Media Release, 13 March 2018

Telstra launches new site in Mobile Black Spot program

Telstra along with Federal and State government representatives gathered at Kulin to celebrate and acknowledge the importance of new mobile base stations at Kulin West, Bulyee and Wogerlin Hill.

Telstra Area General Manager Boyd Brown said residents, businesses and visitors to these towns, located in the Eastern Wheatbelt region, are now benefitting from new and improved mobile coverage as Telstra’s rollout of the Federal Government’s Mobile Black Spot Program picks up speed.

Mr Brown said the new base stations were among 189 mobile coverage black spots across regional and rural Western Australia benefitting from expanded 3G/4G mobile coverage provided by Telstra through the Federal Government’s Mobile Black Spot Program.

“A new mobile base station is a game-changer in supporting the local residents, farmers and businesses around Kulin West, Wogerlin Hill and Bulyee,” he said.

“The growing use of mobile devices such as smart phones and tablets is changing the way we live and we’re acutely aware of the challenges facing communities living with limited access to a mobile network.”

Mr Brown said the new sites were equipped with 3G and a 4GX service which provides a faster mobile network with more consistent data speeds.

He said the Mobile Black Spot Program encouraged carriers to build mobile infrastructure in remote areas which all carriers can access if they choose.

“This is a great outcome for people living and working in these regional communities,” Mr Brown said.

“The Eastern Wheatbelt is a major agricultural region and we’re proud to be part of this important initiative which is connecting so many more rural communities in this dynamic area.”

Telstra has won an additional 89 sites in the latest Priority Locations round of the Federal Government’s Mobile Black Spot Program. This boosts the total number of Telstra locations across the three rounds of the program to more than 650 sites and represents a total Telstra investment of $260 million.

The Mobile Black Spot Program is co-funded by the Federal Government and the State Government’s Regional Telecommunications Project, which is administered by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development. 

This investment builds on Telstra’s ongoing commitment to providing coverage to regional Australia. On average over the past 10 years, about 15 per cent of Telstra’s mobile network capital expenditure was made in remote and very remote parts of Australia, where about two per cent of the nation’s population lives.

Media contact: Mark Thompson

Media reference number: 030/2018 

About Telstra

Telstra is a leading telecommunications and information services company. We offer a full range of services and compete in all telecommunications markets in Australia, operating the largest mobile and Wi-Fi networks. Globally, we provide end-to-end solutions including global connectivity, cloud, voice, colocation, conferencing and satellite solutions. We have licenses in Asia, Europe and the United States and offer access to more than 2,000 points of presence across the globe. For more information visit www.telstra.com.