Thousands of residents in north Queensland are without telecommunications services after suspected copper thieves cut cables as the region prepares for a tropical cyclone. Mobile and internet services have been affected in Townsville suburbs including Mt Low, Bluewater, Black River and Saunders Beach after fibre cables at a mobile site were cut.
Tropical Cyclone Warning: Telecommunications Outages in Townsville
Providers say the outages were caused by “an act of vandalism” at the Mt Low mobile site, which is also used by Telstra and the National Broadband Network. Telstra regional general manager Rachel Cliffe said crews are working to restore services and that calls to Triple Zero (000) would automatically divert to any available mobile network.
The disruption comes as Townsville residents have been told to take shelter as an offshore tropical low pressure system has a high chance of developing into a category two cyclone on Saturday.
‘You can’t get a lower act’
Queensland Premier David Crisafulli condemned the theft as a “low act,” stating that someone had deliberately cut telecommunications lines while attempting to steal copper. “My message to that low-life is that you have at risk the lives of north Queenslanders in their hour of need and you can’t get a lower act than that,” he said.
Townsville Mayor Nick Dametto said up to 5,000 residents could be affected, limiting the ability to disseminate important messaging during the natural disaster. He described the act as “the most un-Australian kind of thing that could happen.”
Technicians are working to restore services, and residents are urged to prepare for the severe weather expected in the coming days, including reviewing cyclone and emergency kits and ensuring radios and batteries are readily available.
Discover more from Archyworldys
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
