Critics welcome a new focus on eliminating mobile phone black spots in the bush
There are concerns that mobile phone coverage in the bush is putting lives at risk. But a new federal agency have now listed the issue as a priority to be fixed.
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Fixing mobile phone black spots will be given priority amid concerns lives are being put at risk by poor coverage in regional areas.
Infrastructure Australia, the Federal Government agency established to identify national significant projects, has recommended urgent work to improve mobile phone coverage.
This has been welcomed by South Australia’s largest motoring organisation, the RAA, and the man hand-picked by Prime Minister Scott Morrison to lead an inquiry into the challenges facing Australia’s regional areas.
Liberal MP Tony Pasin, who heads a parliamentary committee looking into the needs of rural and regional economies, said mobile phone coverage was not a luxury any more.
“It’s a necessary tool for doing business and, at the moment, it’s an economic barrier for our regions and growing our agricultural industries,” Mr Pasin said. “Recent natural disasters have reiterated the importance of mobile communications and mobile phones are now considered a critical safety device as well.
“We need more Government investment and amended guidelines to put more emphasis on the needs of communities rather than the profitability of telecommunications companies.”
Mr Pasin has raised concerns about coverage after a fire at Keilira, in his electorate of Barker in the state’s South-East, last December burned more than 25,000ha and destroyed three houses.
“One of the biggest issues on the day of the fire was the inability to communicate, particularly when the landlines went down,” he said.
“I’ve heard sobering stories of triple-0 calls failing at critical moments. Thankfully, no lives were lost.”
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RAA spokesman Charles Mountain said ensuring a consistent level of reliable mobile data coverage along the state’s transport corridors should be a priority. He said there were mobile black spots on parts of the Dukes, Riddoch, Sturt and Stuart highways.
“Mobile is the principle form of communication on these major transport corridors,” he said.
“The need for connectivity is really important for people’s safety.”
Mr Mountain’s sentiments were reflected in an Infrastructure Australia report.
“Access to reliable telecommunications can also be critical in emergency situations such as extreme weather, bushfires, flooding or serious trauma incidents, such as road accidents,” the report said.
A Federal Government database lists 1106 locations in SA where there are mobile phone black spots.
A spokeswoman said many of them had been addressed either through base stations funded under a $380 million federal mobile black spot program, or through commercial builds. Statistics show 44 towers have been installed across SA since 2016.