Mobile black spots covered in NT and WA

Mobile black spots in remote areas of the Northern Territory and Western Australia have been covered, thanks to separate projects from Optus and the WA government.

Optus has announced plans to deploy small cells providing coverage over Optus satellites to 12 remote NT locations, including locations such as Curtin Springs that are not currently served by mobile networks.

Small cells will be also deployed between selected locations from Katherine to Uluru along the Stuart Highway, such as popular roadhouses and check-in locations.

The small cells are capable of delivering mobile coverage around and up to 3 km radius, depending on the topography of the area.

“This initiative is about delivering a choice in mobile services for workers and residents in and around these key locations, and enabling a ‘check-in’ capability for passing traffic such as travelling workers, truckies and tourists,” Optus Networks Acting Managing Director Dennis Wong said.

“The use of small cells allows for the efficient provision of telecommunications services in difficult and often costly locations. While quite common in highly populous CBDs, we believe this is an excellent way to deploy this type of technology to deliver services to areas that are remote and geographically challenging.”

He said the initiative follows a successful trial of small cell technology in Oodnadatta in remote South Australia.

The Western Australian government has meanwhile announced that it has funded the construction of a new mobile tower to provide coverage for around 80 km of the Great Eastern Highway between Southern Cross and Coolgardie, which was previously a mobile black spot.

WA Commerce Minister Michael Mischin said the new Boorabbin tower was funded as part of the state government’s $85 million Royalties for Regions program.

The Boorabbin National Park along the highway is a popular location to view the unique native trees and wildflowers in the ecologically significant Great Western Woodlands. The Great Eastern Highway is also the primary road for people travelling between Kalgoorlie-Boulder and Perth, and this tower will provide improved coverage and peace of mind for motorists,” he said.

“The new connectivity will make it easier for families to keep in touch, ensure motorists feel safer and better equipped, and improve emergency service response times.”

Image courtesy of Nahid Hossain under CC