Cellphone coverage comes to Shantytown

Marsden Valley Education Centre head educator Jayde Braxton shows how Shantytown is now connected with cellphone reception. Photo / Greymouth Star

For years a visit to historic tourist town Shantytown has meant not only stepping back in time, but also out of cellphone reception. Finally, the modern world has arrived on the airwaves.

A new cell tower was erected near the IPL plywood factory at Gladstone in the past month, extending coverage out to Rutherglen and Shantytown.

"It is quite a phenomenon for us now to see people walking around while on their cellphones," Shantytown chief executive Andrea Forrest said.

Having a cellphone signal would especially help with conferences hosted at Shantytown.

"It is an expectation at the time of the conference that we are going to be able to provide coverage," Ms Forrest said.

However, being out of contact for a period also had its benefits: "It didn't do conference attendees any harm to not have their cellphones for a bit."

Ms Forrest said having cellphone coverage now opened up possibilities to use apps, QR codes and more social media, and they could start looking to move away from pamphlets and signposts.

"It will make us a little bit more modern," she said.

As the major telecommunications providers had signed on, the signal had gradually improved since the tower went up, although she noted there could be some interference in coverage on rough days.