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Overview

Under the program, funding is allocated to improve mobile phone coverage on selected regional highways. This program will improve mobile phone coverage to parts of 34 regional highways.

Under the mobile phones on regional highways program, funding was provided to Telstra to improve mobile phone coverage to 62 segments along 34 selected highways. This program was developed in response to concerns raised in the Telecommunications Service Inquiry about mobile phone coverage in regional ares.

The contract with Telstra followed a competitive tender process.

The rollout of services was completed in October 2004. Coverage information for locations where services are operational can be obtained from Telstra Mobile coverage maps page.

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Ongoing provision of services

Under its contract with the Australian Government, Telstra must continue to provide services to each of the lengths of highway for 10 years after they are put in place. Telstra also has a number of other contractual commitments, including reporting in relation to quality of service, an obligation to provide similar services, at similar prices to those offered on the rest of its network, and to offer roaming on each of the sites funded by the Australian Government. The Australian Communications and Media Authority will be responsible for ongoing monitoring of these commitments.

Progress

Following a competitive tender process, Telstra was awarded the $19 million contract to provide improved CDMA mobile phone coverage to segments of 34 regional highways.

The project is due for completion by June 2004.

By the end of June 2003, 22 of the 62 highway lengths had been commissioned.

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Frequently asked questions

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List of highways

New South Wales
Barrier Highway; Bruxner Highway; Cobb Highway; Golden Highway; Gwydir Highway; Mitchell Highway; Silver City Highway; Snowy Mountains Highway

Northern Territory
Arnhem Highway; Barkly Highway; Stuart Highway

Queensland
Balonne Highway; Barkly Highway; Capricorn Highway; Carnarvon Highway; Dawson Highway; Flinders Highway; Kennedy Highway; Landsborough Highway; Mitchell Highway; Moonie Highway; Peak Downs Highway; Warrego Highway

South Australia
Barrier Highway; Eyre Highway; Stuart Highway

Tasmania
Lyell Highway; Tasman Highway

Victoria
Cann Valley Highway; Great Alpine Road; Great Ocean Road; Murray Valley Highway; Sunraysia Highway

Western Australia
North West Coastal Highway (Highway 1)

Description of coverage to be provided to the designated regional highways

*Details of the proposed coverage is based on predictions of coverage provided at preferred sites. Where a site cannot be accessed, alternative coverage may be provided.

Note: Maps showing the coverage to be provided are available here.

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Media releases

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• Document ID: 7188 |
• Last modified: 6 February 2008, 1:50pm