ANZ

TELSTRA TO BUILD 131 SITES UNDER ROUND 4 OF MOBILE BLACKSPOTS SCHEME

Telstra will eliminate black spots at 131 locations under Round Four of the Federal Government Mobile Black Spot Program, expanding its investment to bring new or improved coverage to more communities in regional Australia.

Under the Mobile Black Spot Program, designed to provide new and improved mobile coverage, economic benefits and opportunities for customers living in regional and remote locations across Australia, Telstra will build a mixture of new mobile base stations and small cells, contributing A$23.3 million of the A$55.6 million co-investment required for the new sites.

“The Queensland, South Australian, Victorian and Western Australian State Governments are contributing a combined A$14.3 million and the Commonwealth is contributing A$18 million,” the telco added.

Telstra CEO Andy Penn tipped the use of small cell technology as an innovative, cost-effective way of fixing black spots. “A small cell is a miniature version of a standard mobile base station and Telstra is using the technology to cost effectively deliver 4G coverage to areas where existing coverage is minimal or not available,” he said.

“Mobile coverage means people and businesses in regional and remote communities can do things many in the city take for granted,” Penn said, adding that over the period to June 2019, the telco’s total mobile network investment will total some A$8 billion, of which approximately A$3 billion will have been invested in regional areas.

 

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Categories: ANZ, Mobile, Small cells, Telcos

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