Telstra adding 5G coverage in Bomen Park

Media release from Telstra 11th January 2024

Telstra will be upgrading one of its mobile base stations in Bomen Park by adding additional infrastructure to bring 5G services to the area, but the works will require a series of temporary outages or reduction in mobile coverage. The Bomen Park site provides mobile coverage to the industrial park and north along the Olympic Highway.

There will be some temporary impacts to Telstra mobile coverage at various times from Tuesday 23 January to Friday 2 February 2024. While some areas may be without Telstra mobile coverage at times during this period, some customers may still receive overlapping coverage from other nearby mobile base stations.

The first phase of disruptions will occur between 7am on Wednesday 24 January and 5pm on Monday 29 of January. The base station will be off the air during this period.

Disruptions of up to 4 hours per day may be experienced from Wednesday 30 January to Friday 2 February as testing and integration are carried out.

If all goes according to schedule the mobile upgrade will be completed on the 2 of February 2024. Telstra mobile customers may have already received text messages advising of the upcoming work.

Landline services, NBN internet services and mobile coverage from other providers will not be impacted. Any calls to Triple Zero from a Telstra mobile when the site is off air will automatically be diverted to any working mobile network for connection to emergency services.

Telstra Regional General Manager Chris Taylor said while our crews need to work during daylight for safety, we'll only be switching off the site when we need to and have it back on as quickly as possible.

"Where possible we will just be switching off the parts of the tower we are working on, leaving the rest operational. While coverage and capacity will decline during this time, we want to keep the amount of time the site is off air to an absolute minimum," Mr Taylor said.

"There's never a good time to undertake this sort of work but once it is completed, it will mean better mobile services for local residents."

"Telstra does have other mobile base stations which may help provide some coverage, but most of our mobile coverage for this area does come from this base station so there will be an impact."

"As a company, we heavily invest in improving regional connectivity. Over the past seven years to the end of FY23, Telstra invested $11 billion in our mobile network nationally, with $4 billion of this invested in our regional mobile network."

Tips for improving connectivity while works are underway

For mobile coverage in the interim, if residents have access to a Wi-Fi signal at home or at work, Telstra encourages residents to activate Wi-Fi calling. This is a free setting on most popular mobile phones and allows your mobile to use a Wi-Fi network to make and receive mobile calls. To find out more they can google Telstra WiFi calling or just search in your settings icon on your phone.

We know many businesses use the Telstra network for their EFTPOS terminals. However, Telstra does not operate the EFTPOS network; it is operated by financial institutions. Many EFTPOS terminals can also be connected using fixed line or Wi-Fi/nbn internet connections. Retailers should contact their bank for details on how to switch between these methods to ensure continuous service.

Long term benefits of the site upgrade

The roll out of 5G connectivity for the first time in Bomen Park means businesses and residents with Telstra 5G mobile devices will be able to enjoy a better mobile experience.

"We're continuing to expand our 5G network across location and nationally we're adding new sites to the network every week. Upgrades such as these continue to demonstrate Telstra's ongoing commitment to regional Australia," Mr Taylor said.

Once completed, Bomen Park will join more than 4,900 Telstra 5G sites on-air within selected areas of more than four hundred cities and towns across Australia. 85 per cent of all Australians now having the ability to access to the Telstra 5G network where they live.

For customers wishing to access 5G on the Telstra network, they will need a 5G capable device so for some people, that may mean upgrading their current device.