An end to signal dropouts

SIGNAL dropouts while trying to put your Commonwealth Games selfies online will be a thing of the past when an Australian-first technology is rolled out on the Gold Coast.

Telco giant Optus is spending $30 million in the city revamping its mobile phone network and has signed a deal with the Gold Coast City Council.

Small cellular expansion devices will be installed on city-owned streetlights, buildings and traffic lights between Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach, dramatically increasing the depth of signal received in the party precincts.

Optus business vice president Ian Smith signed the agreement with council chief executive Dale Dickson this week and said it would provide a boost during the Games and beyond.

“We have to ensure that lo- cals and our visitors have an awesome experience during the Games,” he said.

“The technology itself is about the size of a loaf of bread and can be put on top of street lights and this will happen every 250m.

“This creates a tangible legacy for the Games for everyone.”

The devices will begin installation this month and go online in March.

Mayor Tom Tate said the technology had the potential to boost the city’s economy during and after the Commonwealth Games.

“Word of mouth is the best way to promote this city and the first thing I am always asked is how good our Wi-Fi is,” he said.

“This comes along with our fibre optic cable running underneath the light rail which I like to call our golden cable because it will offer speeds 10 times faster than Broadband.”