Mobile Phone and Device Black Spots Connectivity Assessment

Whitsunday Regional Organisation of Councils

Whitsunday Regional Council

2 February 2016

Strategy, Planning & Development Implementation Programs Research, Analysis & Measurement Mobile Coverage Testing

Digital Mapping

Digital Economy Group Pty Ltd P.O. Box 1191 ABN 48 153 285 191 Nambour, Queensland 4560

Whitsunday Regional Council Mobile Phone and Device Black Spots Connectivity Assessment

Document History Version Author Amendments Date V1.0 Megan Whereat Initial Draft 16 November 2015 V1.1 Michael Whereat Prepare & import test results 29 November 2015 V1.2 Michael Whereat Assess blackspots & priorities 5 December 2015 V1.3 Michael Whereat Final Draft 13 December 2015 V1.4 Michael Whereat Final 24 January 2016 V1.5 Michael Whereat Final with amendments 2 February 2016

Distribution List Person Title Heather Norris Executive Officer, Whitsunday ROC Ltd Michael Whereat Director, Digital Economy Group

Disclaimer: Information in this document is based on available data at the time of writing this document. Digital Economy Group Pty Ltd or its officers accept no responsibility for any loss occasioned to any person acting or refraining from acting in reliance upon any material contained in this document.

Copyright © Digital Economy Group 2011-15. This document is copyright and must be used except as permitted below or under the Copyright Act 1968. You may reproduce and publish this document in whole or in part for you and your organisation’s own personal and internal compliance, educational or non-commercial purposes. You must not reproduce or publish this document for commercial gain without the prior written consent of the Digital Economy Group Pty. Ltd.

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Whitsunday Regional Council Mobile Phone and Device Black Spots Connectivity Assessment

Contents 1. Executive Summary 1 2. Introduction 6 3. Methodology 7 3.1 The Study Area 7 3.2 Current Carrier Coverage 8 3.3 Current Carrier Sites and ACMA Licences overview 10 3.4 Carrier Baseline 11 3.5 Testing Methodology 11 3.5.1 Network Performance Tests 11 3.5.2 Network Performance Time Series Testing 12 3.5.3 Testing Equipment and Presentation Limitations 13 4 Australian Government Mobile Black Spot Programme and locally identified Black Spots 13 4.1 Mobile Black Spot Programme 13 4.2 Mobile Black Spot Programme – Round 2 14 4.3 Locally identified Black Spots 15 5 Mobile Coverage Testing Results 16 5.1 Tested Routes 16 5.2 Signal Strength 17 5.2.1 Voice and 3G Black Spots 17 5.2.2 4G LTE Black Spots 19 5.3 Network Performance Test locations and assessment overview 21 5.4 Network Performance Time Series Tests 24 5.5 Network Performance Time Series Test Carrier Comparison 27 5.6 Top priority locations for the Whitsunday Regional Council 29 6 Conclusion 33 Appendix 1: AT&T Drive Studio and Ericsson Release Global Study on Connected Car Buyers 34 Appendix 2: Mobile Black Spot Programme Round 1 Successful Sites 35 Appendix 3: Current Carrier Infrastructure 36 Appendix 4: Network Performance Test Results by Carrier 39 Appendix 5: Network Performance Time Series Test Graphs 42 Appendix 6: Terms and Abbreviations 47

Table of Figures Figure 1: Benchmark Location Brisbane CBD – Time Series Testing ...... 12 Figure 2: Signal Strength – Rural Town (left) & – Town Centre (right) ...... 17 Figure 3: Time Series Test – Airlie Beach ...... 24 Figure 4: Time Series Test – Shute Harbour ...... 25 Figure 5: Time Series Test - Proserpine ...... 25 Figure 6: Time Series Test - Collinsville ...... 26 Figure 7: Time Series Test - Bowen ...... 26 Figure 8: Telstra Time Series Tests ...... 27 Figure 9: Optus Time Series Tests ...... 27 Figure 10: Vodafone Time Series Tests ...... 28

Table of Maps Map 1: Whitsunday Regional Council Priority Map ...... 2 Map 2: Study Area ...... 7 Map 3: Telstra Mobile Phone and Broadband Coverage ...... 8 Map 4: Optus Mobile Broadband Coverage ...... 9 Map 5: Vodafone Mobile Broadband Coverage ...... 9

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Whitsunday Regional Council Mobile Phone and Device Black Spots Connectivity Assessment

Map 6: Current Mobile Carrier Sites – Whitsunday Regional Council ...... 10 Map 7: Mobile Black Spot Programme Community contributed Black Spot locations ...... 14 Map 8: Routes used for Voice, 3G & Call Drop together with testing for 4G LTE ...... 17 Map 9: Voice, 3G & Call Drop Black Spots ...... 18 Map 10: Whitsunday Regional Council 4G LTE Black Spots ...... 20 Map 11: Network Performance Test Locations (using Telstra results) ...... 21 Map 12: Whitsunday Regional Council Priority Map ...... 29

Tables Table 1: Network Performance Test Scores ...... 12 Table 2: Digital Divide and Location Comparison ...... 16 Table 3: Summary of Voice, 3G & Call Drop Black Spots ...... 19 Table 4: Summary of 4G Black Spots for the Whitsunday Regional Council Area ...... 20 Table 5: Network Performance Test Results and Assessment ...... 22 Table 6: Consolidated Network Performance Test Scores ...... 23

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1. Executive Summary Mobile connectivity, for phone calls and broadband, has become a utility expected by business, residents and the community. The rapid development of new technologies and faster connection options has resulted in regional and rural areas of Australia being on the wrong side of the ‘Digital Divide’. In our capital cities there are virtually no Black Spots for coverage and rapid deployment of the latest generation of connectivity. On the other side of the ‘Digital Divide’ Black Spots form the largest part of the landscape and their townships have technology a generation or two behind. For Local Government areas such as Whitsunday Regional Council, the challenge is to find ways to partner with the three privately owned carriers to reduce the extent of Black Spot coverage and increase access to quality internet data transfer speeds. They must seek to drive expanded and advanced deployment of the best generation technology the carriers are prepared to invest in. Managing the region in times of disaster or emergency, providing a positive experience for visitors and delivering greater productivity for businesses is now a constant requirement for successful local government areas.

Whitsunday ROC has engaged the Digital Economy Group (DEG) to benchmark carrier performance and identify priorities to reduce Black Spots and improve coverage across the region. This report has been prepared specifically for Whitsunday Regional Council (Council) to provide a local perspective. An overarching report for the whole region has also been produced to draw the key findings of all 3 individual reports together and guide the regional priorities. This report contains the following three elements: identify the Voice, 3G Black Spots, Call Drop and sample 4G LTE in the urban areas test the network performance to identify where network upgrades are required list the priority locations and short list for Council and the region to pursue the Mobile Black Spot Programme Round 2 funding

A total of approximately 948klms of roads were driven across the Whitsunday Regional Council area. For the voice, 3G and call drop testing, 695 klms were driven and 253 klms for 4G LTE testing. A total of 45 individual Network Performance Tests were also completed to test the validity of the coverage maps and confirm that the signal strength maps translated into actual connectivity. A total of 5 Time Series Network Performance tests were performed to illustrate the quality of each respective network and associated reliability.

