MOBILE coverage on the south eastern side of Russell Island came in the nick of time when a new Optus tower was switched on at the end of last month.
This is a lifeline for residents living on the island as mobile coverage improvements give emergency services the ability to communicate in the event of any bush fires or natural disasters, including COVID-19 emergencies.
This comes at a crucial time when many families are in isolation and can only communicate with loved ones via technology.
Funded by the federal government and Optus in the priority round of the Mobile Blackspot program, the tower will provide residents and visitors to the southern part of the island with dedicated Optus mobile coverage for the first time.
Coverage from the site, which is located on Moreton Outlook road, will enable over 5000 residences to experience improved coverage when making and receiving calls, texts and browsing the internet. It will also deliver over 21 square kilometres of new and upgraded handheld coverage.
Capacity relief will be provided to the existing Russell Island site, resulting in enhanced overall customer experience across the island where both towers provide service.
Optus vice president of regulatory and public affairs Andrew Sheridan, said, "This means greater safety for those living and travelling through the area by unlocking access to mobile voice, text and data services."
"To date, our mobile black spot sites have generated more than 8,600,000 calls over 429,000 hours; reflecting our commitment to enabling a greater availability of mobile services for our customers no matter where they live," he said.
