Solution for Mt Magnet’s slow internet speed

The Shire of Mt Magnet’s internet woes could be at an end with a plan to connect to a Geraldton service. At its meeting on Wednesday, the council voted to negotiate an acceptable internet service with Geraldton company Node 1. In a report to the council, it was revealed similar internet issues were experienced by residents in the Shire of Meekatharra. “Meekatharra used the services of a company in Geraldton to achieve a very acceptable outcome at a similar cost as it was previously paying with a new service that lifted download speed from 9.77mbps to 106.0mbps and upload speed from 18.5mbps to 54.5mbps,” the report read. The Shire met representatives from the company earlier this month and the company offered “several solutions”. The Shire told Node 1 that its priority was to supply the council “with a positive outcome at an acceptable cost” and give it the option to later offer an upgrade to residents and businesses. There will be some upfront costs for Telstra to quote to connect. Shire staff said the costs of the new arrangement would be “cheaper” based on Meekatharra’s experience. After the council’s vote, the acting chief executive will “negotiate an acceptable solution and enter into an agreement”.