved services, governments and institutions should look at the opportunity costs of local businesses not being able to compete and people not being able to thrive. concluded.
