Residents and visitors to Daydream Island will enjoy mobile coverage as a result of the expansion of Optus' mobile network.

Local Optus World Mackay store manager Karen Thomsen, said Optus is 'raising the bar' and is working towards improving mobile coverage to regional Queensland.

"The new base station is dedicated to providing coverage to the resort - making it easier for residents and holiday makers to stay in touch with the mainland," she said.

Optus is continuing to provide coverage for people living and working outside major cities.

Hamilton Island enjoys a dedicated base station that provides mobile coverage to the island resort.

In addition, Optus is working towards increasing mobile coverage to Great Kepple Island.

"The mobile sites on Daydream Island and Hamilton Island have been designed to minimise the visual impact to the landscape. The sites are located on existing communication towers on the islands and are painted to blend in with the natural surroundings," Mrs Thomsen said.

Optus is growing its network at almost twice the rate that it did in the company's first few years of operation. On an average, Optus turns on one new base station every day and plans to continue to grow the network at that rate.

The network consists of around 3,500 base stations nationally with plans to build another 400 in the next 12 months with a focus on improving its rural and regional footprint.

The network provides coverage to over 94 per cent of the Australian population and handles more than 96 million calls a week and more than 32 million SMS messages each week.

For more information about Optus products and services visit the local Optus World, Shop 1, 161 Victoria Parade, Mackay or visit the Optus website: www.optus.com.au.

For more information:
Joni Gathercole
Optus Corporate Affairs
Tel: (02) 9342 8432