Internet coverage out bush

[bicter]

Do you still need to be with telsra to get phone/internet service? What do people use to have internet access when camping in the goldfields, particularly WA?

If in range of a Telstra tower, then tether to your phone setup as a hotspot, alternative outside mobie coverage is Starlink for internet, Sat phones for comms.
To check coverage use TElstra coverage page here: https://www.telstra.com.au/coverage-networks/our-coverage
If you are just out of coverage there are means to improve signal strength. A simple example in hilly country is to hoist phone/hotspot in plastic bag over a tall tree branch and connect via wifi.
I use a prepaid Telstra 4GX Wi-Fi plus https://www.telstra.com.au/internet/mobile-broadband/prepaid/telstra-pre-paid-4gx-wifi-plus with a couple of external antenna to improve coverage but will need to come up with a different solution with Testra going to 5G. I can use this setup for phone calls as well using wifi calling.

 

[davsgold]

Starlink for internet and mobile phones just use WiFi calling on your phone, and starlink will get you all the free to air TV if you want it and also Netfilx and kayo sport and stuff like that.

There is really nothing else you need to get all those things when out in the middle of the WA desert or anywhere else

 

[RichardWest]

Camp near a mine, the little darlings can't go without their internet either.

 

[davsgold]

Camp near a mine, the little darlings can't go without their internet either.

haha yes it will run quite a few devices all at the same time

 

[Ben Mag]

There is really nothing else you need to get all those things when out in the middle of the WA desert or anywhere else

I've received some 40E permits where I'm required to send them "Advice of Minerals Recovered" form, according to the permit I also have to send copy of permit and map to pastoral lease holders. It's not like I have a scanner out in the middle of the bush either. All this paperwork's stressing me out.

 

[Ben Mag]

I have a telstra pre-paid sim card, hopefully that will get me through. Starling's too expensive, I won't be watching Netflix or anything like that, just to visit a few websites and upload documents, just hope the telstra coverage's good. Very dodgy last time I was there.

 

[davsgold]

I have a telstra pre-paid sim card, hopefully that will get me through. Starling's too expensive, I won't be watching Netflix or anything like that, just to visit a few websites and upload documents, just hope the telstra coverage's good. Very dodgy last time I was there.

your choice about the Starlink, but we would not go without it now, we have had it for about a year now and where you will have zero phone coverage we have 100% phone and internet and to us something that works is not really expensive when you can do everything that you can do at home

 

[lazypat]

If in range of a Telstra tower, then tether to your phone setup as a hotspot, alternative outside mobie coverage is Starlink for internet, Sat phones for comms.
To check coverage use TElstra coverage page here: https://www.telstra.com.au/coverage-networks/our-coverage
If you are just out of coverage there are means to improve signal strength. A simple example in hilly country is to hoist phone/hotspot in plastic bag over a tall tree branch and connect via wifi.
I use a prepaid Telstra 4GX Wi-Fi plus https://www.telstra.com.au/internet/mobile-broadband/prepaid/telstra-pre-paid-4gx-wifi-plus with a couple of external antenna to improve coverage but will need to come up with a different solution with Testra going to 5G. I can use this setup for phone calls as well using wifi calling.

They are talking 5g they originally said there wont be a blind spot any where in australia and no need for a sat phone, as they were going to use a series of low flying satalites all across australia and they can be reach any where in aust with a 5g phone but have not heard an up date on this yet, as you can get coverage even in outback desert, i would still take an eperg as a second safty device

 

[user 4485]

They are talking 5g they originally said there wont be a blind spot any where in australia and no need for a sat phone, as they were going to use a series of low flying satalites all across australia and they can be reach any where in aust with a 5g phone but have not heard an up date on this yet, as you can get coverage even in outback desert, i would still take an eperg as a second safty device

That's 5G Advanced & hasn't been implemented as yet. Last I seen was sometime in 2025?

 

[Ben Mag]

Forget 5g, it's not coming out, at least not the way it was planned. We'll have 6g next more than likely. I think I'll settle for 4g.

 

[grubstake]

The fundamental problem with mobile phones in Australia is that every new phone system over the last 20 years was designed for improved data speed, NOT range. We started the century with the CDMA system - phones that were especially suited to country use - running in parallel with the 3G system for urban areas. 40km or more range from a CDMA tower was possible, which answered a lot of needs outside main population centres.

