Telstra customers warned of less coverage in Esperance while communications equipment upgrades take place

Telstra customers will likely experience slower data speeds and reduced mobile coverage in an Esperance suburb while communications equipment is upgraded. The telecommunications provider said mobile services at West Beach would be temporarily affected from November 20 to 27 while upgrades to a mobile base station took place to improve 4G and/or 5G services. Telstra regional general manager Boyd Brown said while coverage would decline during this time, the company aimed to keep the downtime of the site to a minimum. “While our crews need to work during daylight for safety reasons, where possible we will just be switching off the parts of the tower we are working on, leaving the rest operational,” he said. “There’s never a good time to undertake this sort of work but once it is completed, it will mean better mobile services for residents and visitors.” Telstra said any emergency calls to triple-0 from a Telstra mobile when the site was off-air would be diverted to any working mobile network in the area. The company said mobile customers should have received text messages to advise them of the upcoming upgrade works. Landline services, NBN internet services and mobile coverage from other providers will not be affected. Telstra said traffic on its mobile network had increased about three-and-a-half times over during the past five years. “As a company, we heavily invest in improving regional connectivity, and this site is another example of our commitment,” Mr Brown said.