Mobile Black Spot Program Round 8—Project Noticeboard

Maranoa constituents living in the Crows Nest area cannot receive 4G or 5G. Telstra have advised there is no immediate program to upgrade infrastructure/mobile towers.

Constituents have been informed by Telstra if they received 3G coverage prior to closure, this would be classed as fortuitous coverage (after they were informed nothing would change with 4G/5G).

This is becoming a safety issue for rural landowners.

To install small mobile phone infrastructure that will support travellers in key locations along the Donohue Highway, known as the Outback Way - Australia's longest shortcut.

This stretch of highway is over 276 kilometres long and is subject to extremes either of temperature -up to high 40's in summer and flooded creek crossings during monsoon rains.

The road is a key thoroughfare for heavy vehicle transport and tourists with caravans etc. which at present has no mobile coverage.

Residents of Yeppoon and surrounding localities are impacted by significant lack of mobile phone coverage. Many are reporting inability to obtain service within their homes and businesses.

The Capricorn Coast region is in an area which has the potential to be affected by cyclones (the most recent being Cyclone Marcia) and more recently, was impacted by the Black Summer Bushfires.

The region is experiencing significant population growth and this is placing further strain on the already severely depleted coverage.

Livingstone Shire Council is supportive of further improvements.

Residents have contacted our office on multiple occasions due to poor mobile coverage which hinders residents, businesses and is a safety issue.

The township is located only 32 kilometres from the centre of Cairns and has road traffic of around 20,000 vehicles a day on the Bruce Highway.

We have been advised that local businesses and residents have spent thousands of dollars trying to fix the issue to no avail.

The community of Yarrabah struggles with a lack of reliable mobile phone coverage. Lack of coverage means that residents with medical issues are unable to attend telehealth appointments, meaning they must make a 100 kilometre round trip to Cairns to access services.

The lack of coverage also puts a strain on local health care providers with additional costs of transporting patients. We have heard that the service is so intermittent that the local health service cannot even access patient records online.

We have heard that calls often do not go through, and text messages do not arrive on time. This is also a safety hazard in the event of emergencies.

Mission Beach is a coastal town which is becoming the epicentre of infrastructure expansion with the investment of the boating facility and the recent purchase of Dunk Island.

This mobile black spot is the range into Mission Beach which little to intermittent service. This path is also greatly trafficked by cassowaries - in the event of either driver or wildlife collisions there is little to no mobile service.

Mobile reception is critical for business operations and economic growth of the region – many more people are working from home post pandemic in rural areas.

Many constituents in this region have experienced a loss in mobile reception following the 3G switch off – reliable coverage is essential for emergency management for the safety of locals and visitors alike.

Cowley Beach experiences little to no mobile services. The average age of the residents in Cowley is 70+ and if constituents need medical service or any other emergency service, they must leave their homes and go to the beach front to make a phone call.

During very likely weather events that occur in FNQ, Cowley residents are unable receive warnings by SMS on Severe storm/cyclones/fire via our mobiles so are ill-advised to take the recommended precautions.

Other important factors to consider for phone reception for this area include: big tourism populations, recurrent Army training presence, major banana farming region and highway crash zone.

A Telstra Tower was built in Injinoo Community which greatly improved mobile coverage. However, this only provides limited coverage to some parts of the Umagico community, with the majority only receiving limited outdoor coverage. 

A small cell tower is needed in Umagico to provide coverage to the community.

Blackspot exists in Greenlands 4380 along Texas Road and includes the Mallow RFS Station. Area was hit by bushfires in October 2023, several industry businesses, tourism and school in the area.

A constituent lives 25 kilometres from Nanango, her husband has a medical condtion and they live in a 4G/5G blackspot. They use an internet provider for WiFi calling but if the power goes out this does not work. The landline has not worked for efficiently since November 2024.

Investigate possibility to improve the mobile service west of Dalby, from West of the Condamine river at Springvale through to Macalister.

Arrow Energy have made landholders in the area aware that they have installed significant fibre optic infrastructure that telecommunication providers could utilise.

