Hundreds more regional and remote communities will benefit from improved mobile network resilience through the latest round of funding under the Mobile Network Hardening Program (MNHP).
The MNHP is part of the Albanese Government’s $1.1 billion Better Connectivity Plan which is improving mobile and broadband connectivity and resilience. The program is driving productivity, economic and social participation for rural, regional and First Nation’s communities and helping to narrow the digital divide. The Program aims to reduce the risks of service outages during natural disasters and throughout the response and recovery period.
“While no telecommunications network can ever be 100 per cent disaster-proof, the Albanese Government is determined to reduce the risk of communications outages during natural disasters,” Minister for Communications, Michelle Rowland said.
“Funded through our $1.1 billion Better Connectivity Plan, the Mobile Network Hardening Program is another example of how the Albanese Government is delivering on our commitment to improve connectivity for regional, rural, remote Australians.”
Round 2 of the MNHP is providing $14.2 million for 386 projects, including:
- Battery back-up power upgrades that will uplift power reserves to provide an additional 12 hours of service during outages;
- Upgrades to transmission resiliency across clusters of connected base stations. This will mitigate the potential for single points of failure to cause outages;
- Permanent generators that will provide 5 to 7 days of backup power;
- Two Disaster Recovery Skids that can be deployed to restore mobile services to regional and remote New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania, helping communities recover from natural disasters.
Specific measures in the New England include a permanent generator at Narrabri West, and a battery upgrade at the Gwabegar Exchange.
Approximately 90 per cent of the 988 Round 1 MNHP projects to improve mobile network telecommunications infrastructure resilience are now complete. Round 2 funding brings the total number of projects to 1,385.
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