Telstra works leave Geraldton residents without signal temporarily while services are upgraded

Telstra customers have been left without a phone signal and will not be connected again for another few days while the company upgrades its Webberton base station. The works that are under way cut signals to phones and devices in the Sunset Beach area that are connected to that base station. The work must be done during daylight hours as workers are unable to operate the necessary heavy machinery at dark. The work is anticipated to be completed by early next week, according to Telstra regional general manager for WA, Boyd Brown. The issues are also causing headaches for businesses which rely on mobile EFTPOS services. Landlines and NBN services will not be impacted, nor coverage from other carriers. Calls to triple-zero will still be connected via any other working mobile base station in the area, regardless of carrier. “There are multiple Telstra mobile base stations in Geraldton, so residents should still have a reasonable level of coverage. However, some customers who normally receive coverage from this site may notice a decline in service while works are occurring,” Mr Brown said. The telco giant will be upgrading its site at the Geraldton Exchange soon, and in late 2023, Geraldton East, the airport and Mahomets Flats. Delays should not last more than a week, but customers concerned about making calls can enable Wi-Fi calling on their device which uses internet to make calls, rather than a phone signal.