Telstra working on more 5G connectivity upgrades in Gympie

The work, which began last week, will require Telstra to shut off the tower “for extended periods over several days”, with local customers tipped to “now have good 5G coverage if they are using a 5G enabled device”.

Telstra have announced further upgrades to its mobile base station in Gympie as part of efforts to upgrade its 4G capacity and also add 5G technology to the site. FILE PHOTO

Telstra have announced further upgrades to its mobile base station in Gympie as part of efforts to upgrade its 4G capacity and also add 5G technology to the site.

The work, which began last week, will require Telstra to shut off the tower “for extended periods over several days”, with local customers tipped to “now have good 5G coverage if they are using a 5G enabled device”.

The work, which began last week, will require Telstra to shut off the tower “for extended periods over several days”, with local customers tipped to “now have good 5G coverage if they are using a 5G enabled device”. File photo: NCA NewsWire / David Mariuz

Telstra Regional General Manager for Queensland May Boisen said it was hoped the work would be finished by late this month.

“While our crews need to work during daylight for safety, we’ll only be switching off the site when we need to and we’ll have it back on as quickly as possible. If everything goes well, the upgrade is expected to fully completed by late July,” Ms Boisen said.

“Landlines or nbn services will not be impacted. Any calls to triple-0 will be automatically connected to any other working mobile base station in the area, regardless of carrier.

“Within a 10km radius of Gympie there are eight Telstra mobile base stations, so the township should still have a reasonable level of coverage. However, some customers who normally receive coverage from this site may notice a decline in service while works are occurring.

“Telstra apologises for any inconvenience caused as a result of this network upgrade. There’s never a good time to undertake this sort of work but once it is completed, it will mean better mobile services for Gympie residents.

“This will be the fifth Telstra base station in the Gympie area to be upgraded, meaning a better service experience for both our 4G and 5G customers.”

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Telstra have forecasted some businesses in the area “may experience issues” with EFTPOS machines during this time, suggesting affected retailers should contact their bank for more information and details on how to work around disruptions.

More information on Telstra’s 5G coverage or devices available to use this new technology is available at Telstra stores or online at telstra.com/5G, and connectivity maps through telstra.com/coverage-networks/our-coverage.