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The top priority locations for the Whitsunday Regional Council: The Whitsunday Regional Council priority areas are based on a consolidation of the three testing methodologies together with anecdotal survey responses. There are two types of focus for Whitsunday Regional Council to work with the carriers on: Mobile Black Spot Programme Round 2 opportunities to remove Black Spots, and improving capacity and competition where there is coverage. The Map below identifies the roads driven with a thin pale blue line. Locations along the driven routes without any colouring have coverage from all three carriers. To identify mobile coverage Black Spots (areas where there is no coverage from any of the three carriers) look for the solid black lines. The thick yellow lines represent where Telstra and Vodafone have coverage but Optus does not. The thick red lines Telstra and Optus have coverage and Vodafone does not have coverage. The third colour, orange, represents locations where Optus and Vodafone do not have coverage but Telstra does. Map 1: Whitsunday Regional Council Priority Map

Sources: Google Earth 2015, Queensland Local Government Areas & DEG interpretation

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The Whitsunday Regional Council mobile coverage and capacity priorities (draft) are:

Priority 1 – Bowen Developmental Rd between Collinsville and Mt Coolon This is a clear, large expanse of a highly utilised road that presents a significant safety issue. This location was identified by DEG as a Black Spot. Detailed testing has confirmed the absence of coverage from all three carriers for most of the area. Despite a small population base, this section of the Bowen Developmental Rd remains a regularly used and strategic connection.

It warrants a detailed evaluation for the Mobile Black Spot Funding Round 2. Priority 2 – Bowen Developmental Rd - North, South and West of Mt Coolon This is a clear, large expanse of highly utilised roads that present significant safety issues.

This location was identified by DEG as a Black Spot. Detailed testing has confirmed the absence of coverage for all three carriers for much of the area. Despite a small population base, this section of the Bowen Developmental Rd remains a regularly used and strategic connection. The remainder of the road to Belyando Crossing and 105klms South to Clermont is also a pervasive blackspot.

It warrants a detailed evaluation for the Mobile Black Spot Funding Round 2. Priority 3 – Bowen Developmental Rd between Bowen and Collinsville Advised as successful in Round 1 of the Programme (however no confirmed implementation timing from Telstra other than “within the next three years”). This is a clear, large expanse of a highly utilised road that presents a significant safety issue and clearly meets the criteria. Included here for completeness and escalation of urgency.

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Priority 4 - Woodwark (Mobile Black Spot Programme candidate area identifier QLD-0956). This rural – residential corridor to the north of Airlie Beach and Cannonvale has a community of several hundred residents and is a bush fire hazard zone. It was an unsuccessful nomination in the previous round. The mobile blackspot issues remain and it appears to meet the required criteria.

Priority 5 - Whitsunday Coast Airport Whilst there is partial Telstra mobile coverage at the airport already, it is not provided by a normal external base station, but only a limited capacity NextG Distributed Antenna System micro-cell within the building. As a result, the coverage is geographically limited and the service becomes fully saturated at peak terminal times each day. It also does not provide the data capacity of a 3G or 4G service. This is a significant frustration for passengers and also presents a risk should a safety-related event occur. Priority 6 – Conway Rd towards Conway Beach This relatively small Voice and 3G Black Spot is also a 4G LTE Blackspot.

Conway Road towards Conway and Wilsons Beach and expanded to include areas of Palm Grove (Mobile Black Spot Programme candidate area identifier QLD-0736) and Proserpine River. Further to the commentary in the draft ROC study, Conway Beach is not only home to a small resident population, but the broader area including Palm Grove is the location of three popular tourist and recreational destinations - Conway & Wilsons Beaches; Cedar Creek Falls; and Proserpine River / Boat Ramp.

Priority 7 - Lake Proserpine / Peter Faust Dam (Mobile Black Spot Programme candidate area identifier QLD- 0956). Identified by the Federal Government as a candidate area in the previous funding round, Lake Proserpine is a premier recreational and fishing location with a high number of visitors each year. There is no mobile coverage for most of the lake area and sections of the highly utilised road leading to it.

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The DEG report forms the initial basis for effectively seeking to reduce Black Spots and progress to a higher standard of communications coverage. Whitsunday ROC and the Whitsunday Regional Council will now need to continue building the partnership with the carriers based on knowledge of their networks and an insight into carriers’ intent to deliver a high standard where it is commercially viable. A key part of building the partnership with carriers is to demonstrate a willingness to encourage the uptake of services on the network by providing a good communications program. When developed in consultation with the carriers, independent of individual carriers, business and community can identify ways to use mobile networks to achieve productivity benefits for their business. This helps carriers to achieve greater viability for investment. The Whitsunday ROC and the Whitsunday Regional Council has the potential to influence the carrier investment programs, achieve better services for the region and move to the right side of the digital divide. The best way to do this is by using this baseline report and continuing the facilitation of mobile communications coverage and good partnerships.

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2. Introduction Mobile phone and broadband services continue to be the major growth area of the Australian telecommunications market. Mobile use of the internet for business and personal use is a major influence in this growth.

At the time Australia’s population had reached 22.8 million (30 June 2011 1) there were 29.28 million mobile services (voice and data). Telstra reported recently that 4G data use for Australians was doubling every 4 months and the number of 4G customers had doubled in 6 months.

Connectivity is becoming an essential feature for car buyers. A new study by AT&T Drive Studio and Ericsson has found connectivity to be a critical factor for car buyers looking to make a new purchase. The study, based on the opinions of customers likely to buy a car in the next three years from the US, Germany, Brazil, Mexico and China, found increased awareness and demand for in-vehicle connectivity and more importantly, connected car services such as internet radio, navigation service with real time traffic updates, and on board Wi-Fi hotspot (Refer Appendix 1).

This is significant for all areas of Australia as the rapid growth is forecast to continue, creating a digital divide for those areas where mobile connectivity is reduced or compromised compared with the capital cities.

The Whitsunday ROC has engaged the Digital Economy Group (DEG) to complete a Mobile Phone and Device Black Spots Connectivity Assessment for the Whitsunday region. This includes the preparation of individual reports for the 3 local governments.

This report has been prepared specifically for the Whitsunday Regional Council.

1 Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2006 Census.

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3. Methodology The methodology used by DEG for independent Mobile Coverage Testing (MCT) has been developed over five years of ground proofing and evolving discussions with carriers. The methodology follows seven steps:

1. establish the study area 2. capturing current carrier coverage maps 3. create carrier infrastructure maps showing active sites 4. identifying testing routes and site test locations 5. completing the three selected core testing methods: 5.1. signal strength 5.2. network performance and 5.3. time series network performance 6. establish carrier Black Spots and determine priority network upgrades 7. providing a localised implementation plan

3.1 The Study Area The study area for the whole project is the Whitsunday ROC area. The study area of this report is the Whitsunday Regional Council.

Map 2: Study Area

Source: Google Earth 2015, Queensland Local Government Boundaries & DEG interpretation.

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3.2 Current Carrier Coverage Each of the three current active carriers publish indicative mobile broadband coverage maps on their respective websites 2 3 4. Carrier coverage maps are updated and modified from time to time. The capture of this information allows DEG to establish the baseline coverage for each carrier in each of the detailed study areas. These maps will allow the reader to compare current advertised coverage for each of the carriers as it relates to their own localities. This baseline information is a key reference point for expectations relating to the service levels of each of the carriers.

Note: Each of the carriers provides detailed caveats regarding the propagation characteristics of networks and mobile broadband. Current versions of these considerations can be found on the relevant carrier websites as it changes from time to time.

