OPTUS SWITCHES ON 50TH MOBILE BLACK SPOT IN PARAWA

Provides dedicated mobile coverage to the community of Parawa in South Australia

Optus has switched on its 50th Mobile Black Spot Site in Parawa, South Australia as part of the Federal Government’s Program.

The new mobile site was co-funded by Optus and the Federal and South Australian Governments, as part of Round 2 of the Federal Government’s Mobile Black Spot Program and will provide significantly improved mobile reception in the district around Parawa and along Range Road.

Speaking from the new site on Range Road at Parawa, Vin Mullins, Manager Mobile Planning at Optus, praised the tenacity of the local community in pushing for this site to form part of the Government’s Mobile Black Spot Program.

“The Yankalilla Council and community were instrumental in getting this site off the ground, knowing the positive impact dedicated mobile coverage would have on the area. It’s fantastic to be here today with the team to celebrate this milestone. This new tower is great news for the residents and local businesses in and around Parawa and we are proud to have been able to deliver this crucial telecommunications infrastructure for the region.”

“The Government’s lead in the Mobile Black Spot Program, combined with specific regional investment by Optus is certainly being met with a welcome response by rural and remote communities. Today is a significant milestone with Parawa being our 50th mobile black spot site in Australia and 10th to be completed in South Australia since Optus joined the Government’s program. With 76 sites to go we’re working hard to deliver further locations across regional Australia this year.”

Optus, together with the Federal and State Governments will deliver a total of 19 Mobile Black Spot sites across South Australia.

Mayor of Yankalilla District Council Glen Rowlands, said, “As a community we have been waiting for this new tower for many years.

The high producing agricultural region of Parawa has had little to no mobile accessibility until now and I know that this new Optus tower will change the way we live and do business here. Having reliable mobile coverage is critical for Parawa. It will not only provide an additional layer of safety for the community but will also help drive revenue for local businesses as well as providing coverage for tourists wishing to highlight the natural beauty of the region to friends and family back home.”

The Optus facility is located on the corner of Parawa and Range Roads. 

“We remain committed to investing in providing communities and townships across Australia with mobile coverage, despite how remote some of these locations may be. Being able to see regional and rural community reap the social and business benefits of dedicated mobile coverage is a real bonus,” added Mr Mullins.

Minister for Regional Services, Senator the Hon Bridget McKenzie, said the Mobile Black Spot Program is delivering much needed new investment in mobile infrastructure across regional Australia to address mobile coverage issues.

“It’s fantastic to see that the program is reaching more and more communities across the country, like Parawa.

“The Mobile Black Spot Program is enabling mobile carriers to service areas like Parawa where it would otherwise not have been economically viable,” said Minister McKenzie.

ABOUT THE MOBILE BLACK SPOT PROGRAM

The Mobile Black Spot Program is a Federal Government initiative to improve and extend mobile phone coverage in regional and remote Australia.

The Federal Government has committed $220 million to this Program, which has been co-invested by State Governments, local governments, businesses, community organisations and telecommunications providers.

As part of the Federal Government’s Mobile Black Spot Program Optus will be co-funding and building a total of 126 mobile sites in black spots across the country, a large number of which are in very remote, parts of Australia. A total of 49 of these sites are now live.

Image: The new Optus Mobile Black Spot Tower in Parawa 

Optus Media contact:
Anna Garcia
Optus Corporate Affairs
(02) 8082 7850
media@optus.com.au