ELANDS and Wherrol Flat are among the areas on the list of rural areas to receive a new mobile tower in the next three years, benefiting from the significant investment by the federal government, Telstra and the state government.
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Telstra will build 429 new 3G/4G towers nationally, including a number across Hunter and Central Coast NSW as part of the federal government’s Mobile Black Spot Program, extending mobile coverage into over 400 communities nationally who currently have no coverage in or around their towns.
Telstra Country Wide area general manager for the Hunter and Central Coast, Chris Cusack, said Telstra’s participation in the federal government’s Mobile Black Spot Program is just another example of our ongoing commitment to regional and rural Australia.
“People and business are now relying on mobile connectivity more than ever and we are acutely aware of the challenges facing communities living with limited access to a mobile network,” said Mr Cusack.
“That is why we are excited to play an important role in delivering mobile coverage to a large number of regional communities as part of the federal government’s Mobile Black Spot Program.
“Over the next three years, the new towers will be installed across the Hunter and Central Coast, significantly expanding mobile coverage in the area.”
In addition to the new mobile towers, Telstra will be installing 250 Small Cells to deliver high speed 4G data services in some small country towns where suitable Telstra infrastructure is available. Telstra will also continue to invest its own funds to expand it mobile coverage in regional areas.
“As the first carrier to bring 4G mobile services to regional Australia, we know how important high-speed mobile can be to supporting local businesses, tourism and education so we are also continuing the expansion of our 4G and 4GX services,” said Mr Cusack.
“We are proud to have put forward a strong bid for regional Australia and look forward to rolling out the new mobile towers and expanding coverage for hundreds of communities over the next three years.”
This program will involve investment of more than $340 million in regional Australia, with $165 million from Telstra, $94.8 million from the federal government and tens of millions in targeted additional funding from state and local governments.