Call to expand Mobile Booster trial

Member for Narungga Fraser Ellis MP has called for the immediate expansion of a State Government subsidy being trialled in the Adelaide Hills for Telstra customers who wish to include boosters.

“We have a large number of mobile blackspots across the electorate and despite repeated pleading with Government we have yet to see real inroads made in fixing them,” he said.

“In the interim, while we continue to push for better services for the whole community, individual customers might want to install a booster to improve their service.

“It is unfair that people who live in country areas should have to foot the bill personally for these boosters and this trial would be an excellent way of minimising that cost.

“I am calling for this trial to be extended into the Yorke Peninsula region immediately and have made the formal request to Minister for Regional Development Clare Scriven.”

Mr Ellis contends that there are benefits for expanding the trial beyond the Adelaide Hills in addition to the benefits for individual consumers.

“When conducting a trial, it is important that a large enough sample size with diversity is considered,” he said. “The Yorke Peninsula is a dramatically different region to the Adelaide Hills, in topography, population density and weather conditions, and it would behove those conducting the trial to consider the effects on a region like ours as well.”

The South Australian Mobile Network Extension Devices Pilot Program is currently for people living or who own a small business in the Adelaide Hills and Mount Barker councils who wish to install a Telstra GO Repeater.

“None of this will replace our work to ensure entire communities have access to appropriate levels of phone service,” Mr Ellis said. “But it would be a good interim measure to ensure that people, and business, have sufficient service to maintain their daily lives.”