Federal Member for Hume Angus Taylor said three new Telstra mobile towers funded under Round 2 of the Government’s Mobile Black Spot Program were providing 3G and 4GX mobile data services to these communities.

“This is a substantial investment by the Coalition to extend telecommunications in these areas, connecting people, making it easier to do business and improving safety,” Mr Taylor said.

“It’s fantastic these towers are up and running. We lobbied hard for this technology and I look forward to more towers being switched on in Hume this year.”

Lost River resident Michael O’Brien said coverage had improved markedly since the tower near his Boorowa Road property was switched-on a few weeks ago.

“Before the tower went up we used to maybe get one bar of coverage that dropped in and out. You might have been able to send a message if you were lucky,” he said.

“Since the tower went up on the Boobalaga Rd the coverage has definitely improved. Just this morning I was able to make a call from inside the house, which I never would have been able to do before the tower went up.”

Since being elected Federal Member for Hume in September 2013, Mr Taylor has secured 21 mobile blackspot towers for the electorate.

Facilities for Tarlo, Mount Hunter and Dalton are scheduled for switch-on this year. For updates, click here.

“I’m proud to be delivering better mobile coverage to Hume,” Mr Taylor said.

As at 15 January 2018, a total of 382 mobile base stations have been switched on across the country. This represents the half-way point of the mobile towers being delivered under rounds 1 and 2 of the Mobile Black Spot Program.

“Reliable and effective mobile communications is a key driver of the enormous contribution that our regions make to Australia’s economic growth. This Government wants to see a connected regional Australia that is prosperous and vibrant,” Mr Taylor said.

Telstra, Vodafone and Optus are on track to deliver all 765 base stations funded under the first two rounds by the end of 2018.