100TH TELSTRA MOBILE BASE STATION IN QUEENSLAND

Minister for Regional Services, Senator Bridget McKenzie, has today welcomed the activation of Telstra’s 100th mobile base station in Queensland thanks to the Liberal National Government’s $220 million Mobile Black Spot Program.

The 100th site in Maaroom, located on the shoreline of the Great Sandy Strait adjacent to Queensland’s heritage-listed Fraser Island, will benefit local residents, businesses and tourists visiting the area. 

“This is a great achievement and it is fantastic to see our program reaching even more people to deliver 21st century communications to those who need it most,” Minister McKenzie said.

“The new mobile coverage will connect families and grow businesses in and around Maaroom.  It will provide travellers visiting this popular holiday destination in Queensland’s Fraser Coast Region with reliable communications services and allow them to use social media sites to further publicise the area.

“Increased mobile coverage in regional areas is also critical to ensure the safety of residents and tourists as we come closer to the hotter summer months.  Better and more reliable mobile communications means emergency services can get in touch with more people to make them aware of threats like bushfires.

“We are committed to improving mobile coverage in regional and remote locations, and this milestone supports that commitment in delivering improved mobile services to this popular regional location.”

Telstra Regional General Manager May Boisen said the benefits of the Mobile Black Spot Program were plain to see in Queensland.

“Whether it’s the local caravan park taking a credit card payment, a family streaming high-quality video content or farmers using an app to keep track of cattle, increased mobile coverage are a high priority for people and businesses in rural and regional Australia,” Ms Boisen said. 

 

The first three rounds of the program is funding the delivery of 867 new base stations across the country. The Government recently announced a fourth round of the program with a commitment of $25 million to address more regional and remote black spots. 

Round 4 of the program is now underway as part of this Government’s commitment to improving telecommunications services to regional and remote parts of the country.

For more information visit: www.communications.gov.au/mbsp