Telstra wins tender to upgrade Cherry Gardens' mobile coverage

16 Jul 2021
Cropped tower

Telstra has been selected as the preferred carrier to install 4GX equipment on the NBN tower near the Blackwood Golf Course to improve mobile and data coverage in the Cherry Gardens region.

In a joint announcement today, Federal Member for Mayo Rebekha Sharkie and State Member for Davenport Steve Murray announced a $370,000 contribution towards the upgrade of mobile connectivity in the district.

The funding includes $220,000 from the Federal Government, which Rebekha advocated for in late 2019, and $150,000 from the State Government.

The project went to competitive tender with telecommunication carriers last year with the Minister for Communications Paul Fletcher today announcing Telstra as the successful applicant.

Minister Fletcher said the Federal Government was contributing $220,000 to the upgrade, which will improve the quality of mobile services in what is a particularly vulnerable area.

“Access to reliable communications is vital in times of emergency and natural disasters. This project will deliver better mobile coverage and capacity to residents and emergency services,” Minister Fletcher said.

Federal Member for Mayo Rebekha Sharkie said she was pleased to see the Australian Government investing in the telecommunications resilience of the Mayo region.

"Mobile black spots and digital connectivity issues are important public safety issues for all regional electorates, especially for those communities in my electorate who live in high bushfire risk areas,” Rebekha said.

“Cherry Gardens is in a very high bushfire risk area with patchy mobile coverage and the majority of premises allocated NBN satellite technology.

“However, because it is in a peri-urban area the locality has not been eligible for mobile blackspot funding.

“The Cherry Gardens community has worked together to find a solution to their telecommunication issues and I was pleased to work with them and with the State and Federal Governments to source the funding they needed to install upgraded 4G equipment on the existing NBN tower on a site near the Blackwood Golf Course.

“Once installed, the residents and businesses in Cherry Gardens and the surrounding areas will enjoy the benefits and opportunities that improved mobile connectivity brings.”

Steve Murray MP said the State Government had long-recognised the importance of effective telecommunications infrastructure.

“Mobile phone coverage and connectivity is vital for people living in regional and remote areas and which is why we are pleased to support the upgrade at Cherry Gardens with $150,000 funding from the South Australian Government,” Mr Murray said.

The delivery of the Cherry Gardens project will commence in the coming weeks and is expected to be completed by June 2022.

Photo: Federal Member for Mayo Rebekha Sharkie and State Member for Davenport Steve Murray today announced a $370,000 contribution towards the upgrade of mobile connectivity in the Cherry Gardens district. Federal Communications Minister Paul Fletcher announced that Telstra had won the tender to deliver the project.

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