ONE of the world’s largest mobile phone providers is making a concerted push to crack the New England market.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
British-owned telecommunications giant Vodafone will spend millions of dollars building 18 new towers across the region.
The telco’s incursion into territory traditionally dominated by rival Telstra will also see it open a store in Armidale to support its customers.
Vodafone was announced as the successful bidder for 18 base stations, including at Attunga, Barraba, Manilla, Oxley Vale and Westdale, under the Abbott government’s mobile blackspot program.
The towers will provide Vodafone with an additional 3300 sq km of network coverage, including 375 sq km on local highways.
However, it is not just Vodafone customers who will benefit from the base stations, with other carriers – such as Telstra – invited to share the transmissions.
A Vodafone spokesman told The Leader the company’s investment would provide greater competition and “an improved customer experience”.
“Vodafone already has a presence in the region, including at Glen Innes, Inverell, Tenterfield and Tamworth, but these sites will allow us to significantly expand our reach.”
“For mobile users, these sites will improve mobile coverage in areas which currently have little to no service, as well as increase choice of provider for local customers.
“This means benefits for local residents and businesses, as well as visitors to these areas.”
Vodafone’s director of strategy and corporate affairs Dan Lloyd said people in regional areas had been “disadvantaged for far too long” by poor coverage and a lack of competition.
He said the federal government’s blackspot program, which the NSW government is supporting to the tune of $24 million, would help to redress the imbalance between city and country services.
“There is a unique situation in Australia where previous government funding arrangements have discouraged competition and protected the incumbent,” he said.
“It means customers in many areas of regional Australia simply have no alternative to paying high prices for services because there was only one provider.
“There is a lot of work still to be done to increase competition in the regional telecommunications market, but we recognise the federal government’s efforts, through initiatives such as the program, to start to level the playing field.”