Telecommunications company Optus says people in the Bendigo area will have greater mobile coverage after revealing plans for $2.8 million worth of new infrastructure on Thursday morning.
The company’s regional market manager for Bendigo, Duane Dalton, said three new phone towers were planned for the next 18 months.
These will be constructed at Kangaroo Flat, Maiden Gully and Bendigo Showgrounds.
These are in addition to new infrastructure at Flora Hill and Jackass Flat, announced last September, which will also be built within the next year and a half.
The company is in the process of acquiring land on which to build these towers.
The announcement of the new towers follows the construction of infrastructure at Ironbark, Quarry Hill, Bendigo South and Epsom, and an upgrade at Long Gully.
The new towers are part of a $4.65 million investment by Optus in the Bendigo area.
Mr Dalton said the funding for the three new projects was part of a pledge to spend $1 billion on the network in regional Australia, which was made in July.
“As one of the largest regional centres in Australia, with a thriving local business community and growing population, we know how important fast and effective mobile coverage is to the people of Bendigo,” Mr Dalton said.
The $1 billion investment, announced in July, includes towers built with funding from the federal government’s Mobile Black Spot Program.
However, none of the new sites in Bendigo fall under this program.
The closest Optus black spot site to Bendigo will be a base station at Redesdale, which is scheduled to go online next year.
Telstra has completed base stations at Guildford, Korong Vale and Glenlyon under the program, and another is planned for Denver, near Kyneton.
Optus says it will continue work on upgrades to existing mobile phone infrastructure at Bendigo TAFE, White Hills, Huntly, Epsom, Eaglehawk, Kangaroo Flat and Strathdale.
Source: http://www.bendigoadvertiser.com.au/story/4998224/telco-promises-to-improve-bendigos-4g-coverage/