Community & Business
3 December, 2025
No Christmas mobile service upgrade
In a classic case of overpromising and under delivering, Gilgandra will only get a new Telstra mobile tower for “Christmas in July”, not Christmas 2025.
Despite earlier statements that Gilgandra’s new Telstra tower upgrade would be done by this Christmas, the telco is now stating the new tower won’t be operational until the second half of 2026.
Telstra’s northern NSW regional general manager, Michael Marom, provided Gilgandra Shire Council with the “disappointing” written update at the recent November council meeting.
Mayor Doug Batten said council had been operating on advice from Telstra that the new tower in Wamboin Street, for which the development application was approved in August 2025, would be operational by the end of this calendar year.
“This has been amended by advice [from Telstra] dated November 10, 2025, that construction has been deferred until the “second half of the 2026 financial year”,” said mayor Batten. Mr Marom’s letter to council stated that Telstra has commenced the project, including the competition of “keys steps” such as the geotechnical report, power and transmission arrangements, and other structural and frequence mitigation requirements.
“’Actual Access Achieved’ is scheduled for completion in December. This milestone means all critical pre-build requirements, such as permits, power, and transmission feasibility, are finalised, allowing construction to proceed,” Mr Marom states in the advice to council. “Based on current forecasts, we expect the new tower to be operational in the second half of FY26, subject to no unforeseen circumstances. We understand the importance of this site to the community and are prioritising every stage to deliver as soon as possible.”
Mayor Batten said council resolved to reply to Telstra. “I have written to Mr Marom expressing both council’s and the community’s disappointment in this delay. I confirmed that this delay has ongoing implications on public safety, economic development, and the reliability on the communications infrastructure in addition to considerable frustration among residents, businesses and local emergency services,” said mayor Batten.
