Mobile reception: State Government reveal plans for mobile base stations in 41 towns

No reception? Here are the regional Victorian towns in line to have mobile black spots fixed. See if your area is on the list.

The 41 towers will be dotted across regional Victoria as part of a plan to fix mobile black spots.

Parts of regional Victoria will have better mobile phone coverage under a state government plan to fix reception black spots.

The Herald Sun can reveal 41 towns are next in line to get new mobile base stations, including Ararat, Lorne South and Tarwin Lower.

It follows the installation of 200 towers since 2014.

Innovation Minister Jaala Pulford said improving reception across Victoria was important to allow people to contact emergency services.

“Getting rid of black spots makes communities much safer when natural disasters like bushfires and floods hit,” she said.

“Victorians across the state deserve to have reliable mobile coverage – and we’re delivering. It helps connect residents, support businesses and attract tourists, allowing local economies to grow and thrive.”

The government has spent $56m upgrading mobile coverage around the state since 2014 and allocated another $300m in November 2020 as part of its long-term effort to improve reception in regional Victoria.

Towns listed in the next phase of mobile base station construction range from Mildura to East Gippsland.

CFA Captain Robert Long from Knowsley in Central Victoria said it was vital to have reliable mobile coverage so people could make calls during emergencies.

He said having better coverage in town also benefited the fire brigade, because they were now able to access the new mobile based alert system that supplements pagers for emergency services.

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