Whittlesea Council has created an Intelligent Community Strategy to help businesses be more competitive and better serve local communities through greater access to electronic services.

The new strategy followed the NBN plan to expand coverage in South Morang, Epping, Mill Park and Bundoora (north of the Ring Road) in the coming months.

Parts of Wollert, Eden Park and Whittlesea township will be serviced during the next three years.

The initial rollout includes 14,500 premises in ‘greenfield’ sites, after the council installed an underground conduit in 2001.

The Northern Regional Group of Local Governments (Whittlesea, Hume, Nillumbik, Banyule, Moreland, Darebin, and Yarra) has been formed to take advantage of the NBN rollout.

The region has already been successful in attracting funding from Regional Development Australia to conduct an Information and Communications Technology local business scorecard survey, and provide training.

The group is developing a regional digital economy strategy to address regional needs.

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John Wilkinson and Barbara McLure compile this newsletter which is delivered electronically to key people and decision makers across the north of Melbourne and beyond.  Please feel free to distribute to colleagues and friends.  If you do not regularly receive e~NORTH and would like to subscribe, please email [email protected].  There is no charge for the e~NORTH newsletter.  Sister publications, e~EAST, e~SOUTH and e~WEST, are available also on request to [email protected].