Damaged mobile base station in Malaga.
Camera IconDamaged mobile base station in Malaga. Credit: Supplied/Supplied

Malaga: arson attacks on mobile base station causing slower internet speeds

Kristie LimEastern Reporter

TWO recent arson attacks on a mobile base station in Malaga has caused slower internet speeds and increased security around the area.

The mobile base station, operated by Telstra, is located on Camboon Road and had been destroyed in two separate incidents on August 3 and at the end of July.

Telstra area general manager Boyd Brown said these “senseless” acts of arson could have risked the community’s safety.

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“The annoying thing was that the equipment had just been replaced before the arson attack,” he said.

“We are keen to get it back up this weekend so 3G and 4G services will be available in the next two weeks.

“The additional frequencies in the following two weeks will provide the extra speed that will bring it back to what it was before.”

Mr Brown said it was concerning to have two attacks within a couple of weeks.

“It is pretty rare, I cannot think of any that has been damaged for quite some time,” he said.

“We have been working very closely with police and forensics to see what they can find.

“We will obviously have to improve security to the site to make sure we do not get a repeat of these incidents because it is quite detrimental to the community, it puts people at risk and it is not a situation we want to have.”

He said there might be small pockets within the nearby Malaga area where coverage may not be at normal speed during the repairs.

“Telstra’s mobile team was monitoring the situation closely and the majority of the mobile coverage and traffic had been successfully diverted to three other towers which surround the damage tower,” he said.