Frustrated Jindera residents are calling on to take action to improve phone reception in the town. or signup to continue reading Talks commenced in July 2022 for Telstra to co-locate its infrastructure with the Optus switched on at Jindera Recreation Reserve in 2018. granted approval for the works early in 2024, but concerns have been raised that no progress has been made since.
Jindera resident Peter Davison said he regularly commuted between Jindera and Howlong on Road and had no phone reception. He recalled passing a traffic incident on the road in 2023 and could not phone it in. "I don't want to watch videos between here and Howlong, I want to make phone calls, and we can't.
It's impossible," he said. "The community is annoyed. We hear about 5G in the cities and we just want to make phone calls, I don't care about how quickly I can watch a video.
"It's as weak as water. "It's the 21st century and it's a basic service these days. It's not the 1940s where the phone was a luxury.
" had expected construction to commence in January or February this year. "Way back in July 2022, the council was approached by the BMM Group, who were acting on behalf of Telstra, to investigate co-locating with Optus on their tower in Jindera at the recreation reserve," she said. "We're still here two-and-a-half years later without that co-location happening, and the service is therefore not improving.
"For people in Jindera, it isn't too bad, but move out a couple of kilometres, and you've got no service." Cr O'Neill said struggling to contact emergency services was a concern, as well as being able to accommodate Jindera's population growth. "In Greater Hume, we promote people moving into the shire and working from home, but this restricts a lot of that," she said.
"It's genuinely frustrating for all those people out of the Jindera village. "Telephone companies have to be well aware that Jindera and the surrounding areas are expanding rapidly. They have to keep up and provide a service that people are happy with.
"It's needed as soon as possible. This co-location has been approved for more than six months, and people are looking forward to it. "It would be good for Telstra to explain why it hasn't happened in the time it was promised.
" said work was under way to finalise the building plan and expected an updated timeline for the project to be made available "very soon". "Our 4G and 5G coverage is available in and around Jindera, but we're planning to move our existing mobile infrastructure to another site to also deliver broader coverage to the surrounding area," he said. "We know better coverage is important to the community, and we're working to deliver that to them as quickly as possible.
"A number of logistical factors affect when a site can be built." Farrer MP Sussan Ley said the had reported more issues with telecommunication than any others in her electorate. "My office helped with approval to co-locate their mobile cells on this Optus tower and we thought it would be a simple matter, now we're told it might not happen until 2026," she said.
"This community deserves better. It doesn't matter whether you need internet for your kid's homework, for that emergency phone call, for a farmer down the paddock or for country people who are always out on country roads ..
. we have to have much better than we're receiving. "We really want action.
" Mr Taylor said Telstra customers at Jindera could improve mobile coverage by using wi-fi calling or an external aerial or phone booster for their home or vehicle. "Any calls to Triple Zero from a Telstra mobile if there is no Telstra coverage will automatically be diverted to any working mobile network in the area for connection to emergency services," he said. "We also encourage business owners to talk to their bank about connecting their EFTPOS terminals to their NBN or Wi-Fi connection to prevent delays in processing transactions.
" Optus general manager for northern Victoria Matt Connell said the company worked with Telstra across Australia to co-locate services and improve overall coverage. "We've had , particularly in the past five years," he said. "This tower is one of a number right across the region and is in the centre of town, making sure we can get the best coverage possible.
" Mr Connell said Jindera residents could register for a seven-day free trial on the Optus network to compare its coverage to Telstra's offering. Beau Greenway is a journalist at The Border Mail. He likes to tell the stories of great people in our communities.
Email: [email protected].
au Beau Greenway is a journalist at The Border Mail. He likes to tell the stories of great people in our communities. Email: beau.
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