Wye River and Teesdale to get better mobile coverage

WYE River and Teesdale are among the towns in Victoria to get better mobile reception under the latest round of the federal government’s Mobile Black Spot Program.

Last week, Minister for Regional Services and Deputy Nationals Leader Senator Bridget McKenzie announced the locations of 32 new base stations in Victoria.

“Reliable and effective mobile communications are a key driver of the enormous contribution that our regions make to Australia’s economic growth,” Senator McKenzie said.

“Greater availability of mobile services is a big deal. It means staying safe in remote areas, keeping in contact with family and friends, unlocking access to online health and education services as well as increased tourism and business opportunities.”

Under Round 4, $21.7 million will be invested in mobile infrastructure in Victoria. This includes $6.5 million funding from the Commonwealth and $5.8 million from the Victorian Government.

Base stations under the first three rounds are scheduled to be operational by June 30. Round 4 base stations are expected to roll out shortly with the first new base stations being activated by the second half of the year.

Senator McKenzie also announced a further $160 million for rounds 5 and 6 of the program last week.

Shadow Minister for Regional Communications Stephen Jones welcomed the extension but said the Mobile Black Spot Program had been “plagued by delays and criticism by regulators”.

“Only 650 of the government’s Round 1 and 2 base stations are operational today – with nearly a quarter yet to become operational.

“A further 116 base stations promised nearly three years ago in the 2016 federal election are yet to be completed.

“One in five of the round one towers didn’t extend coverage.

“Labor is the only party which can be trusted to deliver funding, through merit-based criteria, to regional communities where it delivers the most value.

“There are currently more than 13,000 mobile black spots on the government’s database, and only 1,047 have been promised funding under the program.”