Federal Member for Hume Angus Taylor is urging residents to keep up the pressure to improve mobile and internet services.

In a statement to parliament this week, Mr Taylor said it was important to use programmes already in train to continue to improve local telecommunications.

“I had the great pleasure last year of announcing 18 new mobile phone towers for Hume under Round 1 of the Federal Mobile Black Spot Programme. Round 2 of the programme is in progress and we hope for more good news,” he said.

“It’s more often than not landowners, rural property-based businesses and farming families who are contacting me about telecommunications. The strong message to those on outlying properties is all about satellite. Satellite broadband services will be up and operating in a few months and there are already retailers starting to advertise affordable packages for satellite connections.

“Satellite will deliver internet speeds of up to 25 megabits per second. It’s fast and reliable and will cover those areas outside the fixed line and fixed wireless footprint. It really is a great solution,” Mr Taylor said.

“The rollout of the national broadband network is forcing the major telecommunications companies - namely Telstra and Optus - to come to the table with other services. In a number of locations in Hume - at Tirrannaville and in parts of Goulburn, at Oolong between Gunning and Yass, at Dalton, Bigga, at Wades Hill in Crookwell and shortly for Boorowa - the telecommunications companies have activated 4GX and 4G small cell capacity, to deliver fast internet coverage for areas within a 20 to 30km radius, sometimes further, of these towers.

“We have done well to date, but I urge residents in Hume to keep up the pressure. Mobile phone coverage and reliable internet are no longer an option - they are vital services for the electorate and for regional Australia.”