Highway phone coverage to improve as two new mobile stations unveiled

Residents in Byaduck and Orford are set to benefit from the installations with other project also under way near Warrnambool's Logan's Beach and at Allansford.

Preparation and planning for those works were well under way, with Telstra predicting those site would come online in the second half of 2024.

The Byaduk North tower near the Hamilton-Port Fairy Road has delivered a new 4G and 5G coverage while at Orford the upgrade will impact 296 premises when using hand-held devices.

It would also improve coverage on 16.7 kilometres of the Princes Highway when using devices with an external antenna.

As well as bringing improved coverage to the region, the mobile base station also helps connect and Triple Zero calls from users on other networks in cases of emergency.

Telstra's regional general manager for Western Victoria Steve Tinker said the could see on their network each day how important mobile connectivity is becoming for Australians.

"Each day we have about 20 million devices using our mobile network and together they make about 60 million phone calls, send 40 million SMS, and use about 8.6 million gigabytes of mobile data," Mr Tinker said.

Telstra is upgrading 168 sites across Australia with the help of the federal and state governments.

Acting minister for government services Melissa Horne said Victorians depended on good mobile connectivity for safety, digital inclusion and keeping in touch with loved ones.

"The Victorian government has partnered with Telstra and other telecommunications providers to deliver more than 1200 mobile projects across the state, particularly in regional and rural areas like Byaduk North," she said.