As 2024 draws to a close, it’s worth reflecting on what actually changed for technology in regional Victoria. Not the global trends that dominated headlines, but the developments that affected our businesses and communities.

Here’s my assessment of what mattered this year.

Infrastructure Progress (Finally)

NBN Upgrades

The year saw meaningful NBN infrastructure upgrades across the Grampians, Western District, and parts of the Goulburn Valley. FTTN to FTTP conversions delivered genuine speed improvements for affected businesses.

Not everyone benefited—plenty of addresses remain on substandard connections—but the trajectory is positive. More upgrades are scheduled for 2025.

Starlink Maturation

Starlink went from curiosity to genuine option in 2024. I know dozens of regional businesses and remote workers now using it as primary internet.

The service improved throughout the year—more satellites, better speeds, reduced congestion during peak times. Prices increased slightly, but so did reliability.

For businesses in areas with poor NBN coverage, Starlink changed what was possible.

Mobile Coverage

Incremental improvements in mobile coverage continued. New towers in some regional areas, improved service in others. Nothing dramatic, but steady progress.

Telstra, Optus, and TPG all announced regional investment plans. Whether those deliver remains to be seen.

AI Goes Mainstream

Practical Business Adoption

2024 was the year AI tools moved from “interesting experiment” to “things I actually use.”

ChatGPT and similar tools became standard for drafting business communications, brainstorming, and research. Accounting software incorporated more AI features for categorisation and reconciliation. Image generation became practical for marketing materials.

None of this required special expertise. Regional business owners adopted these tools simply because they saved time.

Agriculture Technology

AI-powered agriculture tools reached practical maturity. Satellite crop monitoring, predictive analytics for livestock, and automated equipment became affordable enough for mid-sized operations.

The Grampians and Wimmera saw particular interest in AI for water management and yield optimisation.

E-commerce Expansion

Regional Retailers Go Online

More regional retailers established online selling operations this year. The combination of improved platforms (Shopify, Square Online), better shipping options, and proven models from early adopters reduced barriers.

Several regional businesses I know now generate 30-50% of revenue online, reaching customers well beyond their geographic location.

Local Delivery Evolution

Same-day and next-day delivery options expanded in regional centres. Not Amazon-level coverage, but meaningful improvement in what’s possible for local e-commerce.

Workforce Changes

Remote Work Normalisation

Remote tech work became completely normal. Companies that experimented with regional workers during COVID made those arrangements permanent.

This brought high-paying jobs to regional communities without requiring relocation to Melbourne. Bendigo, Ballarat, and Geelong in particular attracted tech workers who wanted to leave the city.

Skills Shortages Persist

Despite opportunities, regional businesses continue to struggle finding tech-skilled workers. The gap between demand and supply of developers, data analysts, and technical specialists remains significant.

Training programs expanded but haven’t yet closed the gap.

Community and Support

Regional Tech Communities Grew

Tech meetups in Geelong, Ballarat, and Bendigo saw increased attendance. New informal groups formed in smaller centres.

This matters beyond networking—it creates support systems for remote workers and founders who might otherwise feel isolated.

Business Victoria Programs

Business Victoria continued its support for digital transformation, including grants, training, and advisory services. Awareness of these programs improved throughout the year.

What Didn’t Change

Digital Divide Persists

Despite progress, some areas remain genuinely underserved. Properties outside town centres, businesses in geographic dead zones, communities that missed infrastructure investment—for them, 2024 brought minimal improvement.

This divide affects competitiveness. Businesses with poor connectivity can’t access the same tools as their better-connected competitors.

Cybersecurity Awareness Lag

Regional businesses continue to be targeted by cybercriminals. Several local businesses I know experienced incidents this year—ransomware, invoice fraud, account compromises.

Awareness is improving but still lags behind the threat.

Looking to 2025

Predictions are risky, but here’s what I’m watching:

AI integration deepening. Tools will become more embedded in business software, less standalone.

Infrastructure momentum continuing. More NBN upgrades, expanded Starlink coverage, 5G fixed wireless trials.

Regional tech employment growing. More companies comfortable with regional workers, more people choosing regional lifestyle.

E-commerce maturation. Less about launching online stores, more about optimising existing operations.

Cybersecurity attention increasing. More businesses taking security seriously, hopefully before incidents force it.

Final Thoughts

2024 was a year of steady progress rather than revolution. No single development transformed regional technology. Instead, many small improvements accumulated into meaningful change.

Regional Victoria is better positioned technologically than it was a year ago. Not as well positioned as we’d like—infrastructure gaps persist and challenges remain—but trending in the right direction.

Here’s to continued progress in 2025.