5G: Telstra upgrading mobile services in Busselton

You may have noticed your mobile phone signal dropping out over the past week or so. Turns out there’s a good reason for it.

Telstra has started work on a comprehensive upgrade of its mobile base station in Busselton, ushering in improved 4G services and introducing new 5G coverage.

The upgrade started on August 10, and Telstra expects some small dropouts in mobile coverage as a result until August 20. Restoration of full coverage is expected on August 22nd, with the integration of new 5G coverage following shortly after the completion of these works.

Landline services, NBN internet services, and mobile coverage from other providers will remain unaffected by these works. In case of any emergency, calls to Triple Zero from a Telstra mobile device will be automatically rerouted to an operational mobile network to ensure swift access to emergency services.

Boyd Brown, the Regional General Manager for Telstra, said while crews need to work during daylight for safety, they will only be switching off the site when they need to and, and aim to 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 total blackouts to an absolute minimum.

“Telstra does have other mobile base stations located close by in Busselton which may help provide some coverage on the outskirts of town, most of our mobile coverage for this area does come from the Busselton base station so there will be an impact.”

“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.” Mr Brown said.

In the meantime, Telstra suggests turning on Wi-Fi calling if residents have access to a Wi-Fi signal at home or work. This free feature, accessible on most mobile devices, allows your mobile to use a Wi-Fi network to make and receive mobile calls.

For retailers whose EFTPOS equipment uses cellular networks, many EFTPOS terminals can also be connected using fixed line or Wi-Fi/ NBN internet connections. For more information on how to set this up, contact your bank.

“We’re continuing to expand our 5G network across the South West 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 Brown said.

Upon completion of the upgrade, Busselton will join the ranks of over 4,200 Telstra 5G sites across selected regions in more than 400 cities and towns across Australia. 80 per cent of the Australian popultion now has 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 and have a Telstra 5G phone plan, so for some people, that may mean upgrading their current device.