Federal Member for Dickson Peter Dutton has announced five suburbs in Dickson will receive improved mobile phone coverage if the Coalition is re-elected as part of an additional $60 million commitment to extend the successful Mobile Black Spot Programme.
New mobile base stations in Samford, Dayboro, Cashmere, Wights Mountain and Highvale will bring a much-needed boost to mobile coverage, providing benefits to residents and businesses.
“The Coalition Government understands the importance of mobile coverage in regional and remote areas of Australia. That is why we are committing an additional $60 million on top of the $160 million already invested in mobile black spots, bringing the Coalition’s total investment to $220 million.”
“We have selected these suburbs because they have been overlooked by mobile network operators due to commercial factors. A re-elected Turnbull government will invite mobile network operators to bid for this new funding to provide coverage in the identified locations.
“The Coalition is committed to improving mobile coverage along major transport routes, in small communities and in locations prone to experiencing natural disasters, as well as addressing unique mobile coverage problems such as areas with high seasonal demand.”
“The active cooperation of the industry in the Mobile Black Spots Programme to date has been strong with 499 new or upgraded base stations covering around 3,000 black spots already rolled out under the Coalition Government.”
This is the most significant one-time increase in mobile network coverage to regional and remote Australia delivered by a single public funding programme in the history of mobile communications in Australia.
Following the success of the Coalition’s initial $100 million investment, another $60 million funding round is already under way, with successful locations to be announced by the end of 2016. This means there are further opportunities meet unmet demand improve mobile coverage in Dickson.
“Despite being in Government for six years, Labor did not spend one dollar on fixing mobile black spots in regional and remote Australia.
“The Coalition’s $220 million plan to address mobile black spots will ensure regional and remote communities have access to wider and more reliable mobile phone coverage,” Mr Dutton said.