Mobile Phone Coverage

There's more than one way to stay in touch in the Outback

Charleville, Longreach and Mount Isa have coverage from most networks. Outside of these three towns only the Telstra Next G Network is available, usually within a 20 kilometre radius of towns. There is no mobile coverage in the far South West corner of the region, west of Quilpie to Bedourie.

Pubic phones are available in all towns, and satellite phones and UHF Radios are recommended for extended travel in these areas.

Telstra's Next G Network

Telstra's Next G network is the fastest national mobile broadband network in this country. It's twice as large as any of our competitors and covers 99% of Australia’s population. This means we are bringing 3G services to more Australians than ever before, and to many Australians for the first time.

Customers who join Telstra’s Next G network will have access to both traditional voice and data services. This means you don’t have to miss the things you want or need, like the latest news or sports results, music downloads, emails, TV shows and a whole lot more.

For more information on Telstra's Next G Mobile Phone Network please click here.

Telstra's Mobile Broadband

Telstra's Next G network offers the best breadth and depth of third generation mobile coverage in Australia covering more than 1.9 million square kilometres. The network now provides mobile broadband access to 99 per cent of Australians, spanning city to country including many remote coastal and rural communities.

To see if Telstra Mobile Broadband is available where you want it, select the option that applies to you below.

Tip: To get the best out of mobile coverage in regional areas, Telstra recommends customers adopt an external antenna to increase the signal strength and coverage.

For more information Telstra's Mobile Broadband please click here.

Satellite Phones

It stands to reason, that travellers need a communication system that they can rely on. Since satellite technology has evolved and is now a realistically priced solution for communications, there has been a insurgence of the use of satellite phones (satphone) in business, education and recreation. The uptake of satellite technology is most obvious in the tourism sector, with hand-held satellites easy to use, easy to obtain, and providing a reliable, private, communication service to users.

UHF Radios

If you are considering a trip into Queensland’s vast outback, then a UHF Radio is an important communications device to have. Besides the entertainment value, such as chatting with other travellers, this radio can be a valuable part of your contingency list.