If a Woonona mobile phone tower is not replaced, the suburb will become a coverage blackspot, according to a telco plan.
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A development application to upgrade the telecommunications tower in Ocean Park, at the end of Campbell Street has been lodged with Wollongong City Council.
The tower currently services the Optus and Vodafone networks and needs to be replaced as part of the nationwide 5G rollout.
"The existing facility to be upgraded at Ocean Park, Campbell Street is structurally incapable of supporting additional equipment on the pole without compromising the facility's structural integrity," the application's statement of environmental effects said.
The existing 24-metre light pole will be replaced by a 25-metre monopole, which will carry six panel antennas, nine 5G antennas and 21 "radio remote units".
"To cater for the growing demand for mobile services, the carriers have embarked on a nationwide rollout to deliver an improved, reliable telecommunications network to the Australian public," the statement of environmental effects said.
"This rollout consists of upgrades to existing telecommunications facilities and where required the installation of new facilities to expand the coverage footprint and offer seamless mobile services.
"Mobile networks are like roads, when traffic increases, upgrades are needed to relieve congestion. Congestion is relieved by making changes to existing base stations or adding new base stations in areas with coverage issues."
The application said removing the current tower but not replacing it would create a mobile phone blackspot, meaning a new tower was essential.
"The carriers have undertaken a mobile network analysis of the surrounding area and have identified that once the existing facility is removed, the network footprint will be reduced resulting in a mobile network hole," the development application stated.
It also stated upgrades to other towers in Wollongong would not be able to effectively service the Woonona area.
"In this situation the optimisation of the surrounding facilities will not be able to achieve a satisfactory outcome for the network as the surrounding facilities are too far from the Ocean Park and have a wider geographic area to service," the application stated.
"Furthermore, if the existing site is not replaced, local communities will experience slower download and upload speeds/internet browsing and inability to make/receive calls."
The development application is on public exhibition until May 1.
Glen Humphries
I'm an award-winning senior journalist with the Illawarra Mercury and have well over two decades' worth of experience in newspapers. I cover the three local councils in the Illawarra for the Mercury, state and federal politics, as well as writing for the TV guide. If I'm not writing, I'm reading.
I'm an award-winning senior journalist with the Illawarra Mercury and have well over two decades' worth of experience in newspapers. I cover the three local councils in the Illawarra for the Mercury, state and federal politics, as well as writing for the TV guide. If I'm not writing, I'm reading.
