Generator trial to address mobile phone tower outages during WA emergencies
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Farmer and volunteer firefighter Scott Smith made and received hundreds of calls while tackling a bush fire in WA's Great Southern earlier this year.
Despite repeated attempts to connect to other farmers and firefighters, many went unanswered.
"[I made] just over 250 calls," Mr Smith said.
"The vast majority of those either didn't connect or cut out seconds in."
Mr Smith, who farms at Green Range, 440 kilometres south of Perth, said he could not understand why he was struggling to get service, given he could see the phone tower on Green Range Hill.
"We could've gotten away with 60 or 70 [calls] if connectivity was reliable," he said.
In the days after the fire, the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) said the service outage was a result of damage to Western Power infrastructure sustained at the height of the blaze.
Without backup power on site, the mobile tower failed, creating the temporary service outage that led to Mr Smith's poor signal.
In 2024 a supercell thunderstorm in the Wheatbelt and Goldfields region caused widespread disruptions to the telecommunications network.
While in 2021, Cyclone Seroja ripped through the state's Mid West and Wheatbelt, destroying homes, businesses and mobile services.
A review by DFES the same year found the cyclone left more than 100 3G mobile towers and 79 4G base stations without signal for days.
Local Government Association president Karen Chappel said ensuring rural connectivity remained in place during emergencies was "critical" for local residents.
"Cyclone Seroja, fires in the Goldfields, Bruce Rock, Esperance — those have really identified the need for emergency services and families to have [mobile] contact," she said.
ATUs are devices that switch power from the network grid to a backup power generator, allowing for the continuous flow of electricity to the network infrastructure.
DFES and Telstra, who are co-funding the program, said the units could be switched on by locals in an emergency meaning they don't have to wait for a utility provider to get on site.
The program has been touted as a solution to combat network outages by Regional Development Minister Don Punch.
"Being able to communicate quickly and effectively during an emergency is critical," he said.
"Automatic transfer units across the Wheatbelt and Goldfields will help secure essential mobile and communication services to support first responders and regional communities during network outages."
However a DFES spokesperson described the pilot program to the ABC as a "temporary workaround".
"It's a pilot program and we're hoping it's so successful that it's rolled out across the state, so the ATUs are in place and there are no interruptions; so lives will be saved," she said.
Telstra regional general manager Boyd Brown said the company continually reviewed its sites to ensure backups were working as expected.
However Mr Brown said the telco's own services could be affected by low power levels.
"Our network sites can use the same amount of power as 10 homes every day, so disruptions will occur if power is out for a long time in your area," Mr Brown said.
Written by Anna Cox, ABC News.
Despite repeated attempts to connect to other farmers and firefighters, many went unanswered.
"[I made] just over 250 calls," Mr Smith said.
"The vast majority of those either didn't connect or cut out seconds in."
Scott Smith farms in Green Range and faces ongoing issues with connectivity. (Supplied: Scott Smith)
Mr Smith, who farms at Green Range, 440 kilometres south of Perth, said he could not understand why he was struggling to get service, given he could see the phone tower on Green Range Hill.
"We could've gotten away with 60 or 70 [calls] if connectivity was reliable," he said.
In the days after the fire, the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) said the service outage was a result of damage to Western Power infrastructure sustained at the height of the blaze.
Without backup power on site, the mobile tower failed, creating the temporary service outage that led to Mr Smith's poor signal.
Green Range locals say communication on the fire ground was a challenge because of patchy coverage. (ABC Great Southern: Andrew Chounding)
A statewide issue
Connectivity during emergencies is an issue that has impacted other regional communities across the state.In 2024 a supercell thunderstorm in the Wheatbelt and Goldfields region caused widespread disruptions to the telecommunications network.
While in 2021, Cyclone Seroja ripped through the state's Mid West and Wheatbelt, destroying homes, businesses and mobile services.
A review by DFES the same year found the cyclone left more than 100 3G mobile towers and 79 4G base stations without signal for days.
Karen Chappel says connectivity during emergencies is "critical" for rural communities. (Supplied: WALGA)
Local Government Association president Karen Chappel said ensuring rural connectivity remained in place during emergencies was "critical" for local residents.
"Cyclone Seroja, fires in the Goldfields, Bruce Rock, Esperance — those have really identified the need for emergency services and families to have [mobile] contact," she said.
Trial to test backup generators
In November, the state government announced it would trial a pilot program using automatic transfer units (ATU) at 80 sites across the Wheatbelt and Goldfields to provide power during an outage.ATUs are devices that switch power from the network grid to a backup power generator, allowing for the continuous flow of electricity to the network infrastructure.
DFES and Telstra, who are co-funding the program, said the units could be switched on by locals in an emergency meaning they don't have to wait for a utility provider to get on site.
The program has been touted as a solution to combat network outages by Regional Development Minister Don Punch.
"Being able to communicate quickly and effectively during an emergency is critical," he said.
"Automatic transfer units across the Wheatbelt and Goldfields will help secure essential mobile and communication services to support first responders and regional communities during network outages."
However a DFES spokesperson described the pilot program to the ABC as a "temporary workaround".
A fire tore through Scott Smith's property this year. (Supplied: Scott Smith)
Life-saving solution
Ms Chappel said she would like to see more towers and a permanent solution put in place to improve coverage, particularly in areas with busy tourism and emergency response seasons."It's a pilot program and we're hoping it's so successful that it's rolled out across the state, so the ATUs are in place and there are no interruptions; so lives will be saved," she said.
Telstra regional general manager Boyd Brown said the company continually reviewed its sites to ensure backups were working as expected.
However Mr Brown said the telco's own services could be affected by low power levels.
"Our network sites can use the same amount of power as 10 homes every day, so disruptions will occur if power is out for a long time in your area," Mr Brown said.
Written by Anna Cox, ABC News.
