THE potential for new mobile phone base stations to relieve congestion on satellite internet services - and the stress and costs being experienced - has been the most welcome part of last week's announcement of funding to improve mobile coverage in regional Australia.
The small community of Yaraka, 220km south of Longreach and 165km west of Blackall, has long been complaining about the lack of mobile coverage - for business, safety, education and tourism - and was one of the first to rejoice at the news that its application had been successful in round one of the federal government's black spot program.
One of those most affected is Jillian Carter, who has two of her children enrolled with the Longreach School of Distance Education and who is paying $70 a month for 15GB of data for a satellite internet service. Although only her eldest daughter Sydney was using the internet for school, the package was adequate but, with five-year-old Jordan now at school as well, they were running out of data well before their monthly anniversary was up.
"It's very hit and miss and what you pay is ridiculous," Ms Carter said. "Sometimes they can't log on to lessons and their work is suffering as a result.
"The other day we had to ask the pub if we could use their internet to get something done."
It's a refrain with which Isolated Children's Parents Association president and fellow Yaraka resident Andy Pegler is familiar.
He said that, apart from giving people mobile phone coverage, the extra base stations might take away some of the congestion on the satellite internet service.
"The way things are shaping up for the new satellite, the government should be planning to keep expanding the mobile phone network," he said, a reference to the expected demand for the satellite service, which doesn't even exist yet.
"iPads hadn't even been thought of when the system was designed.
"There will be so much people can do that they haven't even been able to imagine doing."
For his Outback Aqua business, that would include telemetry options and service updates.
He wasn't sure whether the new service would bring more business or just enhance capacity for current businesses.
So far as the owners of the Yaraka Hotel were concerned, mobile coverage would make life easier and safer.
"Everybody has a phone these days; it's much easier to reach people that way than trying to get through with UHF radio," Chris Gimblett said.
"We get a lot of 'grey nomad' tourists who aren't familiar with the roads, and we tell them to ring before they leave so we can look for them if they don't arrive within a certain time.
"With a mobile service we won't have to be so concerned for people's welfare."
The federal MP for Maranoa, Bruce Scott, said improving mobile coverage was the key to improving the liveability of communities in western Queensland.
The first base stations to be funded under the program will begin to roll out in the second half of 2015 and Yaraka is hoping it will receive its service sooner rather than later.
In addition to the $100 million in federal funding for the first round of the program, a further $60m in funding has been announced for round two.
The database of 6221 black spot locations developed will be reopened to allow members of the public to nominate further locations.
