Joint Media Release with The Hon Michelle Rowland MP, Minister for Communications

The Top Naas area in the Australian Capital Territory will benefit from new and improved mobile coverage following the completion of a new satellite small cell mobile base station under the Australian Government’s $380 million Mobile Black Spot Program.

The Top Naas small cell will provide new and improved connectivity for visitors to the region and our residents where there was previously no mobile coverage. This solution will also enhance protections during emergencies and natural disasters.

The Government’s Mobile Black Spot Program has generated to date a total investment of more than $875 million towards new mobile infrastructure, including co-contributions from the mobile industry, state, territory and local governments and other third parties. This base station was co-funded with Telstra under Round 5 of the Program.

The new mobile base station is one of 1,270 base stations in total now delivered under the Mobile Black Spot Program.

The Australian Government remains committed to further improving connectivity in rural and regional communities through its Better Connectivity Plan. The Plan includes $400 million dedicated to boosting mobile coverage, $200 million for place-based connectivity solutions under the Regional Connectivity Program, $30 million for on-farm connectivity and a national audit of mobile coverage to better identify and target blackspots.

For more information on the Mobile Black Spot Program, including the lists of funded base stations, go to www.infrastructure.gov.au/mbsp.

Quotes attributable to the Minister for Communications, the Hon Michelle Rowland MP 

“The Albanese Government’s Better Connectivity Plan will make a meaningful difference to people who live and work in the electorate of Bean.

“The Mobile Black Spot Program is improving mobile coverage and competition across regional and remote Australia by addressing gaps in mobile coverage for people living, working and travelling in these regions.

Quotes attributable to the Member for Bean, David Smith MP

 “I welcome the Albanese Government’s investment to reduce local coverage gaps, with this particular project supporting visitors to the region, building on other funded projects delivered already that are improving local connectivity.

“The spectacular Brindabella Ranges and Namadgi National Park draws hundreds of visitors every year, including for the annual Fitz’s Challenge – Australia’s toughest hill climbing event – every October. This project will extend mobile coverage throughout the area to ensure visitors remain connected.

“In the electorate of Bean, three base stations have been funded under the Mobile Black Spot Program,  and 14 projects under the Strengthening Telecommunications Against Natural Disasters Program, providing valuable safety, economic and social benefits to our community.

“I encourage local residents/local communities in the electorate of Bean to contact my office if they experience coverage issues so these areas are considered in future government programs”

Quotes attributable to Chris Taylor, Regional General Manager for Telstra:

“Telstra understands how important access to connectivity is in regional communities.

“This new satellite small cell base station will bring about 5km of new Telstra 4G coverage to Top Naas, an area that we know is popular with cyclists and hikers. In emergency situations, this base station will also help provide Triple Zero connectivity for people with mobile devices on other networks when in range.

“Co-investment initiatives like the Mobile Black Spot Program are helping deliver new coverage to many places where it may not have been possible to do so, and Telstra has been an active supporter of this initiative. In fact, once all five rounds of the current blackspot program are completed, Telstra will have invested up to $300 million of our own funding and helped build around 930 new sites in regional Australia.”