OPTUS RAISES THE BAR IN REGIONAL NSW

Central Western New South Wales will have real choice in mobile phone service as a result of the expansion of Optus' GSM mobile network in the region.

Optus Director Business Mobile, Peter Acheson, said that Optus is 'raising the bar' by improving mobile coverage in regional and rural Australia.

"For the first time, Optus has brought its high quality GSM network to Narromine and surrounding areas with eight new Optus mobile base stations. Over the past two years, we have invested more than $5.2 million in Central Western New South Wales. Optus is providing local residents and businesses a real choice for their mobile network supplier," Mr Acheson said.

In addition to the Narromine base station, new sites are located at Bourke, Cobar, Gulgong, Lightning Ridge, Nyngan, Trangie and Warren. All sites recently became operational with the exception of the new Nyngan site which will be operational in June.

"In addition to providing coverage to these towns over the last two years, we have extended coverage on highways between Dubbo and Orange; Dubbo and Parkes; Dubbo and Gilgandra; and Narromine and Parkes - as the highway plays an important part in the daily lives of the local people as well as visitors," he said.

"We do things differently and are challenging the incumbent by providing access to our advanced GSM network to areas outside the cities. And it is through differentiation that places Optus in a good position to deliver competition to regional and rural communities," Mr Acheson said.

With more than 4.4 million mobile customers, a third of the nation's mobile users are on the Optus mobile network.

For further information about Optus' products and services visit Optus' local representative, the Network Communications shop at Shop 3, Riverdale Shopping Centre, Macquarie Street, Dubbo.