Locals and visitors to Torquay will be safer, better connected and informed thanks to mobile connectivity and resilience upgrades through the Albanese Government's Peri-Urban Mobile Program (PUMP).
Torquay will share in $40.9 million awarded nationally under PUMP Round 2 which will co-fund 47 projects in natural-disaster prone communities.
The Albanese Government has awarded funding to Amplitel to address longstanding mobile coverage and reception issues in the area.
The project will upgrade an existing Amplitel site to provide new and improved 4G and 5G coverage from TPG that will have back-up power supply of at least 12 hours. This will allow services to operate for longer in the event of a mains power outage caused by a natural disaster.
The project is one of 16 successful projects in Victoria under Round 2 of PUMP. In total, Victorian projects will receive $15.7 million in Commonwealth funding, and $14.6 million in co-contributions from the telco industry.
The 16 projects will deliver more than 800 square kilometres of 4G and 5G new improved coverage, to more than 35,000 homes and businesses.
The peri-urban fringe is where the bush meets the suburbs, creating natural disaster risks for those living and working there. These areas have been historically underserved because of the high cost of deploying infrastructure, difficult terrain, planning challenges and lower population densities.
Natural disasters across Australia have highlighted the need for more reliable mobile services during emergencies, which the Albanese Government is committed to delivering.
The PUMP Round 2 projects were recommended by the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts following a competitive, merit-based process.
The PUMP complements other Albanese Government initiatives to improve telecommunications services across Australia, through the $1.1 billion Better Connectivity Plan for Regional and Rural Australia.
