Dalton residents will receive mobile phone coverage from a new base station to be built in the village.

Federal Member for Hume Angus Taylor said Dalton was one of 18 new or upgraded base stations to be built in Hume.

“After we mapped the electorate to show government and telecommunications companies where the black spots were and where best to locate new towers, Hume has done particularly well,” Mr Taylor said. 

“The Dalton tower will certainly provide mobile coverage to the village and surrounding area. We won’t know until it’s actually built, how far coverage will stretch to other communities.

Upper Lachlan Shire councillor and Dalton resident John Searl welcomed the news, saying mobile access couldn’t come soon enough for local businesses.

“Mobile reception is pretty poor here. I usually get a bleep on my phone on the road to Gunning, then it drops out again. As an alarm clock, my mobile phone is pretty effective.”

Mr Taylor said towers across Hume would be located for maximum signal spread and the benefit would be shared by many, because coverage would also extend along a number of roads and highway sections, including:

·         Crookwell Road – between Goulburn and Crookwell

·         Goulburn Road – between Binda and Trunkey Creek

·         Range Road – between Bannister and Mummel

·         Lachlan Valley Way – between Cowra and Boorowa

“In total, 74 of the 139 mobile black spots nominated in Hume will receive coverage via handheld phones or via an external antenna on the roof or car (or both). We will be dramatically improving mobile phone coverage across a vast area of the electorate and I am delighted to be able to share such good news.”

He said in addition to the $100 million in Commonwealth funding for Round 1 of the national programme, a further $60 million had been announced for Round 2 of the Mobile Black Spot Programme, and Telstra had committed to build 200 new 4G mini base stations, to offer further opportunities to fix mobile black spots.