The Andrews Labor Government is helping local business and communities get better mobile coverage, thanks to the rollout of more than 200 mobile base stations around the state.
The 200th station was recently activated in Knowsley, east of Bendigo, improving reception in and around the community for residents, businesses and tourists. Other stations constructed in the rollout of the first 200 includes bases at Dereel, Maude, Teesdale, Steiglitz and Cape Clear.
It comes as the locations for the upcoming construction of an extra 41 stations are revealed, with a new mobile base station to be constructed at Grenville and Elaine.
Member for Buninyong Michaela Settle said upgrading reception in Grenville and Elaine and hundreds of areas across Victoria will improve safety by allowing people to contact emergency services in more locations.
Since 2014, the Labor Government has invested $56 million to improve mobile coverage around the state. This investment secured the build of 243 new mobile base stations in areas with poor or no mobile coverage across the state, providing improved mobile coverage across 7,000 square kilometres.
In November the Government committed a further $300 million through the Digital Future Now initiative, to help more regional Victorians get connected. Over the next six years the Victorian Government will make mobile coverage better in more than 1,000 places across Victoria by building new mobile infrastructure.
Digital connectivity will be a core part of the state’s economic recovery, with the Government committed to improving online access to as many people as possible.
Quotes attributable to Member for Buninyong Michaela Settle
“We all deserve to have reliable mobile coverage – and the Andrews Government is investing to help connect regional and rural communities including Grenville and Elaine.”
“While we have a mobile network in Victoria that covers 99 per cent of our population, we still have gaps in many places so when you’re out and about phone calls drop out, reception can be weak, and you may not have access to data services.”
“Getting rid of black spots also makes communities much safer when natural disasters like bushfires and floods hit.”
“Reliable mobile coverage is so important for regional communities because it helps regional Victoria attract more people to live, work and visit.”
“These investments open the door for more of the state’s workers to live in regional Victoria, because they’ll be able to connect with people from around the world.”
