According to a study carried out by Vodafone, close to three quarters of rural New Zealanders think that their youth are disadvantaged by the lack of access to broadband.
The survey found that:
- 84% believe rural youth are missing out on learning opportunities
- 70% believe they are missing out on the development of IT skills
- 60% think they are missing out on employment opportunities
- Over 50% think they are isolated because they can’t participate in social networking sites
Vodafone says it wants to address these challenges and has partnered with satellite broadband provider Farmside, to deliver broadband solutions that are available right now to New Zealanders no matter how remote their address.
“The rural sector is the backbone of New Zealand’s economy and it is our intention to lessen the rural/urban digital divide by providing the right capability to help rural New Zealand now and in the future,” says Vodafone’s CEO Russell Stanners.
“It will be some time before fibre is connected to rural schools and communities, and in the meantime two out of three rural New Zealanders are concerned they are falling further behind the rest of the country. Many more are watching their children and grandchildren depart for the city just to get the same opportunities as their city mates.”
Apparently more than 80% of respondents felt broadband would make their lives better due to access to Facebook and Twitter.
Farmside Satellite Broadband describes its service as the perfect solution, “delivering fast, reliable broadband without the need for a traditional phone line or 3G coverage”.
