Goolmangar residents have been given a coverage boost with Optus switching on a new tower as part of the NSW Government’s $50 million Connecting Country Communities Fund.

The site, located near Wayne Hall Concreting Goolmangar, will provide Optus customers, and those that use the Optus network such as Amaysim and Dodo, with greater communication while living, working and driving through Goolmangar. With funding support from the NSW Government, the tower will cover 34 square kms in surface area and 16km in length of major roads.

Owner of the Goolmanagar store Kirstin England told the Lismore App the area is well known for mobile phone blackspots.

"Parts of the Nimbin Road, Jiggi and in the hills have always had reception issues. We have had people looking to transfer money through their mobile phones that would have to move around the store until they found a good spot," Kirstin said.

For this reason, Kirstin has always used Telstra as a provider as it has had the best coverage until now. The Optus tower presents more options for residents living in the Goolmangar/Jiggi area.

Optus Territory General Manager for Northern NSW, Chris Simon, is pleased to be providing the local community with greater mobile competition and choice through their ever-improving network projects.

“We’re proud to be offering our customers with much-needed access to our fast 5G service, as well as providing greater capacity to the Optus network in the local region.”

“We believe digital connectivity is vital for people living in Goolmangar, for both safety as well as economic development. The installation of the tower is a necessity for residents to have a better user experience with the network, higher-quality call experiences, and faster downloads for people living and working in the Goolmangar and Blakebrook area,” Mr Simon continued.

The investment in expanding Optus’ telecommunications infrastructure and mobile coverage was supported by the NSW Government’s Connecting Country Communities Fund with a contribution of more than $375,000. 

“The Optus tower in Goolmangar will also allow competition and choice for local businesses and residents by offering our best network ever at a great value. We are committed to giving our customers access to reliable mobile coverage and high-quality internet.”

With the recent Northern Rivers floods challenging regional connectivity, Optus understands the necessity for Blakebrook and surrounding communities to have a resilient and versatile network to withstand connection-threatening natural disasters.

Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional NSW Paul Toole said the new Goolmangar tower was a big win for the community who now have fast and reliable mobile coverage, when and where it’s needed.

“Whether it’s staying in touch with family and friends or making business calls or appointments, having access to a reliable mobile network is crucial for our regional communities,” Mr Toole said.

“This tower was delivered as part of the NSW Government’s $50 million Connecting Country Communities Fund and reconfirms our commitment to improve mobile coverage across rural and regional NSW.”

The investment to expand Optus’ telecommunications infrastructure and mobile coverage is part of an ongoing project to improve coverage, reliability and speed across the Optus mobile network. This tower will provide new coverage and capacity to the area, providing a competitive telecommunications alternative for residents and businesses in the Goolmangar and Blakebrook areas.