Map 3: Telstra Mobile Phone and Broadband Coverage

Sourced: http://www.telstra.com.au/mobile-phones/coverage-networks/our-coverage/ 22 November 2015

2 http://www.telstra.com.au/mobile-phones/coverage-networks/our-coverage/mobile-broadband/ 3 http://www.vodafone.com.au/aboutvodafone/network/checker

4 https://www.optus.com.au/network/mobile/coverage

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Map 4: Optus Mobile Broadband Coverage

Sourced https://www.optus.com.au/network/mobile/coverage Sourced: 22 November 201 5

Map 5: Vodafone Mobile Broadband Coverage

Sourced: http://www.vodafone.com.au/aboutvodafone/network/checker Sourced: 22 November 2015

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3.3 Current Carrier Sites and ACMA Licences overview All carrier radio licences in Australia are registered and managed by the Australian Communications Media Authority (ACMA). The following map for Whitsunday Regional Council shows all current active radio licences for Telstra, Optus and Vodafone. Carriers use different spectrum and technologies to deliver connectivity for mobile phone calls and mobile internet. There is no consistent radius from a site nor can it be expected that every site will generate 360 degree coverage. Local topography and vegetation has a big impact on the ability of a device to secure a signal. Likewise, using a phone or internet connected device indoors can significantly reduce the user experience. nbn has been set with the challenge to deploy approx. 2,400 sites by mid-2015. Nbn has appointed Ericsson on a $1Billion plus contract. Many of the 2,400 sites required will have to be new sites (particularly in regional and rural areas), as the existing three carriers have not extended their reach to many of these areas.

Some sites are colocation (using existing radio transmission sites) with the balance being Greenfield sites in new areas, potentially providing future mobile network expansion with reduced cost and timeframe.

Map 6: Current Mobile Carrier Sites – Whitsunday Regional Council

Source: ACMA Radio Frequency Licences (Telst ra, Optus & Vodafone) at 30 October 2015 , Google Earth 2015, Queensland Local Government Boundaries & DEG interpretation.

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3.4 Carrier Baseline The carrier baseline developed below uses the most recent release of ACMA data (capturing licence information up to the 30 th October 2015). The full database contains over 30 columns of information and many thousands of licences for all radio frequency licences in Australia. This has been filtered to ensure only the Telstra, Optus and Vodafone radio licence information is used. This is further filtered to remove satellite earth receive and send sites, navigation and aeronautical equipment maintained by these companies.

Mobile broadband networks have two key components. The first is the transmission network, which sends and receives data signals to the site and the second is the local access network – from the user to the tower. The transmission network can be connected to a tower in two ways – either directly by optic fibre or by wireless microwave. Carriers prefer to have optic fibre connectivity for all sites, however, the microwave wireless network is more cost efficient to deploy to distant sites or in locations with relatively small data transfers. In rural areas it is more common to have microwave connectivity.

The transmission network usually consists of two types of set up. Point to point and point to multi point. Locations set up as point to point only are retransmission sites. They therefore have the potential to be upgraded with far less cost than a completely new site. A business case demonstrating the number of clients served or strategic benefit is still required. Of the three carriers, Telstra has more of these assets than Vodafone and Optus.

The local access network has one or more bands of spectrum deployed based on spectrum for the areas, expected traffic demands on the site and other related factors. Local Access licences breakdown into the bands of spectrum deployed in the area. The acquisition of spectrum is expensive and complex, as parts of Australia are broken into areas including urban and non-urban. Depending on the area and the population, carriers will seek to deploy spectrum to reflect their licences and the strongest attributes to give ‘coverage’ to achieve the best possible results. Having two bands of spectrum deployed across the region is the minimum objective.

3.5 Testing Methodology There are three testing methods used to inform this report: 1. signal strength • Call drop out for Voice and 3G • 4G LTE 2. network performance 3. time series network performance Each testing method serves to build a comprehensive picture of the service standards from all three carriers and inform the priority builds across the tested area.

3.5.1 Network Performance Tests The Network Performance tests are sited to evaluate the performance of specific carrier sites and where possible, also test spectrum performance. The Network Performance Tests (NPTs) are completed to validate the Signal Strength results and to challenge the carrier network with download, upload and network response time. This test methodology reflects a real world scenario for a user, downloading a 7.5Mb item and uploading a 7.5Mb item. Both tests are aggregated into a score as seen in Table 1 below.

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Table 1: Network Performance Test Scores Score Latency/Ping (ms) Download Speed (in Mbps) Upload Speed (in Mbps) 0 - 0 0 1 2000+ 0.01 – 0.25 0.01-0.249 2 1500-1999 0.26-0.50 0.250-0.500 3 1200-1499 0.51- 0.99 0.500-0.749 4 1000-1199 1.00 -1.99 0.750-0.99 5 800-999 2.00 -2.99 1.00-1.99 6 600-799 3.00 – 3.99 2.00-2.49 7 500-599 4.00 – 4.99 2.50-4.99 8 300-499 5.00 – 9.99 5.00-7.49 9 200-299 10.00 – 19.99 7.50-9.99 10 100-199 20.00 – 49.99 10.00-14.99 11 75-99 50.00-74.99 15.00-19.99 12 50-74 75.00-99.99 20.00-29.99 13 30-49 100-124.99 30.00-39.99 14 20-29 125-149.99 40.00-49.99 15 Less than 20 150 + 50+

3.5.2 Network Performance Time Series Testing The primary Time Series Test used in the Mobile Coverage Testing program is 10 Network Performance Tests in a series. This serves to validate the individual Network Performance Tests and puts the individual networks and the devices under a spot light. The overlay of all three test results onto the same graph (sample below) clearly illustrates the network performance.

Figure 1: Benchmark Location Brisbane CBD – Time Series Testing 14 12 10 8

Mbps 6 4 2 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 910

Telstra DL Optus DL Vodafone DL Telstra UL Optus UL Vodafone UL

Source: DEG MCT 201 5

The Time Series Tests combined with the individual Network Performance Tests establishes a robust profile of the carrier performance confirming strengths and highlighting weaknesses.

The sites used for the Whitsunday Regional Council area testing program are spread across the local government areas and illustrate the performance of networks with higher and lower investment strategies.

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3.5.3 Testing Equipment and Presentation Limitations While all care is taken to ensure the highest quality data capture and result presentation, there are a number of known limitations: tests are taken at a point in time and repeated tests may show some variation due to network performance, weather and electronic interference. Where Time Series Testing is used, this serves to validate the Network Performance Test results. any network based on radio technology, device quality or local conditions may prevent or interfere with mobile reception within coverage areas. e. g. inside concrete buildings, lift wells, basements, tunnels and road cuttings. High rise buildings may also suffer degradation of service all results are indicative of signal strength at one point in time at any given location from a given provider, are not represented in a time scale over, and therefore are not necessarily representative of the mean signal strength in any place over a given period of time variations between equipment can assist or limit the results. DEG use identical smartphones to remove most of the potential variables.

4 Australian Government Mobile Black Spot Programme and locally identified Black Spots

4.1 Mobile Black Spot Programme In 2014, the Australian Government announced the Mobile Black Spot Programme (The Programme) and committed $100 million towards a funding program involving eligible carriers, state, local governments and other contributing stakeholders. On 25 June 2015, the Round 1 sites were announced with 499 sites funded using a total funding pool of $385million. On the same date, the Australian government committed a further $60miilion as the foundation commitment to a Round 2 of the programme. To assist with the identification of Black Spot Locations, the Department of Communications established a database and provided the opportunity for individuals, and organisations to register where they considered there to be Black Spots – See Map 7 below.

