Regional Victoria is set to be better connected than ever, with the Victorian Government announcing the delivery of 150 mobile phone towers across the state to improve safety, eliminate black spots and enhance digital connections.
Victorian Minister for Jobs, Innovation and Trade Martin Pakula visited a tower site in Thorpdale in the Latrobe Valley to confirm the milestone and demonstrate the Victorian Government’s commitment to getting on with the job of better connecting our regions.
The towers are a result of the Government’s involvement in the Mobile Black Spot Program (MBSP) and will give tens of thousands of regional residents across the state access to better 3G and 4G coverage.
The MBSP is partly funded by the Victorian and Commonwealth governments with co-contributions by Optus, Telstra and Vodafone.
Since 2014, the Victorian Government has committed more than $55 million to construct 224 new mobile towers in regional Victoria, brought to life through a number of funding rounds and working with multiple carriers.
In March 2019 it was announced that the Victorian Government would partner with the Federal Government to build a further 30 new mobile towers across regional Victoria – eliminating black spots, boosting coverage and improving safety for local communities.
Through the Government’s Connecting Regional Communities Program, connectivity is being boosted across regional Victoria through free public Wi-Fi in Bendigo and Ballarat, high-speed broadband in Morwell and repeaters to improve coverage for commuters on regional rail.
Source: Vic Government