Residents have welcomed news of a new mobile phone tower to be built at Windellama.

Federal Member for Hume Angus Taylor said Windellama 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 to best locate new towers, Hume has done particularly well,” Mr Taylor said. 

“The tower at Windellama will be one of three towers in the surrounding area – others to be located at Mayfield and Nerriga – and will extend coverage to a number of local communities including Bungonia, Bungonia National Park, Windellama, Oallen, Lower Boro, Boro Creek Valley and parts of Goulburn.”

Resident Lloyd Turner from the Windellama Progress Association said the community was delighted with the news. "We're very, very happy. My wife's a Community First Responder with the Windellama SES and being able to be in reliable contact with people is so important. This is also going to help local businesses. We have the Windellama Small Farms Field Day in November and businesses are so disadvantaged when they can't use technology to make sales. Having a mobile tower will help the community a lot."

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:

·         Oallen Ford Road – between Nerriga and Tarago

·         Sandy Point Road – intersection of Sandy Point Rd and Oallen Ford Rd

·         Crookwell Road – between Goulburn and Crookwell

·         Goulburn Oberon Road – between Goulburn, Taralga and Oberon

·         Goulburn Road – between Binda and Trunkey Creek

“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). The total funding package to Hume is $10.41 million, including $2.76 million from the Federal Government under the Mobile Black Spot Programme.

“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,” Mr Taylor said.

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.