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Map 7: Mobile Black Spot Programme Community contributed Black Spot locations

Date: 5 December 2105 Source: http://nationalmap.gov.au/ - Layer: mobile -black -spot - programme:database-group The nature of the user contributed database means that there are no qualitative parameters. A user with an Optus account may resister a site despite having Telstra and Vodafone coverage and so on. The concentration of Submitted Black Spots in the Mackay area highlights this. In addition, areas that are Black Spots may not have been nominated. To qualify for the Programme, an area must not have signal from any of the three carriers. In the Whitsunday ROC area, three sites were identified for funding from Round 1: Gargett - Mackay RC Bowen Developmental Road, between Bowen and Collinsville – Whitsunday RC Clarke Creek – Isaac RC 5 Each of the three local governments share extensive and pervasive three carrier Black Spots that warrant investigation for Round 2 of the Programme

4.2 Mobile Black Spot Programme – Round 2 Round 2 of the Programme is expected to operate under similar guidelines as the first round of the Programme. The Government will review the results of Round 1 to determine if there should be any changes.

5 Note. The Clarke Creek site identified as a Round 1 site as a result of earlier testing and validation by DEG in 2012.

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Round 2 of the Programme will offer further opportunities to meet unmet demand and provide coverage to more locations around regional and remote Australia. The competitive selection process for the second round of funding is expected to commence in 2016, after allowing time for further locations to be nominated by members of the public. The locations to be funded under Round 2 are expected to be announced by the end of 2016. The Whitsunday ROC together with each of the three Councils are encouraged to engage with local, state and commonwealth representatives to seek letters of support for priority locations. Areas with additional site assessments and potential contributions generated higher success rates than areas that simply nominated Black Spot locations.

4.3 Locally identified Black Spots Whitsunday ROC provided DEG with the following known Black Spot locations in the Whitsunday Regional Council area following the completion of testing. These will now be used as part of the report. Bowen Developmental Road between Collinsville & Mt Coolon. This is a clear, large expanse of a highly utilised road that presents a significant safety issue. Bowen Developmental Road North, South & West of Mt Coolon. This is a clear, large expanse of highly utilised roads that present significant safety issues. Bowen Developmental Road between Bowen & Collinsville. Advised as successful in the Previous Round (however no confirmed implementation timing from Telstra other than “within the next three years”). This is a clear, large expanse of a highly utilised road that presents a significant safety issue and clearly meets the criteria. Included here for completeness and escalation of urgency. Woodwark. (Mobile Black Spot Programme candidate area identifier QLD-0956). This rural – residential corridor to the north of Airlie Beach and Cannonvale has a community of several hundred residents and is a bush fire hazard zone. It was an unsuccessful nomination in the previous round. The mobile blackspot issues remain and it appears to meet the required criteria. Whitsunday Coast Airport. During the 2014-15FY passenger numbers reached in excess of 282,000 with further anticipated growth to deliver a forecast of between 325,000 and 390,000 passengers for the 2015-16FY. There is considerable further growth expected in the next 20 years and the 2035 high forecast of 901,404 reflects this. The airport currently provides between four and five services daily. This is expected to increase to six by the end of 2015 and to include international services by 2018. Whilst there is partial Telstra mobile coverage at the airport already, it is not provided by a normal external base station, but only a limited capacity NextG Distributed Antenna System micro-cell within the building. As a result, the coverage is geographically limited and the service becomes fully saturated at peak terminal times each day. It also does not provide the data capacity of a 3G or 4G service. This is a significant frustration for passengers and also presents a risk should a safety-related event occur. Discussions with Telstra are ongoing regarding a possible upgrade of their service. Conway Road towards Conway and Wilsons Beach and expanded to include areas of Palm Grove (Mobile Black Spot Programme candidate area identifier QLD-0736) and Proserpine River. Further to the commentary in the draft ROC study, Conway Beach is not only home to a small resident population, but the broader area including Palm Grove is the location of three popular tourist and recreational destinations - Conway & Wilsons Beaches; Cedar Creek Falls; and Proserpine River / Boat Ramp. As a result, this road is heavily trafficked and the multiple blackspots have a significant community safety impact. This is especially the case at Cedar Creek Falls which is a premier and highly promoted tourist location and the site of frequent

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serious injuries and some fatalities. There is no mobile coverage at the falls or carpark and contact can only be achieved by driving back towards Conway Road. The Proserpine River is also a premier tourist & recreational fishing destination with large numbers of vessels utilising the river and boat ramp. There are numerous reaches with no or limited mobile coverage. An improvement of mobile coverage in this general area would contribute significantly to improved safety, not just to the community residents, but the large volume of tourist and recreational visitors. Lake Proserpine / Peter Faust Dam. (Mobile Black Spot Programme candidate area identifier QLD-0956). Identified by the Federal Government as a candidate area in the previous funding round, Lake Proserpine is a premier recreational and fishing location with a high number of visitors each year. There is no mobile coverage for most of the lake area and sections of the highly utilised road leading to it.

5 Mobile Coverage Testing Results The Mobile Phone and Device Black Spots Connectivity Assessment for the Whitsunday Regional Council highlights the digital divide that the region is seeking to overcome. The Whitsunday Regional Council area can be characterised as being regional and rural when referenced against the Digital Divide and Location Comparison developed by DEG for mobile coverage assessment. Council and regional stakeholders will need to focus on reducing the extent of mobile phone and mobile broadband Black Spot coverage and push for higher penetration of 4G and 4G Advanced. Capital cities and urban locations may always have another level of technology first, but regions need to push to narrow the divide and remain attractive to retain population and attract new local investment. Table 2: Digital Divide and Location Comparison

Source: DEG 2015

5.1 Tested Routes The proposed testing routes for Whitsunday Regional Council included approximately 948klms of testing. Approximately 695klms were driven capturing Voice and 3G results and 252.97klms for 4G LTE. The map below illustrates the actual Voice 3G and 4G LTE routes completed during testing.

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Map 8: Routes used for Voice, 3G & Call Drop together with testing for 4G LTE

Voice, 3G & Call Drop Testing 695 klms 4G LTE Testing – 253 klms Sources: Google Earth 201 5, Queensland Local Governments & DEG overlay

5.2 Signal Strength The signal strength testing is undertaken for each of the three major carriers: Telstra, Optus and Vodafone. The smart phone devices are typically set to generate markers every 50m. The tests are exported to a GIS platform to allow a rapid on site assessment of the full range of signal strengths from Low Signal Range to High Signal Range and Black Spot locations. This assessment phase also involves a comparison of the test results with the carrier advertised coverage maps. The Signal Strength Test evaluates the strength of the signal from the local tower to the testing location. Figure 2: Signal Strength – Rural Town (left) & – Town Centre (right)

Sources: Google Earth 2015 and DEG 201 5

The Signal Strength Test involves the capture of phone signal strengths from 0 through to 31. Where the signal is zero, a Black Spot is registered. The remaining 31 bands are broken into: 1-10 (red shades) as the Low Signal Range, poorest signals 11-20 (blue shades) as the Mid Signal Range representing the middle of the spectrum and 21-31 (green shades) representing the High Signal Range and the strongest signals possible

5.2.1 Voice and 3G Black Spots Black Spots are locations or sections of road where no signal can be found, resulting in failure to connect to the network. The identification of a Black Spot (Map below) begins with the signal strength markers collected across the region.

