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Yachties find better mobile coverage in Whitsunday

by TetraMedia on 17 Sep 2007
Whitsunday Regattas Sail-World.com /AUS http://www.sail-world.com
Over the years Yachting Officials and Media involved with the major sailing regattas in the Whitsundays knew where the ‘black spots’ existed, which prevented mobile phone and wireless broadband reception.

However this year they discovered there has been a major improvement in communications with the installation of additional Telstra Next G™ mobile phone base stations and extra capacity. There are now three new Next G™ sites on Hayman Island, Brampton Island and South Molle Island.

Denis Thompson, Race Director for 2007 Meridien Marinas Airlie Beach Race Week and 2007 Audi Hamilton Island Race Week reported a major improvement. ‘Even with CDMA, up until this year we used to have major problems with phone reception on Pioneer Bay off Airlie Beach and Catseye Bay off Hamilton Island but reception was brilliant this year with Next G™.

'Communications are very important for race management. We use both VHF radio and mobile phones if we can. This year our Next G™ phones allowed us to work much more efficiently.’

Media Director at the Airlie Beach regatta Rob Kothe explained 'I have been using a CDMA phone for the last five years in the Whitsundays. This year I was carrying two phones, my trusty CDMA and a new Next G™ phone. Up near Double Cone Island, I could get no reception on my old phone, but the NextG™ phone reception was perfect.

‘Using Next G™ modems in our laptops we were able to upload images and news off the water, over near Cid Island, down towards Lindeman Island; we’ve never been able to do that before. The three new base stations have produced a major improvement. For years sailors on the Whitsunday charter boat fleets have had difficulty with phone reception. Now catching up with emails or downloading video can be part of the holiday experience.’

Telstra Country Wide® acting Area General Manager for North Queensland Mr Lou Boyle said reliable mobile phone coverage was important to ensure the economic growth of communities in regional and rural areas, while also underpinning and promoting other industries such as tourism.

'Nationally the Next G™ network has 2000 more additional base stations than the CDMA network, with a coverage footprint of over two million square kilometres compared to the CDMA network that covers 1.6 million square kilometres,' Mr Boyle said.

'This is another example of the improved coverage and performance the Next G™ network provides in North Queensland.'

Mr Boyle said Telstra continued to work around the clock to improve coverage, speeds and services on the Next G™ network, so that coverage will be the same or better than CDMA network coverage when the CDMA network closes.
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