Sadly, the telcos canned CDMA because they could make more money repurposing the frequency band/s for use by 3G customers, then came 4G, which brought streaming to phones, but without any range improvement and now 5G, which is more of the same - extremely fast data rates, but very short range.

Present bright spots on the horizon are that the latest generation of Apple iPhones - so far in North America only - can in an emergency utilise existing satellite links to get a message for help to authorities. Also, Starlink are starting to experimentally test use of their ever-growing satellite constellation to transmit/receive calls directly to/from mobile phones. The future for simple, universal remote area comms looks promising and probably within the next 10 years.

 

[grubstake]

Forget 5g, it's not coming out, at least not the way it was planned. We'll have 6g next more than likely. I think I'll settle for 4g.

5G is working just fine for me here in darkest Perth, with my TPG fixed wireless broadband having killed the need for further NBN usage.

 

[RichardWest]

They are talking 5g they originally said there wont be a blind spot any where in australia and no need for a sat phone, as they were going to use a series of low flying satalites all across australia and they can be reach any where in aust with a 5g phone but have not heard an up date on this yet, as you can get coverage even in outback desert, i would still take an eperg as a second safty device

We had that back in the early 1900's, it was called carrier pidgeons and they wouldn't work in the desert country either.

 

[Greg_wilson]

I've received some 40E permits where I'm required to send them "Advice of Minerals Recovered" form, according to the permit I also have to send copy of permit and map to pastoral lease holders. It's not like I have a scanner out in the middle of the bush either. All this paperwork's stressing me out.

My returns forms I do when I’m at home, obviously after the trip or after the permit expires. my 40e gets sent to
Leonora post office and I send it off while I’m there in civilization well before I’m out of range. The paperwork is so simple why does it stress you out?

 

[Hippyty79]

The fundamental problem with mobile phones in Australia is that every new phone system over the last 20 years was designed for improved data speed, NOT range. We started the century with the CDMA system - phones that were especially suited to country use - running in parallel with the 3G system for urban areas. 40km or more range from a CDMA tower was possible, which answered a lot of needs outside main population centres.

Sadly, the telcos canned CDMA because they could make more money repurposing the frequency band/s for use by 3G customers, then came 4G, which brought streaming to phones, but without any range improvement and now 5G, which is more of the same - extremely fast data rates, but very short range.

Present bright spots on the horizon are that the latest generation of Apple iPhones - so far in North America only - can in an emergency utilise existing satellite links to get a message for help to authorities. Also, Starlink are starting to experimentally test use of their ever-growing satellite constellation to transmit/receive calls directly to/from mobile phones. The future for simple, universal remote area comms looks promising and probably within the next 10 years.

Just tried the demo on a iPhone 14 Pro Max and it connected, had to point the phone west for it to connect.
The demo is to get you familiar with using it without making the 000 call, but the connection is live.

 

[Ben Mag]

My returns forms I do when I’m at home, obviously after the trip or after the permit expires. my 40e gets sent to
Leonora post office and I send it off while I’m there in civilization well before I’m out of range. The paperwork is so simple why does it stress you out?

I'll still be out there well after it expires. Hoping to be. I'll just have to find pending leases/crown land.

 

[RichardWest]

I'll still be out there well after it expires. Hoping to be. I'll just have to find pending leases/crown land.

If I remember rightly you have 2 weeks after your 40E expires to get your returns form lodged.

 

[Ben Mag]

If I remember rightly you have 2 weeks after your 40E expires to get your returns form lodged.

Yes but I'm planning to be out there for much longer than that. Maybe there's somewhere in Leonora/Kalgoorlie where I can get it done or just use 4G on my phone.

 

[firefly]

Another great feature of the Starlink Roam package is that you can pause the service indefinitely. I recently took advantage of the 30% sale they were offering on the hardware. With the periodic sales you can get the hardware for as little as $329.

 

[bicter]

Just tried the demo on a iPhone 14 Pro Max and it connected, had to point the phone west for it to connect.
The demo is to get you familiar with using it without making the 000 call, but the connection is live.

Any info on using this technology on Android yet?