Bendigo Secures $2M Hub, 100 Gig Network Fuels Tech Growth

Bendigo Telco's 100-gigabit broadband network and the Deloitte Australia Digital Operations Centre at La Trobe University's Bendigo campus form the core investments supporting the region's tech expansion.

Infrastructure anchors business attraction

The 100 Gig Bendigo initiative supplies high-capacity connectivity and a local data centre that Bendigo Telco built to draw digital firms and narrow the regional digital divide. The same network underpins the Bendigo Things Network, an open-source IoT deployment that reaches more than 80 percent of the city and won the best local government IT project award. These assets sit alongside a $2 million advanced manufacturing and innovation hub also located at the La Trobe campus.

The Deloitte centre itself is projected to generate 200 jobs while offering work-based learning placements for students and staff. La Trobe further hosts the Bendigo Tech School for secondary students, creating a direct pipeline from classroom to the operations centre and the manufacturing hub.

Measured sector expansion

Software and digital content activities recorded 9.5 percent growth between 2011 and 2016, concentrated in web design, app development and games. The Bendigo Tech Community, which began in 2017 as the Bendigo Developer Meetup, now runs regular gatherings that connect professionals and enthusiasts across these fields.

Bendigo Bank has moved some IT and AI functions to Infosys, yet the city continues to add capacity in advanced manufacturing and Industry 4.0 services. Firms such as Bendicom supply cyber-security and consultancy work that complements the larger infrastructure projects.

Organisers of the Bendigo Tech Community continue to schedule monthly meetups at venues including Possum Works Co-Working space, while La Trobe partners prepare an AI-focused gathering series at the Emporium Creative Hub. Local businesses can access the 100-gigabit network and the Things Network to test digital services without building their own connectivity.