Federal Member for Hume Angus Taylor has welcomed new 4G small cell technology in villages including Binalong as ‘another breakthrough’ for communities with poor internet.

“We haven’t got to everyone yet, but we’re working very, very hard to fix slow internet speeds and poor mobile reception. There’s a whole series of different technologies that have to be deployed across rural Australia in order to get everybody good internet and good mobile phone coverage – satellite, fixed wireless towers and the fibre rollout. There’ve been significant wins for Hume.”

Mr Taylor was in Dalton on Monday with Parliamentary Secretary for Communications Paul Fletcher and Member for Goulburn Pru Goward to hear from Telstra about ‘small cell’ 4G internet now activated in a number of villages including Dalton and Binalong.

Telstra’s General Manager Chris Taylor said small cells worked in tiny communities, like Binalong, where there was no base station and a centrally located Telstra exchange. “The small cell is only just being rolled out across Australia. It’s fixed to an existing exchange building, providing 4G data capacity (with speeds of up to 30 megabits per second), to about a 600 metre wide area. It will be expanded to voice in the next little while.”

Paul Fletcher said the Federal Government was prioritising solutions for rural areas which had missed out so badly under Labor. “What we’ve got all around this country is a situation where many roads might go for 50 or 250km, with no coverage on them at all. To then get to a little village and get coverage is a huge boon to travellers and also to people who live in that village. At the moment the 4G small cell supports data, but within a few months Telstra says there will be a voice over 4G product as well. It’s all good news for rural communities.”

Angus Taylor said Binalong would also be receiving a new mobile phone base station, one of 18 going up across Hume.

“I was at a recent meeting of the Binalong Progress Association and was able to share with them the great news that a mobile phone tower is on the way.”

Binalong resident and small business owner Camilla Duffy welcomed the news: “Mobile phones are a primary form of communication. I know that the motel and hotel have both lost significant business to Yass and Harden due to the lack of a Telstra service in town. A Telstra tower will be a great asset to the village.”

Caption: Federal Member for Hume Angus Taylor with Telstra general manager Chris Taylor and Parliamentary Secretary for Communications Paul Fletcher outlining the benefits of small cell technology bringing 4G internet to tiny villages including Binalong.

Caption: Angus Taylor announcing to the Binalong Progress Association that a mobile phone tower is on its way to the village. Angus is pictured with Binalong Progress Association president Lib Elliott and small business owner Camilla Duffy.