Two Telstra towers will be installed at Dunkeld and Teelba State School – funded through Round Five of the Federal Government’s Mobile Black Spot Programme – handing the Maranoa region improved digital access, Maranoa MP David Littleproud said.
“I promised before being elected to improve mobile coverage and in the last term I secured 35 new towers. An additional 11 across Maranoa builds on the Federal Government’s commitment to improve connectivity across regional Australia,” Mr Littleproud said.
“The great thing when a mobile tower goes up is that it has a positive effect across different age groups, professions and whatever activities we’re undertaking.
“Having a tower at Teelba State School is going to be of great benefit for teachers, parents and the wider community when it comes to picking kids up and dropping them off, sports practice and downloading learning resources.
“On top of that, people in the Teelba area can call stores in Roma or Surat to order supplies, make business plans, keeping up with the news or contact loved ones.
“The same goes for Dunkeld, bringing the community access to mobile services that are going to transform the very nature of how lives are led and bringing peace of mind to travellers moving through the area.
“Breaks in our communications hinder emergency services, tourism and business – that’s why this program is so important for Maranoa and why I’ve been advocating so hard on this issue.”
The announcement, made by Mr Littleproud, the Minister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts, Hon Paul Fletcher, and Minister for Regional Health, Regional Communications and Local Government, Hon Mark Coulton, comes as more than $836 million is being invested in new mobile infrastructure across the Mobile Black Spot Program’s five rounds.
“More than 77 per cent of the 1047 base stations funded through the first four rounds of the Program are now complete taking us past the 800 mobile base station milestone,” Minister Fletcher said.
Eleven base stations under Round 5 in Maranoa are scheduled to roll out in the coming months and are expected be activated by the end of the year.
“Our Mobile Black Spot program is connecting regional communities and businesses, enabling them to contribute more effectively to our local, regional and national economies,” Minister Coulton said.
More information about the program is available at: communications.gov.au/mbsp.
The Federal Government is contributing a total of $34 million to Round 5 of the Program.
ENDS