Telstra has today announced a new approach to fixing the blackspot issue in Tasmania, affixing small cell mobile boxes to power poles.
The trial will see small cell mobile boxes attached to TasNetwork power poles, providing both mobile voice and broadband coverage to Tasmanians in areas that have been marked as black spots.
The use of power poles negates the need to construct more expensive mobile base stations which Telstra says can cost ‘several hundreds of thousands of dollars’. It’s this cost saving, which delivers Telstra services to smaller communities, as well as areas where building a full base station is classed as uneconomical.
It’s a novel approach, but it works. Telstra CEO Andy Penn said of the launch ‘we’re at the forefront of delivering world class mobile services to Tasmanians, and we’re determined to continue to lead as the development and introduction of 5G technology commences by 2020’.
Telstra will be investing $14.5 million in Tasmania this year on 45 projects which will improve and maintain mobile coverage throughout the state. These projects include building new small cells, as well as upgrading existing base stations.
