In a study released by the Ernst and Young about the internet deployment and its benefits, Australia ranked 18^th for internet viability. The study included both consumers and businesses as it reinforces the notion of the digital divide between the cities and remote Australia.
The study surveyed 1,500 Australians aged between 16 and 69 years, that also includes 167 “digital opinion leaders” from private and public sectors about their perception of the state of the Internet in Australia.
“4 out of 10 consumers and six out of ten digital opinion leaders believe the Australian digital economy is less advanced than other leading countries”, the report stated.
For businesses the internet is no longer optional as it is now considered a necessary component to undertake business in the 21^st century.  Businesses use the Internet for research and marketing and also to power online systems such as real time inventory + management and online shop and order taking.
With the continuous rollout of the nbn® across Australia and the launch of the Sky Muster satellite in October this year, nbn® is going full steam in addressing the digital divide and bring the countless benefits of fast and reliable internet to homes and businesses in regional Australia.
Internet service providers such as Activ8me, are helping businesses realise their digital potential with nbn Internet services such as nbn® fixed wireless.
One such small business in regional Queensland is Cannard Hats. Cannard Hats is a proud home grown business that manufactures customised hats and accessories done in western style.
Since signing up with Activ8me’s nbn® fixed wireless service, Cannard Hats has made great progress marketing, selling and fulfilling customer orders using digital tools.
“My business is built on servicing clients that are located in diverse regional areas of Australia so I need to have a stable online connection to interact with them. Until joining Activ8me we had been struggling with connection issues, losing customers due to lack of responsiveness and I was unable to send files with images,” Chris Cannard, owner of Cannard Hats said.
“We signed up to Activ8me and the process was seamless from the initial call to the installation. My business has  boomed and I am now connecting to clients literally at a touch of a button and liaising with customers in real time. Given that we did not even have a land line this world of high speed connection has turned our businesses around. We knew about nbn^TM but we didn’t think it was possible for us.” Cannard said.
Cannard Hats was featured in an article by Hannah Busch of the Queensland Times dated 23^rd of December, 2015.
The editorial highlights the meticulous preparation and the amount of detail applied for each custom hat ordered by customers. Chris Cannard with his passion and expertise in his craft, has created a visible distinction for the fine products of Cannard Hats.
The recent study by Deloitte valued Australia’s digital economy at around $79 Billion and growing. Small businesses in regional and remote Australia will lift those figures even more as they move to fast nbn Internet.
Cannard Hats was able to seamlessly blend traditional manufacturing business with digital systems and processes. Fast nbn Internet from Activ8me helps businesses of the 21^st century retain their timeless identity while embracing change and the Internet.
Asked by the Queensland Times about what Chris Cannard thinks about the seemingly millennial jump of Cannard Hats into the digital pond, Mr Cannard simply answered: “I’m just a bloke from the country…who’s just making hats.”