TELSTRA will be upgrading its mobile base station that services Shute Harbour, to bring upgraded 4G and new 5G coverage to the area.
Mobile services in the area will be temporarily affected from now until August 24, while the upgrade works are underway.
There have already been intermittent outages from August 16 to August 17.
Telstra 5G delivers increased capacity, which means more consistent speeds, smoother streaming and typically faster download times, a Telstra spokesperson said.
Delivering 5G to the area will also help boost the area’s existing 4G performance.
Telstra’s Regional General Manager for Northern Queensland Rachel Cliffe said:
“We know how important mobile connectivity is for Australians, whether you’re in the city or the country.
“Bringing 5G to the area is a major mobile milestone.
“It will deliver higher speeds and capacity to the region, meaning faster downloads, smoother streaming and less congestion.
“Some disruption is required while the upgrade is underway.
“But we’ll only be switching off the site when we need to, and will have it back online and working better than ever as quickly as possible.”
Temporary disruptions:
Telstra mobile customers will receive texts advising of the upcoming work.
Landline services, NBN internet services, Starlink, satellite and mobile coverage from other providers will not be impacted.
The site will need to be switched off during the following periods:
August 18 – August 21 (site offline)
August 22 – August 24 (intermittent outages).
Tips for improving connectivity while works are underway:
Telstra customers can continue to make calls and send texts during disruption to mobile services by switching on Wi-Fi Calling.
This is a free setting on most popular mobile phones and allows your mobile to make and receive mobile calls while connected to Wi-Fi.
We also encourage business owners talk to their bank about connecting their EFTPOS terminals to their NBN or Wi-Fi connection, to prevent delays in processing transactions.
