Optus says it invested over $1 million into the mobile base station site, with Telstra co-locating and contributing towards the investment, “representing the spirit of industry collaboration and co-location as part of the Mobile Black Spot Program”.
Optus Territory General Manager for Central and Far North Queensland Dave Morrissey said, “Cape Tribulation is a slice of paradise and now with much needed mobile coverage, visitors will have no choice but to extend the duration of their stay.”
“We know how important access to reliable mobile coverage is for those living and working across regional Australia, and right now it is more critical than ever. There certainly is no shortage of things to experience and memories to make in Cape Tribulation, which is why we are thrilled to not only be enabling greater safety for those in the area with access to vital communications, but also helping to facilitate means of staying in contact with family and friends.”
“We have taken every precaution when deploying this site to minimise impacts to the surrounding environment by taking a proactive approach and using a helicopter to assemble parts of the tower.”
“Considering the easing restrictions around domestic travel in parts of the country as well as with the weather starting to warm up, we know more people will be looking forward to heading north. Customers will be pleased to know that thanks to this new site, they can now capture and share their adventures even faster.”
Minister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts, the Paul Fletcher, said “Our highly successful $380 million Mobile Black Spot Program has committed $57 million in Queensland alone, delivering more than 240 new mobile base stations, including in Cape Tribulation.”
“This is another great example of the telcos working together with the Government to maximise mobile coverage in regional and remote Australia, keeping local businesses, families and tourists connected.”
Minister for Regional Health, Regional Communications and Local Government, Mark Coulton said through Federal Government investment in the Mobile Black Spot Program, more than 880 base stations have been switched on across Australia, providing much needed mobile coverage in areas where it would otherwise not be commercially viable.
“We continue to invest in the program, to ensure residents and visitors in remote parts of the country such as Cape Tribulation can access vital communications services for safety, checking in with family and friends, sharing content or conducting business,” Minister Coulton said.
Federal Member for Leichhardt Warren Entsch said today’s ‘switch on’ was fantastic news for those living at Cape Tribulation as well as the wider Daintree community.
“Telecommunications is a vital aspect of modern life and it is great to see residents and visitors now have the same mobile access as those living in larger towns and cities.
“This is also great news for local tourism given that visitors to the region expect to be able to share their experiences on social media and online as they travel.”