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The Voice & 3G signal strength testing for the Whitsunday Regional Council covered approx. 695klms and generated approx. 13,900 markers for each of the three carriers (with signal strength taken every 50m). The resultant 41,700 markers provide a strong and detailed evidence base showing the real extent of network coverage for mobile phones. This data has then been filtered and mapped to highlight coverage Black Spots. The Map below shows the roads tested and the extent of Black Spots in the area. The colour code is as follows:

Black – no signal for Telstra, Optus and Vodafone Orange - Optus and Vodafone have no signal – Telstra is generating a signal Yellow – No Optus signal – Telstra and Vodafone have signal Red - No Vodafone signal – Telstra and Optus have signal Blue – No Telstra signal – Optus and Vodafone have signal Green – Telstra and Optus have no signal – Vodafone has signal Purple – Telstra and Vodafone have no signal – Optus has signal

The Map (below) highlights the concentration of Black Spots on rural roads away from urban centres. The first observation to note is that only 390klms or 56.14% of the roads tested have coverage from all three carriers. The next key point is that out of the approx. 695klms tested, some 139.24klms of roads or approx. 20%, experienced Black Spots for all of three carriers. The table below separates each of the Black Spot categories by kilometres and percentage of the total.

Map 9: Voice, 3G & Call Drop Black Spots

Sources: Google Earth 201 5, Queensland Local Government Areas & DEG interpretation

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The three carrier Black Spots in the Whitsunday Regional Council area are located in only a few concentrated locations. It is the Black Spots of Vodafone (shown in red) that occupy significant areas of the map. The Optus Black Spots (11.28klms) and combined Vodafone/Optus Black Spots (81.46klms) that colour the map. In terms of signal strength, the map clearly shows the need for Telstra, Optus and Vodafone to improve their network performance here. There are a number of locations where all three carriers need to invest to ensure there are no Black Spots here.

Table 3: Summary of Voice, 3G & Call Drop Black Spots Voice, 3G and Call Drop Signal Strength Coverage klms percent White - coverage from all three carriers 390.15 56.14 Black – no signal for Telstra, Optus and Vodafone 139.24 20.03 Orange - Optus and Vodafone have no signal – Telstra has signal 81.46 11.72 Yellow – No Optus signal – Telstra and Vodafone have signal 11.28 1.62 Red - No Vodafone signal – Telstra and Optus have signal 60.27 8.67 Blue – No Telstra signal – Optus and Vodafone have signal 2.98 0.43 Green – Telstra and Optus have no signal – Vodafone has signal 1.2 0.17 Purple – Telstra and Vodafone have no signal – Optus has signal 8.42 1.21 Total 695 100

5.2.2 4G LTE Black Spots Digital Economy Group tested for 4G LTE signals in the Whitsunday Regional Council area. The locations selected for testing included key urban locations and where return drives provided the opportunity to capture this data without additional driving. In the Whitsunday Regional Council area, only 16.55klms or 6.54% of the area tested had coverage for all three carriers. Over 180klms or 71.19% were 4G LTEs three carrier blackspots. If more extensive testing had occurred, the extent of 4G LTE coverage in and around urban areas would be better demonstrated.

The presence of all three carriers in urban and rural communities is a welcome outcome from the testing with opportunities for additional upgrades and new sites through Council and Whitsunday ROC communicating the current and expected growth in demand.

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Map 10: Whitsunday Regional Council 4G LTE Black Spots

Sources: Google Earth 201 5, Queensland Local Government Areas & DEG interpretation

Table 4: Summary of 4G Black Spots for the Whitsunday Regional Council Area 4G LTE Signal Strength Coverage Category klms percent White - coverage from all three carriers 16.55 6.54 Black – no signal for Telstra, Optus and Vodafone 180.09 71.19 Orange - Optus and Vodafone have no signal – Telstra has signal 27.3 10.79 Yellow – No Optus signal – Telstra and Vodafone have signal 9.74 3.85 Red - No Vodafone signal – Telstra and Optus have signal 3.18 1.26 Blue – No Telstra signal – Optus and Vodafone have signal 0 0.00 Green – Telstra and Optus have no signal – Vodafone has signal 16.11 6.37 Purple – Telstra and Vodafone have no signal – Optus has signal 0 0.00 Total 252.97 100

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5.3 Network Performance Test locations and assessment overview Network Performance Tests were conducted in 45 locations across the Whitsunday Regional Council area in November 2015. The testing methodology (outlined above) replicates a real world user experience. Whilst the individual site tests do allow for network performance variation, the sample Time Series Tests below demonstrate that network performance generally remains within a band. As a result, network performance results are generally within plus or minus one of that score achieved when repeated over time. The Map below shows the results for Telstra in the Whitsunday Regional Council area. To see all three carrier results together refer to Appendix 4.

Map 11: Network Performance Test Locations (using Telstra results)

Sources: Google Earth 201 5, Local Government Boundaries & DEG interpretation

A table compiling locality, test result, quality assessment and proposed action assessment has been prepared and can be found below. The selection of the site test locations was predominantly determined by localities and/or major road junctions or council boundaries.

The overall performance of each of the three carriers is highlighted in seven colour bands to inform the assessment and proposed priorities for this local government. The colour bands are:

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Rating Description Locations where the user experience is approaching the advertised potential Extremely Good (11-15) of the network and their device with very little congestion highlights locations with results that stand out for the location and users are Very Good (8-10) actively using their connection without any delay User experience matches expectations. Intensive applications work to a high Good (5-7) standard most of the time Largely consistent with expectations however network congestion or use of Acceptable (4) intensive apps will result in noticeable network slow downs Users are constantly considering how to maintain a connection or are unable Poor (2-3) to actively use all applications due to network performance issues. Substandard results and typically a ‘dial-up’ speeds for download or upload Very Poor (1) or both. User experience will result in little or no viable use of internet. Network fail due to the download, upload or ping failures. A download may Network Fail - (0) be achievable but upload cannot be sustained. No functional use of the internet. Note: The rating for all three results in each carrier is based on the download result only.

Table 5: Network Performance Test Results and Assessment- Ref Location Telstra Optus Vodafone UL DL PG UL DL PG UL DL PG 1 Abbott Point Terminal 2 8 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 Airlie Beach Central 7 10 10 6 8 10 7 4 10 3 Airlie Beach Marina 7 10 10 7 6 10 7 3 10 4 Bowen- Bowen Connection Rd/Gregory St 1 1 7 6 8 10 5 9 10 5 Bowen Developmental Rd/ Gee Dee Rd 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 Bowen Devel. Rd/ 10km north of Bogie River Bridge 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 Bowen Devel. Rd/ 7km south of Bogie River Bridge 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 Bowen Devel. Rd/ 15km north of Collinsville 7 9 9 4 3 8 0 0 0 9 Bowen Devel. Rd/ 5km north of Bowen River Bridge 3 1 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 3km Nth of Collinsville-Elphinstone Rd intersection 1 3 10 0 0 0 2 1 9 11 Bowen Developmental Rd/ Newlands Access Rd 0 0 0 5 5 9 0 0 0 12 Bowen Devel. Rd/ 22km Sth of Newlands Access Rd 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 13 Bowen Developmental Rd/ 20km north of Mt Coolon 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 14 Bowen Developmental Rd/ 15km south of Mt Coolon 2 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 15 Bowen Developmental Rd/ 32km south of Mt Coolon 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 16 Bruce Hwy/ Abbott Point Rd 4 4 8 3 3 10 0 0 0 17 Bruce Hwy/ Billy Creek Bridge 7 10 10 5 8 10 6 8 9 18 Bruce Hwy/ Cape Creek Rd 5 8 10 5 8 10 2 2 10 19 Bruce Hwy/ Saltwater Creek Rd 5 5 3 7 8 10 5 9 10 20 Bruce Hwy/ Slater Creek Bridge 5 6 10 7 8 8 7 9 10 21 Bruce Hwy/ Yeates Creek Bridge 5 8 10 7 8 10 7 9 10 22 Gregory-Cannon Valley Rd/ Shute Harbour Rd 7 10 10 3 8 10 0 0 0 23 Cape Gloucester- Hydeaway Bay Dr/ Dingo Beach Rd 7 10 10 7 8 4 0 0 0 24 Collinsville 3 9 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 25 Conway Beach 2 1 1 3 6 10 0 0 0 26 Conway Rd/ Leeder Rd 4 2 7 0 0 0 5 1 10

