Splendour, Falls Boost Phone Coverage For Upcoming Festivals

The Byron Bay home of Splendour In The Grass and the Falls Festival have come to an agreement with telco giant Telstra that will see their coverage boosted during the events.

Splendour In The Grass organisers controversially told punters before the 2014 event that Telstra customers would experience “very limited” coverage during the festival after negotiations between the two parties for a permanent solution to reception broke down. Optus and Vodaphone customers were to be unaffected.

After eventually agreeing to provide two Cells On Wheels [COWs] to boost signals during the event, North Byron Parklands – the site on which the festivals are held – have confirmed today that Telstra will again be providing two COWs and running fibre optic cabling to the site.

Telstra Area General Manager Sue Passmore said, “With the increase in network capacity and coverage as a result of these works we will make sure festival-goers and residents stay connection. It is important to note the increase in demand on the mobile network does not affect fixed landline services in the area. The fibre optic cable work has been installed specifically to provide additional support to our mobile services.”

Earlier this year local residents using Telstra services had expressed concerns that the strain on services during the Splendour In The Grass weekend will put them at risk if emergency services cannot be contacted when needed.

The cabling instillation is “almost complete” and the COWs will be in place for the upcoming Falls Festival.

Splendour Co-Director Jessica Ducrou said today, “It’s a fantastic result and we applaud Telstra for their genuine interest in working through a very complex set of constraints and finding a solution for both their customers and Parklands.”

There were no issues with Optus and Vodaphone services at this year’s Splendour, given both companies agreed to provide COWs, and North Byron Parklands General Manager Mat Morris confirmed that they have been talking with “a range of carriers” in the past year to improve coverage in the area surrounding the Parklands.