A NEW telecommunications transmission tower is being built to boost mobile phone coverage in Flagstone.
Vodafone has signed a lease with developers Peet Limited to construct a 35 metre tower in Gates Road, between the new Coles supermarket site and the railway line. It is expected to be operational by year’s end.
The announcement has been welcomed by Logan Country Safe City, the group that lobbied long and hard for action in the mobile blackspot and the outgoing president of Flagstone Community Association.
Peet Limited managing director and CEO Brendan Gore said the new tower would significantly improve mobile phone service across the Greater Flagstone region.
“Greater Flagstone is planning for a future population of 120,000 people. This tower is the first and we expect other providers will follow as they gear up to meet demand,” Mr Gore said.
“With 20 new families moving in to Flagstone City every month and a whole city centre being developed, good mobile phone and data access is essential.
“The new tower is on the doorstep of the future Flagstone city centre and will mean better coverage for existing Vodafone customers and for future residents and businesses moving in.”
The original Flagstone development is home to about 5000 households but the new masterplanned community will grow to become a city the size of Cairns in coming decades.
Logan Country City Safe committee chair David Kenny welcomed the news.
Mr Kenny said Flagstone was just one suburb near Jimboomba where the group had campaigned long and hard for communications improvements with much public consultation conducted assisted by politicians who included Wright MP Scott Buchholz.
“Even today, you go down to see friends there and the reception can be dodgy. There will be people who complain about towers and how they look, but improved reception is good for everyone.
“It’s not just an issue of reception but of public safety. It means when police and ambos attend a call in those areas they will be able to phone in and phone out if they need to. That hasn’t always the case.
“It also means when someone has an emergency and needs to call for help, they can phone out.”
Flagstone Community Association’s outgoing president Bob Wiley said the tower was long overdue.
“Reception here has been attrocious but it is getting better. Everyone wants reception but no one wants a tower next door. This is a good thing for the area,” he said.
Mr Wiley announced his resignation from the community association he helmed for 12 years, first as residents’, then incorporated group, at a meeting last night.
“I’m 70 years old so I’m due a break,” he said.
He urged residents with complaints to contact the telcos and elected members about issues on which they wanted to be heard.
“It is not enough to sit on a social media site and have a whinge,” he said.
Mr Kenny said Mr Wiley would be sorely missed at Flagstone.
“Bob works tirelessly for that community,” said Mr Kenny.
“I’d say they’ll need four people to replace him.”
Nominations will be taken for the position with a vote and replacement announced next month.
