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”.<\/p>\n
“Poor network coverage is crippling local businesses, putting pressure on emergency services, and leaving our community disconnected when it matters most,” Mr Mishra claimed.<\/p>\n
“I cannot believe that in 2026 we’re still struggling with basics such as mobile network coverage and reliable internet connectivity.<\/p>\n
“Ratepayers of the Lockwood ward deserve far greater value from their investment.”<\/p>\n
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”.<\/p>\n
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”.<\/p>\n
“It’s essential we get new towers for the current population as well as the future population,” he said.<\/p>\n
In response, a Telstra spokesperson admitted that “mobile coverage in Maiden Gully needs to improve”.<\/p>\n
“The area is experiencing significant growth, and our network has not kept pace with increased demand,” they said.<\/p>\n
“We’re working closely with the local council and have identified Maiden Gully as a priority for future investment.”<\/p>\n
The spokesperson recommended several workarounds for the time being.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
They also encouraged business owners to talk to their bank about connecting EFTPOS terminals to their NBN (if available) or fixed Wi-Fi connection.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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 […]<\/p>\n