CDMA Coverage to Expand in Australia

Australia's Telstra is to expand its mobile phone coverage along more than 2600 kilometres of Australian highways, after it won a Government tender to provide cell phone coverage in rural areas. The project, part of the Government's response to the Telecommunications Service Inquiry (TSI), will see Telstra's digital CDMA network expand to almost three times the coverage area of the next biggest Australian terrestrial mobile network.

Telstra Country Wide Group Managing Director, Mr Doug Campbell, welcomed the Commonwealth Government's announcement and said that it would provide significant benefits for people who live or travel on these routes. "The 34 highways to receive new or improved coverage are all important transport routes in terms of their economic and social impact, and carry an estimated 16.5 million vehicle trips each year," Mr Campbell said. "When this project is complete in June 2004, Telstra's digital CDMA network will cover almost 1.4 million square kilometres, or just under 18% of the Australian landmass."'"

Posted to the site on 15th August 2002