Great news! Residents of Dereel and surrounds can now access 3G and 4GX mobile coverage as Telstra delivers on the Federal Government’s Mobile Black Spot programme.
Golden Plains Shire Council has a strong history of lobbying for improved mobile coverage, especially considering the fire prone nature of the Shire and particularly areas like Dereel.
Dereel was announced as eligible for funding and a base station in 2015 as part of Round 1 of the Mobile Black Spot Programme. Round 1 stations were scheduled to be rolled out over a three year period, with the sequence determined by the telco companies.
Golden Plains Shire Council Mayor Helena Kirby said, “Council is very pleased that Dereel and surrounds now have good mobile coverage, particularly before the 2018 fire season commences.
“We had called on the Federal Government to make Dereel coverage a priority because of the danger fire poses in the region,” Mayor Kirby said.
Now the base station is activated, Telstra is informing the community that the new site is undergoing rigorous testing and monitoring to optimise the new services. At times, this may result in some disruption to the new coverage in the first few weeks. The network will stabilise once the configuring and optimisation is completed.