In what is believed to be a first for Australia, transmission company Transgrid is integrating vital telecommunications equipment directly onto electricity towers as part of its HumeLink transmission link.
In a bid to fix longstanding mobile coverage gaps in regional communities across New South Wales, Transgrid, along with partner Lumea, is installing telecommunications boosters on new and existing transmission towers to improve mobile and internet coverage along the 365-kilometre-long HumeLink corridor.
HumeLink is a new 500kV transmission line Wagga Wagga, Bannaby, and Maragle, in southeast NSW, designed to facilitate the addition of more renewable energy capacity and helping to connect Snowy 2.0 and other projects to the grid.
But as part of the works to build out the new transmission line, HumeLink is funding the installation of up to 10 telecommunications boosters, creating a “connectivity corridor” through regional NSW that will boost mobile coverage and paving the way for Australia’s electricity networks to be utilised more broadly in addressing poor mobile coverage for regional communities.
“With Transgrid’s transmission network spanning more than 11,500km, using electricity infrastructure to support telecommunications coverage could help address connectivity gaps in regional communities across NSW and the ACT,” said Time Stone, head of telecommunications for Lumea.
“Major transmission projects are already transforming how electricity moves across the country and initiatives like this show how they can also play a role in strengthening digital connectivity for regional Australia.”
Up to 10 telecommunications boosters will be installed at locations across the Cootamundra-Gundagai, Wagga Wagga, Snowy Valleys, Upper Lachlan Shire, and Yass Valley local government areas (LGAs). Locations are being chosen based on known telecommunications blackspots, community feedback, and where improved coverage would directly support residents, motorists, and emergency services.
The boosters are capable of capturing mobile network signals from up to 20 kilometres away and redirecting them to nearby communities up to a three-kilometre radius.
Boosters have already been installed at Myrtleville and Chatsbury in the Upper Lachlan Shire and Wyangle in the Snowy Valleys Council area, with early testing already recording increased mobile download speeds of around 30Mbps.
More boosters will be rolled out through the rest of the year.
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