In the efforts to improve regional telecommunications resilience and keep mobile towers operating during natural disasters, the Western Australian Government has secured funding for 141 mobile network upgrades across the state. 

“Tropical Cyclone Seroja and bushfires over the summer period have reinforced the need to improve resilience in our telecommunications network,” Regional Development Minister Alannah MacTiernan said. 

“While telecommunications is a Federal responsibility, our Government’s funding contribution has ensured WA gets its fair share of this important program.” 

Last year, the WA Government committed a co-funding of $988,000 that will support applications of Round 2 of the Australian Government’s Mobile Network Hardening Program. 

Under the Mobile Network Hardening Program, 544 mobile tower upgrades were awarded nationally. 141, or 26 per cent, of these tower upgrades were done in Western Australia – 79 with Optus, 61 with Telstra and one with TPG. 

Solutions to the regional telecommunications issues included battery and power system upgrades, permanent generators, 20 portable generators for positioning at regional towns and supplementary battery modules at strategic hubs. 

The new upgrades are said to help maintain transmission links to base stations downstream for up to 20 hours, even during power outages at the hub base station. 

In Round 1 of the Mobile Network Hardening Program, the Western Australian Government was able to secure 108 of the 467 sites funded nationally or 23 per cent of total sites. 

The program delivered additional batteries, with at least 12 hours of backup power for mobile base stations established under Rounds 1 and 2 of the Mobile Black Spot Program. 

The rollout of the additional batteries was completed in June 2021. 

“We are committed to working with our regional communities to deliver innovative telecommunications solutions that can help save lives during an emergency,” Minister MacTiernan said. 

Source: Government of Western Australia Media Release

Eliza Sayon

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Eliza is a content producer and editor at Public Spectrum. She is an experienced writer on topics related to the government and to the public, as well as stories that uplift and improve the community.

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