- Loretta Willaton - Regional Australia Executive, Telstra Business
Reliable internet access is more than a convenience—it’s essential for so many aspects of our lives, from education and socialising to communicating in an emergency.
The Australian Youth Digital Index suggests the vast majority of Australian young people have either a mobile or broadband connection when they need it, and four in five (81%) rate their internet connection as high-quality.
However, the research also shows that connectivity issues such as slow internet and blackspots still prevent some young people from fully embracing technology. The gap is particularly apparent for those in regional and remote areas.
The Federal Government’s Mobile Black Spot Program is one initiative designed to expand mobile coverage to areas with poor coverage. It builds upon significant investments already undertaken by Telstra to expand and upgrade our mobile network.
Starting with ‘Round 1’ in 2015, multiple new areas have received mobile coverage. Telstra investing up to $300 million of our own funds to build over 930 new sites under all rounds of the Mobile Black Spot Program, bringing high-speed mobile internet to even more communities around the country.
In addition to the Mobile Black Spot Program, Telstra has also delivered over 200 small cells in selected areas where appropriate infrastructure is available, which will bring high speed 4G data services to small country towns.
Reading the Australian Youth Digital Index findings and the perspectives of young Australians makes me even more determined to continue to advocate to resolve the gaps that remain. We hear the voices of young people such as:
- The young First Nations man in Queensland who highlighted challenges such as income reporting to Centrelink and not being able to receive two-factor authentication codes: “Even if it’s just accessing emails or reporting your income… it can create a nightmare for people. Especially seeing as… government services nowadays rely on people being connected.”
- The young person in rural South Australia with a blackspot 20-30 kilometres around his family’s remote property. “Especially for safety… We could be doing something in one of these black spots and either have a fire, get injured, or machinery breakdown and we can’t go for help.”
- The student undertaking a placement in a rural school where patchy reception made it difficult to properly complete required tasks.
Over the seven years to the end of FY24, Telstra has invested $11.8 billion nationally in our mobile network, with $4.3 billion of this invested in regional areas. This will bring coverage to new areas and enhance resilience in existing ones during events such as storms and floods. And when damage occurs, we work hard to get things back up and running as quickly as we can.
Australia’s vast landscape presents unique challenges in ensuring digital inclusion. While there is no quick fix, Telstra is playing its part in improving connectivity across the country. Every black spot we address brings us one step closer to ensuring all Australians, and especially younger Australians who rely on technology in so many ways, can reliably access the internet.
