BAD service areas may get a boost with the federal government's Mobile Black Spot Programme taking a step forward.
The government has allotted $100 million towards new mobile phone base stations in regional and remote Australia.
As part of the initiative, a database of about 6000 locations with inadequate mobile coverage have been collected through submissions from individuals, councils and groups.
The government is calling on telecommunication companies and other bidding parties to put forward proposals on setting up base stations.
Parliamentary Secretary to Communications Minister, Paul Fletcher, said the government expected the initial $100m in funding to be matched with investment and contributions from bidders, the state governments and councils, to push the total to $200m.
That figure is expected to fund between 250 and 300 mobile phone base stations throughout Australia.
The District Council of Loxton-Waikerie has indicated a willingness to contribute towards establishing towers.
Corporate and community services director Ruth Firstbrook said the council was willing to provide land and potentially, the machinery required to help build mobile phone base stations within council boundaries.
She said major towns in the area had no issues with coverage but there were many areas, in what was SA's third-biggest district council, with little or no coverage.
Ms Firstbrook said coverage was poor or non-existent when heading east towards the state border, or south.
Many residents had put in submissions for the mobile black spot program and she said topmost on her mind were examples of people caught in serious accidents with no mobile coverage.
Ms Firstbrook is hoping the council will hear from telecommunication or infrastructure companies with plans to build towers in the region.
"I know some families that would be delighted," she said.
"We're in (2015), and I think it's quite reasonable that rural families should get service.
"The people I'm talking about don't want broadband to their house or anything fancy, they just want mobile phone coverage, and I think that's a reasonable expectation."
Elizabeth Anderson
Stock Journal's magazine editor.
Stock Journal's magazine editor.
