Landcorp farms move to faster broadband

Four years after switching from dial-up to broadband, Landcorp is again upgrading internet connections to its 112 farms.

The state-owned farmer is replacing satellite connections provided by internet provider Iconz and a small number of ADSL lines with microwave radio links supplied by Wellington firm Araneo - a company majority- owned by NZX-listed TeamTalk.

Landcorp originally adopted broadband to support a major investment in computerised farm management system Pam and Microsoft's Navision financial management system.

Information technology manager Mark Johnstone says the investment transformed Landcorp.

"Four years ago we had a corporate office where there were 20 people using PCs and there were a few on farms that might have had dial-up connections. Now you have got 100-plus farms all using corporate business applications hosted in Wellington to run their business - it is a huge change."

But broadband speeds are still only "adequate", and the satellite connections are often affected by bad weather. Faster, more reliable broadband should pave the way for desk-to-desk videoconferencing between farms and Landcorp's corporate office in Wellington, lessening the need for travel.

Landcorp's ultimate IT goal remains deploying a "biological model" that will let it record the grass on each farm along with animals' likely demand for feed - so managers can forecast their requirement for hay and silage. "We haven't quite got there yet, but we certainly intend to do it," he says.

Araneo's microwave links are capable of delivering broadband at between two megabits a second and one gigabit a second. Farms need to be within line-of-sight of a transmission tower.

Low-cost repeaters will be erected where required. Landcorp chose Araneo on the advice of telecommunications consulting firm Voco. Araneo managing director Jonathan Brewer says Landcorp will be its first direct customer. Its service is resold by internet providers to about 400 to 500 businesses.

Mr Brewer says it has towers throughout the North Island, Canterbury and Marlborough and is expanding to full coverage of both islands. Twelve farms have been connected so far. All should be using Araneo's service within 18 months.

- © Fairfax NZ News