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Telstra fails … again

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Mobile phone services went down in Coen, Laura and Lakeland last week, prompting criticism of Telstra ahead of the wet season, when telecommunications struggle to cope with the heavy rainfall.

Travellers were left with no mobile reception between Cooktown and Weipa as a result of the outage, which Telstra said lasted around 30 hours.

“On Tuesday there was a technical issue at the Freshwater Telephone Exchange, causing a loss of 3G and 4G Telstra mobile coverage at a number of locations,” Telstra regional general manager Rachel Cliffe said.

“A new part was required and was delivered to the site the next day, with Telstra technicians restoring services around lunchtime.

“Telstra apologises to those customers impacted during this time and will keep an eye on the site to make sure it continues to operate properly.”

Cooktown customers have also been complaining about slow 4G speeds, an issue Telstra says it is aware of.

“Telstra currently has three mobile base stations in Cooktown but we are aware that Telstra 3G and 4G mobile services are running slower than usual at the moment,” Ms Cliffe said.

“The main reason is increased demand on our network due to the high level of tourists in the area.

“We are currently planning upgrades for some existing sites and also adding a new small cell base station at the Cooktown Hospital.

“This should improve coverage and capacity in the area.

“Some community consultation has already occurred and barring unforeseen circumstances, the hospital site is expected to be operational by Christmas and the upgrades by the end of February next year.”

Cape York Weekly 19 October 2021

This article appeared in Cape York Weekly, 19 October 2021.

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