The erection of two mobile phone towers in the South Burnett:

1. Mount Mowbullan (Bunya Mts) QLD-1505
   
   [Regional Priority—South Burnett and Cherbourg] Bunya Mountains
   
   Some limited coverage interspersed with sections of three carrier and two carrier black spots. Significant tourism area for South Burnett with active farming businesses along the affected route.
2. Boondooma Dam QLD-0528
   
   [Regional Priority- South Burnett and Cherbourg] Boondooma Dam and surrounds.
   
   Telstra black spot at the dam and black spot for Optus and Vodafone in sections from Proston.

This area is a blackspot, presenting a safety issue for residents who are often unable to call emergency services. Glenwood is an extremely decentralised community, located 30 minutes drive away from the closest regional towns and emergency services.

Many residents report a drop in mobile coverage following the 3G shut down.

The majority of the resident population live on acreage and can be cut off for days when local roads are underwater during flood events. The proposal to improve coverage is supported by the Fraser Coast Regional Council, Fraser Coast Tourism, and the residents of Glenwood and surrounding communities.

This area is a black spot, presenting a safety issue for thousands of workers, businesses, and residents and visitors who use boat ramps and camping spots. The Tuan Mill, one of Queensland’s largest timber mills, processes around 70 truckloads of logs daily.

The Cooloola Coast Road is heavily trafficked and used as an alternative route when the Bruce Highway is closed. The area is also subject to flooding and becomes cut off. The proposal to improve coverage is supported by the Fraser Coast Regional Council, Fraser Coast Tourism, the Tuan Mill, and the contractors and small businesses who traverse the area.

The lack of mobile phone coverage at Teewah Beach has been raised as a serious safety issue given there are an estimated 200,000 visitors each year. Much of Teewah Beach is a designated road. The area is isolated and popular with recreational fishers and campers. There have been numerous incidents of vehicle rollovers, drownings, and other tragedies where emergency services were unable to be contacted due to lack of mobile phone service.

The proposal is supported by the Cooloola Coast Chamber of Commerce, Gympie Regional Council, Noosa Shire Council, and regional emergency services.

This Highway is heavily trafficked by locals and tourists; Cairns and the Tablelands are major tourism hubs. The Tichum Creek area (Mareeba area) is a Tourist Site on this particularly treacherous stretch of road which includes a large overtaking lane where accidents frequently occur.

No mobile service only exacerbates this danger. The black spot continues along the highway towards Cairns, with another overtaking lane (near Kanervo Road) having no reception.

This area experiences significant riverine flooding (14 moderate-high flood levels since 2000) posing a serious threat to safety. Kildonan Road is a dedicated tourist route serving three reserves popular for camping.

Reliable connectivity is crucial for warning campers of impending flood rises, mitigating risk and enabling timely evacuations. The road has eight steep creek crossings that become impassable during floods, frequently stranding motorists.

Improved coverage allow stranded individuals to call for assistance. Furthermore, improved coverage would benefit surrounding intensive agricultural area and the nearby Toomelah Aboriginal Settlement.

This rural area, bordering state forest and used for broadacre cropping, experiences poor reception impacting residents, especially during emergencies. Fire events in 2022, 2023 highlight the critical need for communication; residents were unable to contact each other or emergency services.

Emergency alerts were sent to residents and were unreliable whether they were received or not. Improved coverage would also benefit traffic on the Cunningham (Annual Average Daily Traffic of 1118 vehicles) and Gore Highways (AADT of 1615 vehicles). Existing towers to the east and south, and potentially local forestry infrastructure (fire towers), could be used.

The lack of coverage creates a dangerous situation on these important highways, particularly the flash flood prone stretch of Burnett Highway with multiple trap points. The area is also a high accident and fatigue zone, with no emergency services radio coverage. There was loss of life and serious endangerment during ex-tropical Cyclone Seth in January 2022, with motorists unable to call for emergency assistance or receive warnings of potential flood events. Farm and rural safety would also benefit from mobile coverage in this area. The proposal is supported by Deb Frecklington MP, Gympie Regional Council, and emergency services.