An Optus mobile base station is coming to Memerambi – funded through Round Five of the Federal Government’s Mobile Black Spot Programme – handing the community improved access to the digital world, 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.
“Boosting digital connectivity at Memerambi means the people living in this community are in a stronger position to manage daily life activities – whether it’s a telehealth appointment with a GP, making banking transactions with SMS security or staying in touch with family and friends further afield.
“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 Programme’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.
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