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Ref Telstra Optus Vodafone UL DL PG UL DL PG UL DL PG 27 Crystal Brook 5 9 10 5 8 10 7 8 10 28 Dingo Beach Rd/ Earlando Rd 7 9 10 5 6 10 0 0 0 29 Gregory-Cannon Valley Rd/ Dingo Beach Road 7 10 10 2 2 4 0 0 0 30 Gumlu 5 9 10 4 4 10 7 8 10 31 Gunyarra- Bruce Hwy/ Gunyarra Rd 3 5 10 5 4 10 5 5 9 32 Guthalungra 5 6 10 7 8 10 5 8 10 33 Hideaway Bay 7 10 10 6 9 10 0 0 0 34 Lake Proserpine 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 35 Mount Coolon 3 6 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 36 Mount Julian-Conway Rd/ Shute Harbour Rd 7 7 10 6 5 5 2 8 10 37 Newlands Coal Mine 2 7 10 7 5 10 0 0 0 38 Newlands Coal Mine South 3 5 9 7 5 10 0 0 0 39 O’Connell River-Bruce Hwy/Council Boundary 3 8 10 5 8 9 5 4 8 40 Proserpine- Bruce Hwy/Fuljames St 7 10 10 7 11 10 6 8 5 41 Proserpine- Faust St/ Juip St 5 9 10 7 8 9 6 8 5 42 Shute Harbour 7 9 10 1 1 1 4 1 10 43 Strathdickie- Gregory – Cannon Valley Rd/ Dinnie Rd 7 10 9 5 7 10 6 8 7 44 Suttor Devel. Rd/ 15km south of Mount Coolon 1 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 45 Suttor Devel. Rd/ 27km south of Mount Coolon 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Table 6: Consolidated Network Performance Test Scores Rating/Carrier Telstra Optus Vodafone Extremely Good (11-15) 0 1 0 Very Good (8-10) 20 14 12 Good (5-7) 8 8 1 Acceptable (4) 2 2 2 Poor (2-3) 2 3 2 Very Poor (1) 5 1 3 Network Fail (0) 8 16 25 Total 45 45 45

Telstra Network Performance test results and action assessment Telstra performed very well in the Whitsunday Regional Council area. Out of a total of 45 test locations, Telstra had 5 that were rated ‘very poor’, 2 rated ‘poor’ and 8 that were Network Fails. Telstra had 20 sites rated ‘Very Good’ and 8 rated ‘Good’ showing a clear lead over Optus and more than double the number of positive sites than Vodafone. What let Telstra down in the Whitsunday Regional Council area was its failed coverage in the section of Bowen Developmental Road north of Collinsville, as well as a few other satellite rural locations, which had either no coverage or limited coverage from one of the other networks.

Optus Network Performance test results and action assessment Optus’s results trailed behind those of Telstra however were markedly ahead of Vodafone’s results. Optus had up to 23 sites out of 45, with a score above the ‘Good’ range, including the only ‘Extremely Good’ result in Proserpine. Optus had however, 16 Network Fail results, predominately along Bowen Developmental Road, and in the locations of Abbott Point, Conway and Lake Proserpine.

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Vodafone Network Performance test results and action assessment In the Whitsunday Regional Council area, Vodafone has the most ‘Network Fail’ results of all three carriers (25). These locations and the 5 ‘Poor’ results were along Bowen Developmental Road, locations northwest of Bowen, Cannon Valley, Conway, Lake Proserpine, and urban areas, Airlie Beach, West Proserpine and Shute Harbour, where improvements should be prioritised. However, Vodafone did have 12 ‘Very Good’ sites particularly along the Bruce Highway and at Bowen.

5.4 Network Performance Time Series Tests Network Performance tests in a time series serve to amplify the quality of the network over 10 repeated Network Performance tests. Three network characteristics are separately recorded: Ping (latency or time to connect to the internet and return), download and upload. Within the Whitsunday Regional Council area these tests were completed at 5 locations:

Airlie Beach Shute Harbour Proserpine Collinsville Bowen

Figure 3: Time Series Test – Airlie Beach Download and Upload Speeds

60.00

50.00

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20.00

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0.00 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 910

Telstra Down Telstra Up Optus Down Optus Up Vodafone Down Vodafone Up

Source: DEG 201 5

Telstra had the best download speeds averaging 48Mbps combined with a 3Mbps upload avg. The gap to the Optus network is substantial with Optus averaging 10Mbps downloads. Vodafone trailed in third position with 5Mbps average download speeds.

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Figure 4: Time Series Test – Shute Harbour Download and Upload Speeds

18.00 16.00 14.00 12.00 10.00 8.00 6.00 4.00 2.00 0.00 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 910

Telstra Down Telstra Up Optus Down Optus Up Vodafone Down Vodafone Up

Sources: DEG 201 5

In nearby Shute Harbour the three networks performance dropped considerably. Telstra still achieved the highest average download at 10Mbps. Their ninth test however crashed, as did the Optus and Vodafone networks. The final and tenth test saw their respective networks back and operating at the same speeds again. Optus was in third place here with speeds reflective of a 2.5G network. Great scope here for network upgrades.

Figure 5: Time Series Test - Proserpine Download and Upload Speeds

70.00 60.00 50.00 40.00 30.00 20.00 10.00 0.00 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 910

Telstra Down Telstra Up Optus Down Optus Up Vodafone Down Vodafone Up

Sources: DEG 201 5

Proserpine provided Optus the chance to show off its 4G plus network and outperformed Telstra with 50+Mbps downloads. Telstra trailed on a 40+Mbps average leaving Vodafone way behind with just under 10Mbps download speeds. All three had relatively poor upload speeds.

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Figure 6: Time Series Test - Collinsville Download and Upload Speeds

16.00 14.00 12.00 10.00 8.00 6.00 4.00 2.00 0.00 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 910

Telstra Down Telstra Up Optus Down Optus Up Vodafone Down Vodafone Up

Sources: DEG 201 5

Collinsville does not rate on the Vodafone network, so no network and no results. Their focus is capital cities and urban centres. Telstra led here with respectable 4G speeds – 12.5Mbps downloads. Optus averaged 10Mbps downloads and 3Mbps uploads – beating Telstra here.

