The Australian Mobile Black Spots Programme is working to provide new or upgraded mobile base stations across identified areas with lack of advanced coverage. To become part of the program, these locations were nominated by Australians during a public consultation.
Round 1 of the programme will be rolled out before the end of the year, backed by $100 million of funding across 499 stations to be upgraded.
Prime Minister Turnbull, as the former Minister for Communications, is a strong supporter of the programme and announced the outcomes of the programme in Parliament House with then Parliamentary Secretary for Communications, Paul Fletcher.
It is a signature programme supporting a critical need from regional and remote Australia for improved access to mobile services.
OpenGov got exclusive updates from the Australian Department of Communications and the Arts, as to where the programme stands today.
The Government is on track to ensure that initial base stations funded under round 1 of the Mobile Black Spot Programme begin to be rolled out before the end of the year.
The Mobile Black Spot Database remains open for members of the public to nominate further regional locations with poor or no mobile coverage.
Nominations of mobile black spot locations around Australia are to be submitted by December 31st for consideration under Round 2 of the Mobile Black Spot Programme and can be made online at www.communications.gov.au/blackspots.
Round 2 of the programme is expected to operate under similar guidelines as the first round. However, changes may be made after reviewing the results of Round 1. This round of the programme aims to expand its reach to areas with unmet demand in remote Australia.
Round 2 locations to be funded by the programme will be announced by quarter 4 of 2016.
An interactive map of the locations showing the Black Spot Database and Funded Base Stations can be found here.
Further information about the Mobile Black Spot Programme, including information about how to nominate a regional mobile black spot, is available on the Department’s website at www.communications.gov.au/mobile_coverage