Telstra Regional General Manager for Northern NSW Michael Marom said with extreme weather events becoming more common and harder to predict, Telstra spends months inspecting thousands of sites around the country to ensure its network is as resilient as possible.
“We know how critical it is for Australians to remain connected during a natural disaster and while we can’t predict what mother nature will throw at us, we’re as ready as we can be,” Mr Marom said.
Payphones in the region are among 1,000 across the nation being upgraded with free Telstra Wi-Fi, USB charging ports and back-up power to help keep communities connected during a natural disaster.
Almost 800 payphones, 40 of which are in remote Indigenous communities, have already been upgraded including 21 across the Central Coast region such as Woy Woy, Long Jetty, Patonga and Wyong.
“If your mobile phone isn’t charged, or you’ve had to evacuate, a payphone might be the only way to contact family and friends to let them know you are ok,” Mr Marom said.
“Knowing where your nearest payphone can be a huge help in case the power goes out and you need to make a call, get online, or to charge your phone.”
Last disaster season, Telstra deployed 110 new trailer-mounted, high-powered generators across Australia and have done so again this year.
These generators are part of a multi-million-dollar co-investment under the Federal Government’s Strengthening Telecommunications Against Natural Disasters (STAND) program.
“Extended power outages are often a major cause of network disruption, however the quicker our network sites are powered up, the quicker we can reconnect a community,” Mr Marom said.
“In preparation for this disaster season, we have proactively deployed 27 high-powered generators to at-risk areas across NSW in case our network is impacted by a power outage.
This year Telstra has expanded the use of portable satellite technology with 27 Starlink satellite kits stationed across NSW which can be assembled in under 10 minutes and help provide basic connectivity for our teams.
