Despite the need for improved mobile coverage in Paddington, Telstra is still unable to replace one of three existing mobile towers in the area because of an ongoing court case with the Brisbane City Council regarding a proposed mobile tower installation that has dragged on since 2015.
A perceived lack of mobile coverage in the suburb led Telstra to propose a solution to replace one of their existing towers in Paddington to boost coverage in the area. However, the Brisbane City Council declined the proposal and since then, negotiations have dragged. Telstra has now submitted an appeal asking for the court’s intervention, so that a decision can be made on the tower replacement issue.
The Mobile Black Spot Programme
Telstra’s move to expand and improve their base station coverage comes as a result of a $486-million dollar co-investment between the Australian federal government and the telecommunication company under the government’s Mobile Black Spot Programme (MBSP). The said programme started in 2013 as an election commitment to extend mobile phone coverage and industry competition in remote, regional, and outer metropolitan areas.
“Under the Mobile Black Spot Programme we will be delivering expanded 3G/4G mobile coverage to 577 locations across the nation, bringing a range of new benefits to these rural and regional communities,” Brendon Riley, Telstra’s COO said in an interview with ARN late last year.
Two rounds of government funding have already been released under the MBSP. Under the first round, Telstra’s upgrade will cover 429 locations across the country. A further 128 base stations are included in the second round. Paddington’s proposed mobile tower replacement is supposed to be part of the roll-out schedule under the MBSP.
Not an Isolated Case
This isn’t the first time that matters have been taken to court between Telstra and the local city councils. Previous instances include cases with the Councils in Broken Hill City and Koonorigan over the building of mobile towers in those areas.
Telstra has kept mum on the Paddington issue until a court decision is made.
Photo credit: CC-BY/Public Domain Photography/Flickr