Figure 7: Time Series Test - Bowen Download and Upload Speeds 60.00

50.00

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30.00

20.00

10.00

0.00 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 910

Telstra Down Telstra Up Optus Down Optus Up Vodafone Down Vodafone Up

Sources: DEG 201 5

Telstra again displayed the best upload and download speeds of the three carriers. Telstra’s download speed averaged 45Mbps and the average upload speed was 3Mbps. Optus’s Time Series Test indicated the second best results showing an average download speed of 14Mbps and an average upload speed of 3Mbps. Vodafone had the worst result of the three carriers displaying an average download speed of 5.132Mbps and an average upload speed of 2.416Mbps. Plenty of scope for Optus and Vodafone to improve compared with the Telstra network.

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5.5 Network Performance Time Series Test Carrier Comparison The Network Performance Tests provide an opportunity to compare the performance of each carrier location by location. Graphs have been prepared for download, upload and ping and can be reviewed as Attachment 5. The performance of carrier networks is often focussed on the download speed. Below Telstra, Optus and Vodafone download results highlight the fluctuations of each carrier.

Figure 8: Telstra Time Series Tests

Time Series Download Speeds - Telstra

30 Mbps 20

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 910

Airlie Beach Shute Harbour Proserpine Collinsville Bowen

Sources: DEG 201 5 The comparison of the 5 Time Series Tests for Whitsunday Regional Council reveal two levels of service standard. Airlie Beach, Proserpine and Bowen have strong connectivity at around 25-52Mbps for downloads. Shute Harbour and Collinsville had weaker connectivity at 10-16Mbps. There was a single test that failed at Shute Harbour.

Figure 9: Optus Time Series Tests Time Series Download Speeds - Optus

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0.00 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 910 Proserpine Shute Harbour Airlie Beach Bowen Collinsville

Source: DEG 201 5 The Optus Time Series results are all within three bands, whereas Proserpine had strong 4G Plus connectivity at 45-60Mbps. Bowen, Collinsville and Airlie Beach had average connectivity 13Mbps, while Shute Harbour had poor connectivity with no network signal (under 0.9Mbps).

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Figure 10: Vodafone Time Series Tests Time Series Download Speeds - Vodafone

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 910 Proserpine Shute Harbour Airlie Beach Bowen Collinsville

Sources: DEG 2015

Vodafone’s results in the Whitsunday Regional Council area were variable and inconsistent. Collinsville had the poorest network connectivity and nil results. Shute Harbour was very poor with a 1.5Mbps average. Proserpine had the most consistent result at 8.5Mbps average. In Bowen, from 10 results, 2 failed and another 2 reached 10Mbps downloads. In Airlie Beach, it appears that additional users came onto the network as it gradually declined from 7.5Mbps down to a low of 1Mbps.

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5.6 Top priority locations for the Whitsunday Regional Council The Whitsunday Regional Council priority areas are based on a consolidation of the three testing methodologies together with anecdotal survey responses. There are two types of focus for Whitsunday Regional Council to work with the carriers on: Mobile Black Spot Programme Round 2 opportunities to remove Black Spots, and improving capacity and competition where there is coverage. The Map below identifies the roads driven with a thin pale blue line. Locations along the driven routes without any colouring have coverage from all three carriers. To identify mobile coverage Black Spots (areas where there is no coverage from any of the three carriers) look for the solid black lines. The thick yellow lines represent where Telstra and Vodafone have coverage but Optus does not. The thick red lines Telstra and Optus have coverage and Vodafone does not have coverage. The third colour, orange, represents locations where Optus and Vodafone do not have coverage but Telstra does. Map 12: Whitsunday Regional Council Priority Map

Sources: Google Earth 2015 , Queensland Local Government Areas & DEG interpretation

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The Whitsunday Regional Council mobile coverage and capacity priorities (draft) are:

Priority 1 – Bowen Developmental Rd between Collinsville and Mt Coolon This is a clear, large expanse of a highly utilised road that presents a significant safety issue. This location was identified by DEG as a Black Spot. Detailed testing has confirmed the absence of coverage for all three carriers for most of the area. Despite a small population base, this section of the Bowen Developmental Rd remains a regularly used and strategic connection.

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Priority 4 - Woodwark . (Mobile Black Spot Programme candidate area identifier QLD-0956). This rural – residential corridor to the north of Airlie Beach and Cannonvale has a community of several hundred residents and is a bush fire hazard zone. It was an unsuccessful nomination in the previous round. The mobile blackspot issues remain and it appears to meet the required criteria.

Priority 5 - Whitsunday Coast Airport Whilst there is partial Telstra mobile coverage at the airport already, it is not provided by a normal external base station, but only a limited capacity NextG Distributed Antenna System micro-cell within the building. As a result, the coverage is geographically limited and the service becomes fully saturated at peak terminal times each day. It also does not provide the data capacity of a 3G or 4G service. This is a significant frustration for passengers and also presents a risk should a safety-related event occur. Priority 6 - Conway Rd towards Conway Beach This relatively small Voice and 3G Black Sot is also a 4G LTE Blackspot.

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The DEG report forms the initial basis for effectively seeking to reduce Black Spots and progress to a higher standard of communications coverage. Whitsunday ROC and Whitsunday Regional Council will now need to continue building the partnership with the carriers based on knowledge of their networks and an insight into carrier’s intent to deliver a high standard where it is commercially viable. A key part of building the partnership with carriers is to demonstrate a willingness to encourage the uptake of services on the network by providing a good communications program. When developed in consultation with the carriers, independent of individual carriers, business and community can identify ways to use mobile networks to achieve productivity benefits for their business. This helps carriers to achieve greater viability for investment. The Whitsunday ROC and the Whitsunday Regional Council has the potential to influence the carrier investment programs, achieve better services for the region and move to the right side of the digital divide. The best way to do this is by using this baseline report and continuing the facilitation of mobile communications coverage and good partnerships.

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6 Conclusion Having the mobile broadband Black Spots independently tested and mapped is the first step towards improving the mobile broadband basis for a strong digital economy. In the same way that local governments know, understand, and seek funding for priority infrastructure in their area, carrier network infrastructure is also critical.

The difference with mobile digital infrastructure to traditional council infrastructure is that it is privately owned. The primary tactic for facilitating increased investment is knowledge of the network, its performance and choosing priority locations (in partnership with the carriers.)

Carriers look to councils for two key types of support: The first and most important is facilitation through the approvals process. Councils need to see the investment in new mobile sites (upwards of $800,000 per site) in the same way that a development application delivering new employment or business growth gets support. The recent studies by Ericson and 6Chalmers University demonstrating that doubling broadband speeds increased the GDP by 0.3% needs to be considered The second is the support where leases are required for use of council owned or controlled land. Often legal firms acting for councils or councils own representatives do not seek to facilitate the timely completion of a standard legal agreement. Each protracted completion or delay creates a reputation profile for the local government.

Carriers enter into a more productive dialogue when a local government or Regional Organisation of Councils has independently tested Black Spot mapping and have a strong knowledge of the digital infrastructure of the area. Carriers ultimately have a large number of sites in various locations and jurisdictions. Locations where approvals and leases are completed easily will have networks established faster and sooner.

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Appendix 1: AT&T Drive Studio and Ericsson Release Global Study on Connected Car Buyers

Three out of every four consumers said they consider connected car services an important feature in their next car purchase, according to a new AT&T Drive Studio and Ericsson study documenting the significant influence that connected car features and services are expected to have on customers' vehicle purchase decisions in the future.

This is the second year for the study which focused on connected car awareness, feature preferences and purchase drivers. The data was sourced from customers likely to buy a car in the next three years in the United States, Germany, Brazil, Mexico and China and the survey was conducted in July 2015.

