Hinchinbrook MP Nick Dametto wants Optus, TPG, Telstra to share telecommunications towers

A North Queensland MP has welcomed two new cell-phone towers in his rural electorate but says more needs to be done to remedy “piss poor” coverage. See the telco’s responses.

Hinchinbrook MP Dametto said coverage was so dire in parts of his North Queensland electorate that his constituents had given up on major providers Optus and Telstra ever being able to deliver viable services. Picture: Marc Stapelberg

A North Queensland MP has welcomed two new telecommunications towers in his rural electorate but says more needs to be done to remedy “piss poor” mobile coverage.

Nick Dametto, the member for Hinchinbrook, was commenting after Optus announced it was switching on new towers in Lucinda in Hinchinbrook and Saunders Beach in Townsville.

Mr Dametto welcomed the news but criticised a patchwork approach by mobile providers Optus, TPG and state-owned Telstra.

“We’ve got Optus towers in some areas that work really well and then we’ve got Telstra towers that work very well and there’s obviously more Telstra towers out there being the primary network.”

He said he supported the Federal Labour Government to encourage or force telecommunications providers to share towers.

“Wouldn’t it be great if we have full coverage in all areas instead of running around with two sets of phones that some people actually do?”

Optus has switched on two new towers in the North Queensland coastal towns of Lucinda and Saunders Beach, further strengthening the telecommunications company’s network capacity. It said the new towers would provide people living, working, and visiting the region with a better network experience for calls and downloads. Picture David Clark

Mr Dametto said the Federal and State governments contributed money toward the construction of the towers.

He said it was “ludicrous” that both companies were being paid to put up towers in close proximity to one another.

An Optus spokesperson said that wherever feasible, it participated in “infrastructure co-location with other carriers,” saying it was a “common practice across the industry”.

In an earlier statement, it said the two new Hinchinbrook towers were part of an “ongoing project to improve coverage, reliability, and speed across the Optus mobile network.”

Telstra says it is fully supportive of working with other operators and the government “to look at commercially negotiated solutions and policies that would enable roaming during emergencies and on co-funded sites”. A spokesman, however, said mandated roaming, however, “is a sledgehammer to crack a walnut that will do far more harm than good”. Picture: David Clark Photography

A Telstra spokesman said Australia had some of the best mobile coverage in the world because “three quality network providers are competing to get the best possible coverage to attract customers and then deliver a great experience.”

“Mandated mobile roaming would kill that competition and innovation in an instant,” he said.

“There would be no incentive for any of us to build one more mobile base station because mandated roaming would mean that we would be creating more coverage and then allowing our competitors to use it for next to nothing.

“Even worse, there would be many more customers using these base stations, creating congestion.”

Mr Dametto said coverage was so dire in parts of his electorate such that his constituents had given up on the major providers ever being able to deliver viable services.

“They’ve been promised that they will look into a tower for years and now some of them have actually changed over to Starlink to provide satellite Internet and use Wifi calls around the house – they’re getting some very good coverage out of that.”

He said Starlink cost about $110 per month and provided unlimited data, making it comparatively affordable.

Nick Dametto, the member for Hinchinbrook, said the two new Optus telecommunication towers in Lucinda and Saunders Beach would “increase the connectivity and liveability of those on the Optus network for those staying, playing and living in the area.” Picture: Shae Beplate

Mr Dametto said telecommunications services were a basic human right, encompassing everything from safety and education to banking and entertainment.

Federal Minister for Communications Michelle Rowland said the Government had asked the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Communications and the Arts (HORSCCA) to examine the promotion of Multi-Carrier Regional Mobile Infrastructure.

She said the findings would “inform future approaches to this issue”.

“The Government has committed to one of the most significant regional telecommunications investment packages since the establishment of the National Broadband Network over a decade ago, with over $2.2 billion in regional telecommunications over the next five years, including significant investment across regional and remote Queensland.”

Originally published as Hinchinbrook MP Nick Dametto wants Optus, TPG, Telstra to share telecommunications towers