Better internet speeds will bring family 'closer'.
Grey nomads will soon have dramatically improved access to high speed internet connections as they roam regional Australia in caravans and motorhomes.
As the Broadband speed war hots up, Telstra has announced plans to expand its super-fast 4G service to cover 85% of the Australian population by this Christmas … and, for travellers, among other things that means better quality webcam conversations with loved ones and faster downloads of photos.
Telstra’s chief operations officer Brendon Riley said that this new target notes a shift in its regional coverage strategy. While its 3G coverage would be maintained, the telco will roll out its 4G service rather than enhance its existing 3G service to expand capacity capabilities out in regional Australia.
At the end of June, the Telstra LTE network covered 66% of the population with 2000 4G base stations. In the next six months, Telstra plans to add 200 regional towns to its 4G footprint, including several grey nomad hotspots.
Among the towns to be added are Batemans Bay, NSW; Colac, Vic; Biloela, Queensland; Berri, SA; Margaret River, WA; and Latrobe, Tasmania.
Another big winner is the inland Queensland town of Kingaroy. The town’s Chamber of Commerce president Rod Steele was delighted that 4G mobile technology would soon be rolled out in Kingaroy. And he said it was not only businesses that would benefit.
“There are tourists going through the region all the time,” he told the Chronicle newspaper, adding that word would soon spread through the travellers’ grapevine.
The improved service has not surprisingly been welcomed by grey nomads.
Bevin and Colleen Schmidt told the Chronicle newspaper that they had been caravanning around Australia for six years, and relied heavily on mobile internet service to pay bills and keep in touch with family.
“I would say 80-90% of caravanners rely on the internet either on their laptop or mobile,” Bevin said. “Kingaroy is already a hub for caravanners, but knowing they can get good reception and fast speeds means it will be more attractive to come here.”
The 4G network will be available only to compatible devices.
Will you seek out 4G destinations as you travel? How important is a high-speed connection to you? Comment below.
Mid July,2013 and 25 K’s from the Melbourne CBD and only 3G coverage here.
4G I Will believe it when I see it.
We get better mobile reception in places like Cobar and Broken Hill than we get here is Brisbane.
We are traveling with our two daughters who are doing distance education so this is good news for us 🙂