to resolve internet/telecommunications issues on Magnetic Island

Deadline: 5pm Wednesday 12th July 2023
MICDA Group Facebook page post | 5 June 2023

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Overview:

QNC and their partners, Channel Wireless, are seeking community support for their application for a Federal government grant to try and resolve the internet/telecommunications issues on Magnetic Island. Letters of Support are needed in the next few weeks by QNC, as the grant is due to be lodged by 12 July 2023.

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Your Letters of Support should be sent directly to Dan Thomspon at: dan@channelwireless.com

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The more community support they have, the more chance that they (or another provider) receives funding to fix the problems that our community has long suffered.

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Further information:

Problems with telecommunications on the island are well known to our community. A Federal government project notice board was established for communities to register their needs. MICDA registered a request on that notice board a few months ago.

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The purpose of the publicly available notice board was to see if there were any commercial enterprises looking for potential telecommunications projects to develop into a project application to Round 3 of the Regional Connectivity Program. Applications to Round 3 of the RCP are open until Wednesday 12 July 2023 (5:00pm AEST).

https://www.infrastructure.gov.au/.../regional...

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One major player in the industry and commercial enterprise, QCN which is a Qld Government owned corporation, in partnership with Channel Wireless, have just come back with a request for support for their funding application for Magnetic Island. Their project involves laying a cable from the mainland to the Island as part of their proposed upgrade to our telecommunications services.

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QCN wants to lodge a grant application and they seek Letters of Support from Magnetic Island businesses and residents.

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Whilst MICDA cannot endorse either QCN or Channel Wireless, they seem to be a major player with projects already completed around Qld. The Federal Government would assess this grant application on its merits, including expertise and the technical aspect of the project. It is then up to the Federal Government to carry out its due diligence as QCN will be applying for the grant not MICDA.

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MICDA's role to date has been simply to try and get somebody to fix our telecommunications problems, and the current grant seemed an ideal opportunity for this to finally happen.

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If you have any particular queries, or you would like to send a Letter of Support, please contact Dan Thompson directly at: dan@channelwireless.com

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Letter to: Magnetic Island Residents and Businesses
From: Dan Thompson, CEO of Channel Wireless
June 2023

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As discussed I am writing to request letters of support for QCN's Regional Connectivity Program (RCP) Grant Application. QCN stands for Queensland Capacity Network and was formed under the Advance Queensland Initiative. They are jointly owned by Powerlink and Energy Queensland, and their network spans over 13,000 kilometres of optical fibre stretching West from Brisbane to Toowoomba and beyond, and North through regional townships up to Cairns.

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The RCP is a Federal Government competitive grants program targeting place-based telecommunications infrastructure that maximise economic and social opportunities in regional, rural and remote Australia. QCN's application will focus on the development of a new fibre optic and fixed wireless tower network in Magnetic Island. This network will provide high-speed internet access to businesses and residents in the region.

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Proposed Network and Outcomes:

• Proposal to construct an undersea fiber optic cable from Townsville to the Magnetic Island.

• Plan to lay fiber to the first tower and connect remaining towers through overhead fiber via the power network.

• New infrastructure will enable Point-to-Multipoint (PTMP) Wireless connections, providing reliable and high-speed internet.

• Opportunity for colocation services for mobile network providers and providers to enhance connectivity options.

• Backhaul infrastructure could be offered to existing providers, enhancing their services and expanding their reach.

• Capacity to offer speeds from 250Mbps to 1Gbps at a cost similar to or less than the NBN, surpassing NBN, Starlink, or any potential incoming providers.

• Potential to offer high-speed internet services up to 10Gbps, a transformative improvement.

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QCN has a proven track record of success in developing and delivering telecommunications infrastructure in regional Queensland. In recent years, they have also partnered with Channel Wireless to build infrastructure and internet networks in Goondiwindi, the Central Highlands in QLD and together they are now building a significant Internet network in Mackay.

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We believe that QCN's RCP Grant Application is a valuable investment in the future of Magnetic Island. Applications to Round 3 of the RCP are open until Wednesday 12 July 2023 (5:00pm AEST).

We respectfully request you to please consider writing a Letter of Support for their application. It would help to have specific information about slow speeds, how the internet drop outs, issues when visitors share the network, reliability issues, etc., etc.

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I have included a few sample letter ideas (see below), but they would be much better coming from representative groups, businesses and residents in their own words.

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Thank you for your time and consideration.

Dan Thompson