Tedious Telstra tower troubles turn townsfolk tetchy

A GROUP of Maiden Gully residents led by Lockwood ward by-election candidate Ajay Mishra have demanded urgent network upgrades and critical infrastructure investment across the area – with a particular focus on its “extremely poor mobile and internet coverage”.

“Poor network coverage is crippling local businesses, putting pressure on emergency services, and leaving our community disconnected when it matters most,” Mr Mishra claimed.

“I cannot believe that in 2026 we’re still struggling with basics such as mobile network coverage and reliable internet connectivity.

“Ratepayers of the Lockwood ward deserve far greater value from their investment.”

CFA Maiden Gully Captain Holly Franchina agreed, commenting that “Telstra’s mobile network in the Maiden Gully area is poor and often non-existent – putting residents at risk, especially during emergencies when the residents miss out on emergency notifications”.

Meanwhile, Maiden Gully Progress Association Secretary Andrew Trotter claimed that the single biggest impediment to daily life in Maiden Gully is “the poor connectivity to the Telstra network”.

“It’s essential we get new towers for the current population as well as the future population,” he said.

In response, a Telstra spokesperson admitted that “mobile coverage in Maiden Gully needs to improve”.

“The area is experiencing significant growth, and our network has not kept pace with increased demand,” they said.

“We’re working closely with the local council and have identified Maiden Gully as a priority for future investment.”

The spokesperson recommended several workarounds for the time being.

They said mobile customers who can still access a fixed internet connection like NBN or satellite can activate Wi-Fi Calling, which allows their phone to use Wi-Fi to make and receive calls for free.

They also encouraged business owners to talk to their bank about connecting EFTPOS terminals to their NBN (if available) or fixed Wi-Fi connection.

They added that places where a customer can’t connect to a Telstra mobile network, any calls to Triple Zero will automatically divert to any other mobile network available.

Voting for the Lockwood ward by-election, which was triggered by the snap resignation of Cr John McIlrath in November last year, closes at 6pm on Friday 27 March.