Riddells Creek residents may notice some disruption to Telstra mobile coverage this week, as NBN installs new fixed wireless antennas on Telstra’s 35m high mobile tower located near Sutherlands Road.
Telstra regional general manager, Steve Tinker, said the NBN work would require the mobile base station to be turned off while their technicians were working on the tower.
“To help provide some coverage to the town while our site is off the air, Telstra will be connecting a temporary, trailer-mounted base station with an 11m high pole and antenna at the local exchange, which should provide some coverage to the township,” Mr Tinker said.
“However, due to the lower antenna height, some people located further away from the site may notice a decline or loss of coverage during this time.”
Landline services, NBN internet services and mobile coverage from other providers will not be impacted.
Any calls to Triple Zero from a Telstra mobile that is out of range from Telstra coverage will automatically be diverted to any working mobile network for connection to emergency services.
“For improved mobile coverage in the interim, if residents have access to a wi-fi signal at home or at work, Telstra encourages residents to activate wi-fi calling,” Mr Tinker said.
“This is a free setting on most popular mobile phones and allows your mobile to use a Wi-Fi network to make and receive mobile calls.
“To find out more they can google Telstra wifi calling or just search in your settings icon on your phone.
“We know many businesses use the Telstra network for their EFTPOS terminals. However, Telstra does not operate the EFTPOS network; it is operated by financial institutions.
“Many EFTPOS terminals can also be connected using fixed line or Wi-Fi/nbn internet connections. Retailers should contact their bank for more information and details on how to switch between these methods if they are being impacted.”
Residents may have received text messages from Telstra advising them of the work from late last week.
