TELSTRA will upgrade four problem hot spots in the Redlands to give people better mobile phone coverage.
Existing mobile towers will be upgraded to the latest 4GX service at Cleveland, Point Lookout on North Stradbroke island, Victoria Point and Coochiemudlo Island.
Telstra area general manager May Boisen said the move would improve mobile connection and was part of an upgrade to 125 holiday locations around Australia.
The 4GX service was faster and provided more capacity, which was a good thing for when there was an influx of people as might occur over Christmas.
“Just over half of Queenslanders (54 per cent) will only holiday in areas with guaranteed mobile coverage, so it should come as no surprise that 91 per cent pack their mobile phone along with their sunscreen,” Ms Boisen said.
“Holidays are about staying connected, with 66 per cent of Queenslanders checking social media to see what friends and family are up to, and 67 per cent using their phone to see what happening in the news.
“Every year we see more and more demand for mobile services on beaches, national parks and camping spots around the country.
“This is driving our investment in new coverage and improving 3G and 4G capacity at holiday spots across Queensland.”
About 130,000 square kilometres would benefit as changes are rolled out as part of the federal government mobile black spot program.
Ms Boisen said “holiday envy” was driving social media use around Australia.
Research released by Telstra showed that technology was changing the way people travelled, with Australians anxious about being out of range and unable to post holiday snaps on social media.
Nearly half the upgraded 125 upgraded holiday sites were in Queensland.
Ms Boisen said the move would relieve holiday anxiety and keep customers connected.
More than 1400 destinations would have been upgraded to 4GX this year, including more than 82 holiday hot spots, bringing the fastest 4G speeds to these locations.