Telstra says Jindera to get better mobile coverage in a 'few months’ as petition launched

Telstra says residents of the small town of Jindera (near Albury) can expect better mobile coverage within a ‘few months’, after a petition was launched imploring the telecommunications giant to address the town’s poor connectivity.

Federal MP Sussan Ley initiated an online petition on Thursday (3 October).

“Telstra’s idea of quick is not soon enough,” she said.

“Repeated requests for a timeline on moving their 4G/5G technology to the Recreation Reserve have been ignored.

“I am now widening our efforts with a petition of impacted local residents, businesses and workers in the hope the telco giant might actually get the message.

“Right now, Telstra is letting this community and their customers down. I urge them to hear our voice.”

Telstra regional general manager Chris Taylor told Region the wheels were in motion.

“Our 4G and 5G coverage is available in and around Jindera, but we’re planning to move our existing mobile infrastructure to another site to also deliver broader coverage to the surrounding area,” he said.

“We know better coverage is important to the community and we hope to have the new site online and working better than ever in the next few months.

“A number of logistical factors affect when a site can be built. We’re in the final stages of planning and expect work to start in the coming weeks.

“In the meantime, residents can improve their mobile coverage by using their nbn connection to access Wi-Fi calling. This is a free setting on most popular mobile phones and allows your mobile to use a Wi-Fi network to make and receive mobile calls.

“In some cases, mobile coverage in their home or vehicle can be improved by fitting an external aerial or Telstra GO Repeater.

“We also encourage business owners to talk to their bank about connecting their EFTPOS terminals to their nbn or Wi-Fi connection to prevent delays in processing transactions.”

Greater Hume councillor and long-time Jindera resident Jenny O’Neill has been campaigning for better mobile coverage in her town for more than two years.

“People are having all sorts of issues with coverage,” she said.

“When I lived on the outskirts of town, it was particularly bad. My neighbour had to leave her house and go outside just to make mobile phone calls.

“This has been going on for long enough. We had a meeting in town to address this issue in August, but Telstra did not attend.

“I haven’t had any recent updates from Telstra.”

Cr O’Neill said serious community safety issues needed to be addressed.

“We heard from a guy who had a car accident between Jindera and Bungowannah but couldn’t get coverage.”

Ms Ley said the problem was also impacting the local economy.

“To attract people to regional areas, you need good health facilities, you need quality education options, but you also need an ability to communicate,” she said.

“This means reliable mobile service and internet speeds all of the time.”

The e-petition is accessible on Sussan Ley’s website. The deadline for signatures is 31 October.