Mobile Phone users may not be able to call triple 0, mobile phone users in tHicks Real Estatee Brisbane suburbs may be unable to contact triple-0 for weeks as upgrades to a local shopping centre will cut power to telecommunications infrastructure.
Telstra customers across tHicks Real Estatee suburbs in Brisbane’s north will not be able to call, text, or use data at times over the next two months, as shopping centre upgrades affect all networks.
Telstra texted customers in Gaythorne, Mitchelton and Everton Park last week warning of network disruptions between January 30 and March 7.
Meanwhile, Vodafone and Optus customers can expect slower data speeds and reduced reception at times, but not complete blackouts like Telstra phones.
Photo: Henry Zwartz
The Brisbane suburbs which will experience mobile signal disruptions have a combined population of more than 20,000 people.
Mitchelton’s Brookside Shopping Centre will be upgrading a cooling tower on top of the building from Tuesday until March 7, which will mean all phone providers with towers on the shopping centre’s roof, will have to cut off their signal as well.
A Telstra spokeswoman said on Monday that customers in Gaythorne, Mitchelton and Everton Park would lose reception at times while the repairs were underway.
But the spokeswoman said the phone provider had taken necessary steps to minimise the impact on customers in the affected areas.
“We have numerous base stations around the area which will take over … so that the impact should be minimal,” she told ABC Radio Brisbane.
In separate statements, Optus and Vodafone said other sites in the area would provide overlapping coverage during the upgrade works.
“Optus has made changes to nearby sites to ensure they are best positioned to handle the additional traffic,” an Optus spokeswoman said.
“Vodafone operates from several other sites in the Mitchelton and surrounding area which will provide overlapping coverage during the works,” a Vodafone spokeswoman said.
In the event of an emergency, Telstra phones that can’t pick up a signal will switch to another provider’s network in order to call triple zero.
According to a statement on the Telstra website, the disruptions to mobile services were expected to occur from Monday to Friday 6am-6pm but not weekends.
The Telstra spokeswoman said a temporary Cell on Wheels will be sent to Mitchelton and payphones in the affected areas would be available to use free-of-charge during the next two months.
She added some customers will be able to receive and make calls using the internet through Telstra Wi-Fi Calling.
More than 20,000 residents live in the affected suburbs, according to the 2016 Census.
Gaythorne mobile users will be affected from Tuesday until February 9, Mitchelton will experience patchy coverage from February 12-22 and Everton Park customers can expect disruptions from February 23 to March 7.
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Hicks Real Estate Team
Hicks Real Estate is a Brisbane based, full-service real estate agency supporting buyers and sell as well as renters and property investors. With almost 20 years experience in the local market, we are the real estate experts you can rely upon.
