Spotlight on Karuah’s forgotten telecommunications black hole Highlight Section Myall Coast Port Stephens by News Of The Area - Modern Media - February 29, 2024 This tiny facility next to Karuah’s cemetery hosts Telstra’s additional ‘small cell’ (circled). KARUAH has long suffered in the shadow of poor telecommunications, but the true nature of Karuah’s telecom infrastructure remains largely a mystery to most. “NBN has been terrific since we put it in, but mobiles have been a big issue,” explained Lisa Floyd, proprietor of Karuah Gardens and Riverside Motels. Advertise with News of The Area today. It’s worth it for your business. Message us. Phone us – (02) 4981 8882. Email us – media@newsofthearea.com.au “Last week’s NBN blackout lost us bookings due to having no wi-fi to offer customers.” The recent multi-town NBN blackout magnified the mobile signal problem, as residents and weekend visitors inevitably overloaded the town’s meagre mobile signal. Many business owners in Karuah reported digging into their personal mobile data to run EFTPOS machines, while more business was lost when patrons went home early, having spent what little cash they are now accustomed to carrying. “When we rang Telstra to complain about the terrible mobile signal, we were told there is a tower in town, so we should be fine,” a Karuah Progress Association representative told NOTA. The Radio Frequency National Site Archive (RFNSA) website, which details all operating mobile towers, shows two around Karuah: the ‘macro-tower’ sitting 3.5 kilometres away on the other side of a mountain, primarily servicing the highway bypass; and a ‘small cell’ at the corner of Wattle Street and Tarean Road. The highway tower (RFNSA Site 2324010) hosts Telstra, Optus and Vodafone transceivers, however, it is barely visible from town, and physical obstacles like trees and buildings, not to mention poor weather, easily hamper its signal within town. The ‘small cell’ (RFNSA Site 2324020) is a tiny transceiver atop a six-metre steel mounting pipe, within a small compound near the cemetery. This ‘small cell’ only carries Telstra 4GX, and registers barely three bars 20 metres away, contributing practically nothing to Karuah’s overall mobile signal. Karuah has seen significant expansion, with the Ironbark Estate on the western end of town bringing 113 new residences, and more estates allegedly in planning. Telstra has been contacted for comment. By Thomas O’KEEFE Barely visible from Karuah’s waterfront, the macro-tower (circled) at Mosquito Creek is on the other side of the mountain, and focuses primarily upon the Pacific Highway bypass.
