Telstra said it will soon deliver mobile coverage inside the Geelong rail tunnel, with the project scheduled to begin next month.
The work is part of the Victorian Government Regional Rail Connectivity Project, an $18 million investment to deliver mobile coverage to the state’s five busiest rail lines – Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo, Traralgon and Seymour.
Victoria is the first state to have carrier-approved in-train technology designed to repeat the signal from nearby mobile base stations to ensure the signal can be received by passengers in each carriage.
Telstra, along with Optus and Vodafone, has agreed to fund construction of the required mobile base stations to provide the best result for commuters and allow the Victorian Government to focus on its investment in providing in-train repeaters.
Telstra is working to deliver improved coverage along the rail line including the construction of two new mobile base stations at Little River East and Tarneit, and also co-locating on a new site at Little River South.
The project will involve the instalment of approximately 400 metres of cabling, and two state-of-the-art highly directional antennas, placed at either end of the tunnel to improve and extend coverage inside the tunnel. Work will take place outside train operating hours.
Robyn Denholm, COO, Telstra
With Geelong continuing to see its population surge, and train patronage rising, mobile coverage will further help commuters balance work and life by being able to make valuable use of their commute time doing emails or video conferencing… or even relax and listen to music or watch their favourite TV show.
