EXTREMELY poor mobile phone coverage in the Royal National Park and adjoining townships is a major safety concern as well as an inconvenience, say business owners and residents.
They are frustrated that service providers have talked for years about improvements when little has changed.
Visits to Royal National Park have doubled to more than 4 million a year since the refurbishment of the Audley precinct in 2012.
Yet Audley is among coverage "black spots".
"In many parts of the park, you may as well be on the dark side of the moon," said Bundeena Progress Association vice-president Wayne King.
Mr King said about five years ago Telstra, Optus and Vodafone had proposed a 30-metre phone tower in Bundeena, to be used by all three providers.
Residents had opposed it because it adjoined two childcare centres and was in a low area, he said.
Mr King said the association had proposed an alternative site but the service providers had not followed through.
Marnie and Bruce Sigal, who have operated Bundeena Kayaks for 14 years, are among concerned outdoor adventure business operators.
"There are massive issues with people walking through the national park and not being able to call for help quickly if someone gets injured," Ms Sigal said.
"We do walks from Bundeena to Wattamolla, which take about 3½ hours; we ask walkers to carry mobile phones, but reception is very unpredictable."
He said that the lack of coverage was also inconvenient for park visitors and business operators.
"Recently, we had people trying to call to say they were delayed in returning a kayak, but they had no reception," she said.
Jason Hughes, manager of the Audley Boatshed, said that because the area was a "black spot", boat hirers who were "stranded up the river" were not able to make contact.
TELCOS RESPOND:
TELSTRA
‘‘Telstra is continuing to work with council and other service providers in order to a select a location which will provide maximum benefit for mobile customers at Bundeena.
‘‘It is important that any future site be close enough to residents to ensure a good indoor signal that will properly service the area.
‘‘With the Royal National Park, it is the oldest park in Australia and because of natural heritage regulations, quite rightly, it is difficult to obtain permission to build any suitable infrastructure within the park boundaries.
‘‘Obviously, a number of factors will impact mobile coverage in the area including distance from the nearest base station and any obstructions to signals, including trees and hills, but we are continuing to hold discussions to determine a suitable solution, especially for a service that will cover Audley.’’
OPTUS
‘‘Optus is committed to improving mobile coverage in the Royal National Park and at Bundeena and Maianbar.
‘‘We expect improved coverage to be available in the new year, subject to site acquisition and installation of a telecommunications infrastructure. Optus is investing in its mobile network to expand 4G coverage to 90 per cent of Australia’s population by April 2015.’’
VODAFONE
‘‘There is currently limited mobile coverage in the Royal National Park and also some coverage in Bundeena and Maianbar.
‘‘We are currently working through a range of options but do not yet have a confirmed site for network infrastructure.
‘‘Vodafone always works closely with local councils and communities on development plans, and to balance any concerns about network infrastructure locations with the growing demand for fast, reliable network coverage.’’
Does Royal mobile coverage need improvement?