The term “connected car,” as defined in the study, is a car equipped with a wireless internet connection. This allows the car to run applications such as streaming music services and internet radio, use navigation services with real-time traffic updates, conduct local searches, use restaurant services and more, all from the car’s dashboard. This connectivity also allows the car to operate as a Wi-Fi hotspot, sharing a wireless internet connection with other devices in the car.

The study found:

• 62% percent of US survey respondents are aware of the term “connected car.” • The Wi-Fi hotspot ranked as the No. 1 feature that US customers are willing to purchase for their car. • Almost 75% of those surveyed globally, after learning about connected car services, consider them an important feature in their next car. • 78% of car buyers globally would delay a purchase by one year to buy a car with connected car services from their preferred brand. • When priced, US consumers prefer to add their connected car wireless connectivity to a shared data plan.

“This study confirms that drivers today are tech savvy and value services that improve their driving experience,” said Chris Penrose, senior vice president, Internet of Things, AT&T Mobility . “It’s great to see that more drivers understand what a connected car enables them to do. With this increased awareness, we believe you’ll see adoption of integrated wireless connectivity in the car continue to take off.”

Ericsson is a contributor to the AT&T Drive platform, providing a cloud-based platform on which automakers can choose to run their entire, customized connected car experience in a secure manner. Material from the research report is available to automakers through the AT&T Drive Studio.

Source: http://about.att.com/mediakit/connectedcar

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Appendix 2: Mobile Black Spot Programme Round 1 Successful Sites

Source: Department of Communications , Google Earth 2015, Queensland Local Government Boundaries & DEG interpretation.

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Appendix 3: Current Carrier Infrastructure The following three Maps show the current (as at 30 October 2015) infrastructure providing local access services for mobile phone and mobile internet.

Source: ACMA Radio Frequency Licences -Telstra - as at 30 October 2015 , Google Earth 2015, Queensland Local Government Boundaries & DEG interpretation.

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Source: ACMA Radio Frequency Licences - Optus - as at 30 October 2015 , Google Earth 2015 , Queensland Local Government Boundaries & DEG interpretation.

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Source: ACMA Radio Frequency Licences - Vodafone - as at 30 October 2015 , Google Earth 2015, Queensland Local Government Boundaries & DEG interpretation.

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Appendix 4: Network Performance Test Results by Carrier Maps showing the location and high-level indication of mobile internet coverage and Black Spots for all three national carriers. A table showing individual results can be seen in the report above.

Network Performance Test Locations - Telstra

Sources: Google Earth 201 5, Local Government Boundaries & DEG interpretation

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Network Performance Test Locations - Optus

Sources: Google Earth 201 5, Local Government Boundaries & DEG interpretation

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Network Performance Test Locations - Vodafone

Sources: Google Earth 201 5, Local Government Boundaries & DEG interpretation

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Appendix 5: Network Performance Time Series Test Graphs Three Carrier Comparison – Downloads, Uploads and Ping together with results for each of the locations tested.

3 Carrier Comparison – Download Speeds Telstra Whitsunday Download Speeds

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 910

Proserpine Shute Harbour Airlie Beach Bowen Collinsville

Optus Whitsundays Download Speeds

70.00 60.00 50.00 40.00 30.00 20.00 10.00 0.00 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 910

Proserpine Shute Harbour Airlie Beach Bowen Collinsville

Vodafone Whitsunday Download Speeds 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 910

Proserpine Shute Harbour Airlie Beach Bowen Collinsville

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3 Carrier Comparison – Upload Speeds Telstra Whitsunday Upload Speeds

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Proserpine Shute Harbour Airlie Beach Bowen Collinsville

Optus Whitsunday Upload Speeds

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Proserpine Shute Harbour Airlie Beach Bowen Collinsville

Vodafone Whitsunday Upload Speeds

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Proserpine Shute Harbour Airlie Beach Bowen Collinsville

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3 Carrier Comparison – Ping/Latency Speeds Telstra Whitsunday Ping Results

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Proserpine Shute Harbour Airlie Beach Bowen Collinsville

Optus Whitsunday Ping Results

9000 8000 7000 6000 5000 4000 3000 2000 1000 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 910

Proserpine Shute Harbour Airlie Beach Bowen Collinsville

Vodafone Whitsunday Ping Results

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0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 910

Proserpine Shute Harbour Airlie Beach Bowen Collinsville

Carrier Comparison – Download and Upload all Locations Tested

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Proserpine Download and Upload Speeds 70.00 60.00 50.00 40.00 30.00 20.00 10.00 0.00 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 910

Telstra Down Telstra Up Optus Down Optus Up Vodafone Down Vodafone Up

Airlie Beach Download and Upload Speeds

20.00

15.00

10.00

5.00

0.00 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 910

Telstra Down Telstra Up Optus Down Optus Up Vodafone Down Vodafone Up

Shute Harbour Download and Upload Speeds

60.00 50.00 40.00 30.00 20.00 10.00 0.00 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 910

Telstra Down Telstra Up Optus Down Optus Up Vodafone Down Vodafone Up

Bowen

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Download and Upload Speeds

60.00

50.00

40.00

30.00

20.00

10.00

0.00 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 910

Telstra Down Telstra Up Optus Down Optus Up Vodafone Down Vodafone Up

Collinsville Download and Upload Speeds 16.00 14.00 12.00 10.00 8.00 6.00 4.00 2.00 0.00 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 910

Telstra Down Telstra Up Optus Down Optus Up Vodafone Down Vodafone Up

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Appendix 6: Terms and Abbreviations Term/Abbreviation Definition 2G & 3G 2G When a call is made on 2G, a line is held open for the user’s conversation throughout the duration of the call. 3G, or third generation networks, operate in a different way to 2G networks. With 3G networks, the data sent across them is divided up into little ‘data packets’ which are reassembled in the correct order at the receiving end. This smart encoding means more data can be sent and it is sent more efficiently. In addition, 3G handsets can be in contact with more than one base station at a time and this provides improved performances in voice quality and data rates. Some people call 3G “mobile broadband” because the evolution is similar to the difference between dial up internet and the always available broadband internet services. http://www.emfexplained.info/?Page=25196 4G LTE Term Evolution) is the next major enhancement to mobile radio communications networks. 4G (LTE) is a standard that is part of the evolution of 3G, which incorporates significantly increased data rates (up to 100Mb/s) and better performance to enhance the mobile broadband experience.

4G (LTE), like all other radio communications standards, is based on the use of radio waves or radio frequency (RF) energy to transmit and receive voice and data calls. Source: http://www.emfexplained.info/?ID=25526 ACMA ACMA – Australian Communications Media Authority dB Decibel (a unit for power measurement) used here to quantify the ratio between values of raw signals and a meaningful set of numbers. The Voice & 3G test uses a value range of 0-31. 0 is extremely poor through to 31 – top of the range. DEG Digital Economy Group PL NBN Co The government business enterprise established by the Australian Government to deliver the NBN NBN National Broadband Network Mbps Megabit per second – The most common measurement of internet data transfer IoT & IoE The IoT links smart objects to the Internet. It can enable an exchange of data never available before, and bring users information in a more secure way. Cisco estimates the IoT will consist of 50 billion devices connected to the Internet by 2020. Gain deeper insight with analytics using our IoT System to enhance productivity, create new business models, and generate new revenue streams. Source: http://www.cisco.com/web/solutions/trends/iot/overview.html

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