Telstra to upgrade CBD coverage, expects outages during works

The planned upgrade work will take place at various times between Friday, January 12, and Wednesday, January 17, and will result in better speeds and data throughput for its users.

Telstra Tasmania regional engagement manager Marc Brown said outages will be kept to a minimum during the upgrades but there will be some, as the upgrades will require technicians to switch off equipment which supports mobile services in the area.

"Customers may notice that their speeds will be a bit slower on their mobile handsets, or they may not have coverage in places they're used to," Mr Brown said.

"And although there's no great time for an upgrade - because they usually result in disruptions - we've planned it for this period as it won't clash with Australia Day or New Years.

"And once those upgrades are completed as promptly as possible, we'll see speeds and coverage that are in line with mainland capital cities like Sydney and Melbourne."

The service provider expects mobile handsets, EFTPOS machines and any device with a Telstra Mobile SIM to experience some form of disruption or slowing of service,

Mr Brown said most issues will be able to be worked around through the use of an NBN or other broadband connection to access Wi-Fi calling, which will allow the device to use a network to make and receive mobile calls.

This works even during a mobile outage and is a free setting on most popular mobile phones and satellite options may also be available.

For EFTPOS machines using Telstra Sims, alternate arrangements like connecting to Wi-Fi and NBN are also available, and Mr Brown also suggests business owners contact their relevant bank or merchant provider to see if they can assist in another capacity.

"Every effort will be made to reduce the impact to our customers, and we apologise for any inconvenience," Mr Brown said.