FM for Grey, Rowan Ramsey, said outback communication improvement is being acted upon – this after William Creek stranded travelers expressed concern over the lack of mobile phone coverage as well as unreliable landlines.
According to Mr. Ramsey, the Federal Government’s $100 million new mobile phone tower budget commitment will not solve the problem, but he is looking at Australia’s NBN satellites and their potential to facilitate remote mobile phone use, while lobbying for other changes.
He also said that he absolutely agrees that at the moment, landline arrangements there are less than what they should be and that he has had a number of discussions about the situation with Minister and Parliamentary Secretary Paul Fletcher.
He further acknowledged that it is an ongoing issue not just in William Creek, but in a lot of other outback properties that run on these radio phone networks, too.
He is looking at the new NBN satellites and a number of possibilities to use them for backhaul capacity to pave the way for new and more affordable mobile phone platforms.
Article originally published as: NBN satellites may hold key to boosting outback SA communication says MP Rowan Ramsey
Image courtesy of: globalmicrowave.org