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Farmers sought for communications trial

Australian wireless networking company seeks NSW, Victorian farmers to trial Wi-Fi calling solutions for 12-month period.

 

A Wagga-Wagga based company is looking for 50 farmers in New South Wales and northern Victoria to trial their technology to allow calls via Wi-Fi, even in areas with poor mobile phone coverage.

Zetifi is making the offer after it was one of three Australian companies to receive a grant under the federal government’s $2 million Alternative Voice Services Trial program, which is assessing the potential for new technologies using NBN CO’s fixed wireless and satellite footprints.

Company chief executive Dan Winson says Zetifi will provide trial participants with a multi-carrier connection that can replace mobile, satellite or high-capacity radio concentrator (HCRC) coverage.

He adds that advances in Wi-Fi calling technology has made it an increasingly attractive alternative to traditional voice services for those living in areas with poor or patchy mobile coverage.

“By providing these farmers with a Zetifi Wi-Fi network, which enable them to make Wi-Fi calls, we’re aiming to prove that our technology can not only provide a solution to poor mobile coverage but provide a stable and reliable replacement for the legacy radio and copper network in rural and remote areas.”

The program will provide 50 farmers with access to a fully subsidised hardware installation and a 12 month subscription to Zetifi solutions to help them access better connectivity for Wi-Fi calls.

Zetifi will provide 40 farmers with a ZetiBase, which predominantly provides indoor Wi-Fi for areas where weak mobile signals cannot penetrate the residence.

The remaining 10 trial participants will be provided with a ZetiCell, a longer-range solution for areas with very poor coverage with a 300m radius of outdoor Wi-Fi and the option to extend connectivity to sheds, yards and across the farm.

The company is looking to have all 50 units installed and ready to use by May 31.

Winson says the ZetiBase and ZetiCell solutions are just a few of the Zetifi hardware solutions developed to leverage existing telecommunications infrastructure while filling in connectivity gaps in the bush.

“While our focus in the AVST is on providing better home voice services, our unique advantage is that we can also provide more robust data connectivity and extend this connectivity right across the farm so that farmers need not drive home or to the top of a hill to get a connection,” he says.

The AVST Program will last for 12 months and participants will be able to continue their service and subscription at the conclusion of the trial.

To register your interest in receiving a Zetifi solution as part of the AVST Program, email hello@zetifi.com or call 1300 093 711.  For further information about Zetifi solutions visit https://zetifi.com/.

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