NO.042

SPOT MOBILE COVERAGE GOOD NEWS FOR TRAVELLERS

The Treasurer, Mr Peter Costello, today announced Telstra as the successful

tenderer for the $20.4 million Commonwealth Government initiative to provide

improved spot mobile phone coverage on 34 regional highways across the country.

The Treasurer made the announcement at the opening of the Morven Rural Transaction

Centre in Queensland, where the Landsborough and Warrego Highways are among

34 regional highways (see attached list) with little

or no terrestrial coverage to be funded under the $50.5 million Regional Mobile

Phone Program.

The additional mobile phone coverage is good news for local communities and

travellers. The improved spot coverage will help business and holiday travellers

stay connected with family and friends and places of business.

With so many Australians on the road, the Government is committed to providing

improved mobile phone coverage on our major roads and regional highways.

Roads like the Snowy Mountains Highway and the Great Ocean Road have large

volumes of tourist traffic, while other roads such as the Stuart Highway in

the Northern Territory and the Barkly Highway in Queensland cover some very

remote areas. While it is not feasible to provide continuous coverage on many

of these highways, this program will provide `spots’ of coverage that will benefit

both local residents and business and holiday travellers.

Today’s announcement is part of the Government’s response to the Telecommunications

Service Inquiry (TSI), with a total of over $73 million allocated in response

to the TSI to improve mobile phone coverage across regional, rural and remote

Australia with over 200 communities to benefit.

Mobile phone coverage is also being improved on more than 9000kms of national

highways as part of the Commonwealth Government’s $25 million Mobile Phones

on Highways program with Vodafone, with coverage under the program expected

to be completed by the end of 2002. Additionally, $40.5 million has been provided

under the Networking the Nation program to fund 109 mobile phone projects across

Australia.

These initiatives demonstrate the Government’s ongoing commitment to provide

adequate and affordable telecommunications services throughout Australia. Telstra

expects to complete rollout of improved mobile phone coverage on the 34 regional

highways by June 2004.

15 August 2002

HIGHWAYS RECEIVING ADDITIONAL SPOT COVERAGE UNDER

THE $50.5 MILLION REGIONAL MOBILE PHONE PROGRAM

• NEW SOUTH WALES

Barrier Highway; Bruxner Highway; Cobb Highway; Golden Highway; Gwydir Highway;

Mitchell Highway; Silver City Highway; Snowy Mountains Highway

• NORTHERN TERRITORY

Arnhem Highway; Barkly Highway; Stuart Highway

• QUEENSLAND

Balonne Highway; Barkly Highway; Capricorn Highway; Carnarvon Highway; Dawson

Highway; Flinders Highway; Kennedy Highway; Landsborough Highway; Mitchell Highway;

Moonie Highway; Peak Downs Highway; Warrego Highway

• SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Barrier Highway; Eyre Highway; Stuart Highway

• TASMANIA

Lyell Highway; Tasman Highway

• VICTORIA

Cann Valley Highway; Great Alpine Road; Great Ocean Road; Murray Valley Highway;

Sunraysia Highway

• WESTERN AUSTRALIA

North West Coastal Highway (Highway 1)