Telstra has applied to build a new mobile phone base station in the Newcastle city centre to improve 4G network coverage and capacity.
The telecommunications company has lodged plans for the 2.5-metre installation on the roof of a nine-storey apartment building at 2 Honeysuckle Drive.
The new equipment will address the "coverage deficiencies" of Telstra's existing base station mounted to the roof of a multi-storey commercial building at 317 Hunter Street.
The development application says the new base station will "ensure continuity of mobile services within Newcastle CBD and maintain alignment with the majority of urban areas in the state, where reliable mobile coverage has become a basic expectation".
"The coverage of the existing facility has been negatively impacted due to new development to the surrounding built environment," the application says.
"New, taller buildings in relation to the existing facility have resulted in an obstruction to the facility that has limited its coverage capability.
"The proposed facility will remediate the current coverage gap and is anticipated to meet predicted future coverage needs of housing development and population growth in the area."
The application says the base station will help cater for the "exponential growth in the demand for network data and broadband services".
"Services will become poor unless the facility at this location is successfully developed," it says.
