Over $1 million invested to eliminate mobile blackspot
Sharing your next sunset photo just got a lot easier thanks to Optus delivering much needed coverage and connectivity to Cape Tribulation in North Eastern Queensland by partnering with the Commonwealth and Queensland Government as part of Round 2 of the Federal Governments Mobile Black Spot Program.
Optus took its site deployment measures to new heights when it used a helicopter to assist with assembling the infrastructure needed for the 50 metre high tower, located along Cape Tribulation Road. The tower has been designed to withstand tropical weather conditions and has been built with directional antenna in order to maximise coverage in the area, even out to sea.
Over $1 million has been invested into this site, with Telstra co-locating and contributing towards the investment, representing the spirit of industry collaboration and co-location as part of the Mobile Black Spot Program.
Optus Territory General Manager for Central and Far North Queensland Dave Morrissey said, Cape Tribulation is a slice of paradise and now with much needed mobile coverage, visitors will have no choice but to extend the duration of their stay.
We know how important access to reliable mobile coverage is for those living and working across regional Australia, and right now it is more critical than ever. There certainly is no shortage of things to experience and memories to make in Cape Tribulation, which is why we are thrilled to not only be enabling greater safety for those in the area with access to vital communications, but also helping to facilitate means of staying in contact with family and friends.
We have taken every precaution when deploying this site to minimise impacts to the surrounding environment by taking a proactive approach and using a helicopter to assemble parts of the tower.
Considering the easing restrictions around domestic travel in parts of the country as well as with the weather starting to warm up, we know more people will be looking forward to heading north. Customers will be pleased to know that thanks to this new site, they can now capture and share their adventures even faster.
Minister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts, the Hon Paul Fletcher MP, said Our highly successful $380 million Mobile Black Spot Program has committed $57 million in Queensland alone, delivering more than 240 new mobile base stations, including in Cape Tribulation.
This is another great example of the telcos working together with the Government to maximise mobile coverage in regional and remote Australia, keeping local businesses, families and tourists connected.
Minister for Regional Health, Regional Communications and Local Government, the Hon Mark Coulton MP said through Federal Government investment in the Mobile Black Spot Program, more than 880 base stations have been switched on across Australia, providing much needed mobile coverage in areas where it would otherwise not be commercially viable.
We continue to invest in the program, to ensure residents and visitors in remote parts of the country such as Cape Tribulation can access vital communications services for safety, checking in with family and friends, sharing content or conducting business, Minister Coulton said.
Federal Member for Leichhardt Warren Entsch MP said todays switch on was fantastic news for those living at Cape Tribulation as well as the wider Daintree community.
Telecommunications is a vital aspect of modern life and it is great to see residents and visitors now have the same mobile access as those living in larger towns and cities, Mr Entsch said.
This is also great news for local tourism given that visitors to the region expect to be able to share their experiences on social media and online as they travel.
Optus customers wanting to raise an issue with the Optus mobile network - such as congestion or an outage - can now simply pin their location via a new crowd sourced network platform on Optus website called Network Experience Maps, for real time investigation. To view the new Network Experience Maps, click here
