Telstra coverage in NT tourist areas

a quick guess would be to check the Telstra website for their coverage maps. they are probably a bit more ambitious than really genuine but not far from the truth. Most travellers on this site seem to recommend Telstra for their coverage and users will quickly add their views as to the coverage compared to the other providers. there will always be the dreaded "BLACK SPOT" but Telstra IMHO is the best.
enjoy your drive
b1b

If you are staying on the blacktop you wont need a satfone. However there are definitely blackspots all over the country and not only in the outback. We live near Brisbane and our suburb has poor reception
Look at the Telstra coverage map and it will give a fairly good idea.

It depends on how much you NEED to be in touch 24/7 If you cant do without communication then the expense of a Satfone may be justified.

I worked on the theory that no matter what happened we were too far away to be able to do anything about it anyway so finding out when we got in coverage was good enough.
A very good friend died during our trip but due to where we were was almost impossible to even get to go to his funeral.

Patchy at best...

If you want certainty of coverage and ability to communicate then a Satphone will be a useful addition to your travel kit.

Telstra Coverage



Cheers, Baz - The Landy

I haven't had any problems in both those areas, but I do use an old A411 Samsung with an external antenna. A lot of the Barkly and Stuart highway has no coverage.

As said, have a look at the coverage map for specifics like 3G or 4G.

Gidday

It also helps if you have a Telstra "Blue Tick" phone which gives better reception in rural and regional areas. Google it for a list.

I have one and often get a signal where companions with the latest you beaut smartphones are struggling.

Cheers

Slightly off topic but Optus seems to have connected William Creek to the world.

https://www.facebook.com/williamcreekhotel/photos/a.615810211776327.1073741828.570974976259851/1504991346191538/?type=3

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As others have said, mobile phone reception in the zones you mention will be patchy.

But to answer your question of wondering if you "really need a Sat Phone?" then the answer could depend on why you feel that you need telephone connectivity. If you wish to keep in constant contact with family and friends then yes, but if it is only for emergencies then I wouldn't consider a satellite phone an essential as the places you intend to visit have throngs of other tourists available to assist in an emergency.

Understand that I am not denigrating satphones. I carry one at all times...... but then I go into very remote areas.

You wont need a satphone. Very popular places you are going to. Most of your travels will be on bituman. There will be areas where you wont get a signal but so what? Live dangerously..lol

About the longest distance without coverage, would be from Barkly Homestead to Camooweal, about 240kms.

There are numerous places with coverage up the Stuart H'way, so you won't be out of range for long.

Bob

You will get reception at Erldunda, and good reception and Yulara. Nothing at Kings Canyon resort. Good around Alice Springs. Most roadhouses and all towns along the Stuart Highway heading north have cover. We went to Douglass Hot Springs (near Hayes Creek), to the west of the Stuart Highway, and were surprised to get a signal in the national parks campground there.Check Baz's link to the Telstra cover map. We did not get cover where we stayed at Litchfield (Safari Camp on the western side). Through Kakadu, we got reception at the Mardugal campground (near Yellow Waters) and the Muirella campground. I don't think I checked at Merl (Ubirr).

On the Barkly Highway there is reception around Barkly Roadhouse, and again at Camooweal. If travelling on the highways, you will only be a day or two without cover. If your vehicle is reliable and you have no health issues that could cause emergency situations, you will not need a satellite phone.

We travelled with a satellite phone, and needed it when we had a breakdown 200 kilometres west of the Stuart Highway in the Davenport Ranges.

Refer to the coverage maps for "retail Telstra" (Telstra and Boost) and for the MVNO's (resellers) who have only access to Telstra Wholesale coverage.

By way of comparison, you can check the Optus network coverage (start here) and the Vodafone coverage (start here) too.

Barkly Roadhouse is a prime example of a micro-cell, based on providing locality cover rather than any attempt at wider area cover. Range is limited to "a few km".

Telstra have held the lead in regional and remote coverage (*) since mobile phones first appeared here, but that grasp is fast slipping. For a couple of years Optus have been commissioning micro-cells in a number of remote localities. This is covered in a thread on Whirlpool which also explains the Black Spot funding program. In a lot of those localities (Oodnadatta is a prime example) Telstra is now having to play catch-up. The good news for travellers with a foot in each camp (as we are) is that a LOT of one-horse-towns will have coverage going forward.

(*) Much of their remote coverage - while the brown spots on the map in the middle of nowhere look impressive on the map - were established under a govt program to service remote aboriginal communities rather than tourist traffic. The Black Spot programs are aimed at providing coverage at roadside facilities on tourist routes. If you check the listed sites in that Whirlpool thread you will see it picks up spots like William Creek (now operational) and Marree (Trevor will be happy!) as well as Curtin Springs, Wauchope, ... the list is too long.

We get Telstra coverage up to about 60km out of Darwin, nothing much out at Kakadu unless in the nearby Jabirun township, and nothing on the Stuart Highway unless passing through towns. Ulura has coverage but nothing much else between there are the Stuart Highway. I haven't been out to Litchfield NP for a while so can't vouch for how reception is out there.
My wife has Telstra, I have Optus; usually when we are travelling back to Darwin her phone will pick up coverage 5-10 minutes earlier or so than mine does when on the highway