Rural and regional telecommunications carrier Field Solutions Holdings (ASX:FSG) is boosting its Queensland footprint with the construction of new infrastructure in the state’s central region.
The publicly-listed telco and cloud solutions provider told shareholders on 9 May that it will deploy both fixed wireless and “rural reach” network solutions to the Blackall and Tambo townships, near Longreach in the heart of the Queensland Outback, and the surrounding rural properties.
The company said that the contract for the new infrastructure is worth around $850,000 of revenue over three years, with construction activities commencing this month.
The deal sees Field Solutions Group design, construct and maintain a series of communications towers across the Blackall-Tambo Regional Council area.
Once the towers are delivered, the company’s retail arm, JustISP, will provide both business and residential internet plans and associated services.
“Our businesses and agribusinesses will benefit from true symmetric services delivered by this visionary project”, Blackall-Tambo Regional Council Mayor Andrew Martin said. “We want our residents to have access to true broadband services.
“For too long satellite services were all we could access, this project delivers what ratepayers and businesses have been demanding,” he said.
According to Field Solutions Group, the Blackall-Tambo Regional Council has been working on a shire-wide connectivity strategy for several years, and is now working with the telco to provide a solution for the region.
The company said that services for both businesses and consumers are already live in the township of Blackall, with a number of key customers already committed to three-year contacts. Connectivity to the township of Tambo will be live before October 2018.
Field Solutions Group announced the deployment of its first non-National Broadband Network (NBN) fibre-to-the-premises (FttP) and fixed wireless solution in rural Australia in June 2017, with Moree, New South Wales, claiming the new infrastructure.
The move made Moree home to Field Solutions Group's third regional network deployment, with the company previously having a focus on rural and regional network infrastructure.
Now, the company supports services either directly or as a wholesale provider into 17 local government areas across Australia.
“Strong support from the BTRC [Blackall-Tambo Regional Council] has driven us to accelerate our roadmap, rapidly deploying services in and around the region,” Field Solutions Group CEO Andrew Roberts said. “We are pleased to be fully operational in Queensland.”
Field Solutions Group made moves earlier this year to raise just over $1.1 million to acquire the assets of South Western Wireless, which went into administration in early March.
As reported by ARN on 20 March, regional and remote high speed internet provider, South Western Wireless Communications Company (SWWCC) and an associated telecommunications hardware firm, Tups Company, had been placed into voluntary administration.
On 21 March, Field Solutions Holdings told shareholders that it would undertake a new share placement to raise $1.12 million in new funds with which to purchase the assets of South Western Wireless.
In September last year, the company posted a $994,588 net loss after tax (NPAT) for the financial year ending June, following a public listing and a quick succession of acquisitions.
