Telstra customers in Kowanyama will face disruptions for up to 10 hours a day while the telecommunications giant delivers new 5G and improved 4G coverage to the area. Photo: Supplied.
Kowanyama will face mobile data disruptions as Telstra works to deliver new 5G coverage to the western Cape York community.
The upgrades, which will commence on-site from 14 September for seven days, are also set to improve the 4G experience for users.
Customers are advised that the site will need to be switched off for periods of up to 10 hours, with businesses using EFTPOS terminals that rely on the Telstra Mobile network advised to contact their bank or provider to check whether their terminal can connect via NBN or Wi‑Fi.
If the Telstra mobile network is unavailable, compatible mobile phones will automatically attempt to connect to triple zero (000) via another available mobile network through emergency “camp on”. If the first attempt doesn’t connect within around five seconds, customers are advised to hang up and try again immediately, and on subsequent attempts, to stay on the line for up to 60 seconds to give their phone the best chance to access another available network and connect their call.
“As data use over our mobile network continues to grow, adding extra 4G capacity to our mobile site in the area will help deliver faster downloads, smoother streaming and less congestion for customers,” a Telstra spokesperson said.
“Bringing 5G to the area is also a major milestone, delivering greater capacity and even faster speeds.
“While disruption is required while the upgrade is underway, 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.”
