KING Island is on track for significantly upgraded mobile phone service with the commissioning of the new Naracoopa mobile site tower.
Meanwhile, there have been mixed reactions to the switching on of the tower.
Some in Naracoopa on the Esplanade are delighted as they now have mobile coverage which includes 5G, while others still do not have improved coverage.
Telstra has advised that while the new mobile site has been built and switched on, it is still in the testing and commissioning stage.
“The Naracoopa mobile base station has been switched on recently and Telstra will continue to be doing testing and final commissioning of the new site over the coming weeks,” Telstra Regional General Manager for Tasmania, Michael Patterson, said.
“Mobile coverage can be impacted by a variety of factors, including the type of device being used, the distance from a tower, terrain (hills and valleys), tall trees, built infrastructure and if external antennas or boosters are being used,” he said.
The brand-new mobile coverage is part of the $9.8 million investment co-funded by Telstra, King Island Council, the Tasmanian Government, and the Federal Government as part of the Regional Connectivity program.
It is expected that when completed the project will provide up to six times more bandwidth and capacity onto the island, allowing for greater speeds and more capacity to do business, education and provide for HD services such as video calling.
The project aims to improve mobile coverage, boost local capacity, data speeds and strengthen network resilience and deliver new connections.
The program on King Island promised a substantial upgrade with a new radio link between Cape Wickham and Victoria over Bass Strait.
The King Island Council has committed $830,000 of ratepayers’ funds to the project, the Commonwealth contributed $5.4 million and the State Government $1 million.’
Telstra will close their 3G network in June 2024 and says if needed, it’s time to plan your migration.
“In relation to 3G, while there are over 1700 devices using the 4G network on King Island, there are only 26 devices that only use the 3G network. These may be a combination of mobile phones, point-of-sale devices or equipment sensors.
“Telstra first announced our impending 3G network closure in October 2019. However, before we close the 3G network, we will expand our 4G network, so it provides equivalent coverage to 3G today. So, if people on the island only receive 3G coverage, they should be able to receive 4G coverage by June next year,” he said.