Telstra hits mobile blackspot milestone

Telstra has activated its 60th mobile base station under commitment to a federal government program.

Telstra has activated its 60th mobile base station as part of its commitment to the federal government’s Mobile Black Spot Programme, with residents in Woolomin in New South Wales set to receive better reception.

The telco is aiming to have a hundred stations ready for action by the end of 2016 and Telstra group managing director, networks, Mike Wright said the project, which also involves Vodafone Australia, was already starting to make an impact in the bush.

“Whether it’s farmers working in the field, schools bringing the latest technology to their students, or families talking on their mobiles at home, the response from these communities has been overwhelmingly positive,” Mr Wright said in a statement.

He added that more than 20,000 square kilometres of new and improved mobile coverage has already been deployed since the start of the program.

Telstra is building 429 3G/4G mobile base stations and rolling out 250 4G small cells over three years, under round one of the project, to extend coverage across 400 rural and regional communities. Meanwhile, Vodafone is committed to building 70 base stations by the end of 2017 under the program.

The first round of the project involves a combined investment of more than $340 million in regional Australia, with $165 million coming from Telstra, Vodafone tipping in $20m and the federal government putting $100m on the table. The Coalition government has subsequently committed another $120m to fund the next two rounds of the project.

Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce said the success of the project was critical to the delivery of better mobile coverage in regional communities.

He added that connectivity was a major issue for citizens in rural and regional parts of Australia

“Whether it’s in the city or the country, mobile coverage is vital to people who are increasingly reliant on mobile devices to conduct business, manage farms and keep in touch,” Mr Joyce said in a statement.