Major investment across South West Wales will help narrow the digital divide between urban and rural areas in a boost for agriculture and remote communities.
Forming part of the Swansea Bay City Deal’s £25m digital infrastructure programme, a dedicated rural workstream is committed to delivering high-quality connectivity to places where the cost of connecting homes and businesses would otherwise be too high for commercial investment alone to be viable.
Investing in high-speed broadband in rural communities across Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire, Neath Port Talbot, and Swansea would help enable the introduction of Internet of Things (IoT) technology to benefit businesses including farms.
This technology would help farmers monitor crops, livestock, machinery and environmental conditions remotely and in real time, potentially leading to improved decision-making, resource efficiency and cost savings.
Supporting initiatives such as UK Government’s Project Gigabit is also a key aspect of the digital infrastructure programme’s rural workstream. Local digital champions are on board to ensure communities are aware of when applications for voucher schemes are being accepted.
©Pic: pixabay
