Members from local community groups and emergency services joined Walcha councillor Jen Kealey and the regions state and federal MPs at the Walcha Road Hotel yesterday for the official opening of a Telstra mobile base station for the area.
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“I drive this road to and from Walcha a lot and have been constantly frustrated with phone calls dropping out midway through the conversation, Member for Tamworth Kevin Anderson said.
I have been constantly frustrated with phone calls dropping out midway through the conversation
- Kevin Anderson
“This is about providing contact for the many locals who live in the area and for those driving to and from Walcha. Farmers and small business owners rely on modern communications to run their day to day operations, and I have listened to many people frustrated by this black spot.”
Telstra Area general manager Mike Marom said the new mobile base station would bring new and improved coverage to the area up to a 30 kilometre radius.
“This is an important moment for residents, businesses and visitors to Walcha Road who can now make and receive mobile calls as well as access high-speed mobile broadband using Telstra’s latest 3G and 4GX services,” Mr Marom said.
Walcha Road Hotel proprietor Garry Fairley said the new mobile service would have significant advantages for the community.
“For us, it means a big improvement to our EFTPOS because it will run off mobile, and other things like the local doctor, people can ring directly now,” Mr Fairley said.
I said we would get this tower built and now we have
- Barnaby Joyce
Member for New England, Barnaby Joyce, said the Telstra tower is the latest of 37 new and upgraded mobile phone towers being delivered across the New England Electorate under the Liberal-National Government’s $220 million Mobile Black Spot Program.
“I said we would get this tower built and now we have - this is real delivery for the people of New England,” Mr Joyce said.