$300,000 Centre for Appropriate Technology partnership bringing the outback online

Ten per cent of Territorians live in areas with no mobile reception. Here’s how a $300,000 partnership is connecting homelands to the information superhighway.

Digital Development minister Selena Uibo said the mobile technology would lead to better education outcomes and livelihoods in homelands. Picture: Sierra Haigh

A $300,000 program is taking on the challenge of bringing the outback online, with five Central Australian homelands connecting to mobile services for the first time.

The Centre for Appropriate Technology has celebrated five new mobile phone hotspots in the remote homelands of Petyale, Ankweleyelengkwe, Welere, Urrermerne and Payeperrentye.

The partnership with the NT government has created 53 mobile phone hotspots at very remote sites throughout the Territory.

Centre for Appropriate Technology chief executive Peter Renehan said he was extremely proud to have connected the Central Australian homelands.

Centre for Appropriate Technology chief executive Peter Renehan.

“We strongly believe that reliable and maintainable digital connectivity will significantly improve the livelihoods of Aboriginal people choosing to return and live on their country,” Mr Renehan said.

An upgraded antenna with a design by local artist Rosanne Kemarre Ellis was celebrated at the Centre for Appropriate Technology. Picture: JEFF TAN

Mr Renehan said the project was not solely about connecting Indigenous communities to the internet, but also training up Aboriginal Territorians to build, maintain and develop these technologies.

He said half his staff were Aboriginal, with the Alice Springs company committed to increasing that number.

On Monday Digital Development minister Selena Uibo said the mobile technology would lead to better education outcomes and livelihoods for those communities.

Digital Development minister Selena Uibo said the mobile technology would lead to better education outcomes and livelihoods in homelands. Picture: Sierra Haigh

“The vast remoteness of the Northern Territory makes the mobile phone connectivity extremely important for remote communities,” Ms Uibo said.

Telstra mapping has shown that the Territory has the least mobile coverage of any state, with the vast majority of the landmass in a black spot.

Telstra service mapping shows that the NT has the least mobile coverage of any state, with the vast majority of the landmass in a reception black spot.

A 2016 NT government submission to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission said that 10 per cent of Territorians lived in areas without access to mobile phone services.

At the time the Australian Bureau of Statistics said Territorians in very remote homes were three times less likely to be able to access the internet compared to the rest of Australia.

Two in every five homes in very remote areas were permanently offline, according to the 2016 census.

In 2022 the NT government confirmed that 188 remote communities, villages and highway roadhouses had mobile phone towers — servicing a population of around 30,000 people.

Originally published as $300,000 Centre for Appropriate Technology partnership bringing the outback online