Notice of Operational Readiness
The TasGRN Project reached a significant milestone as of Wednesday, 5 July, with the TasGRN State Steering Committee conditionally endorsing the TasGRN Notice of Operational Readiness.
TasGRN project partner Telstra hosted a site visit to celebrate the important milestone at the Geeveston Blue Hills Tower near the Tahune Airwalk. Despite the chilly weather, windy conditions, and a large tree falling across the access road, the team gained a first-hand perspective of one of the 138 towers supporting the new state-of-the-art P25 network.
Andrew Johns, Telstra Purple Head of Service for Tasmanian Government Radio, shared details on the tower, including the fact that it is totally off the grid. As a solar-hybrid site, 24 kilowatts of solar panels have been installed, supported by generators in the winter months, charging the batteries required to produce the nearly 1 kilowatt of base load to keep the tower online.
Andrew Johns, Telstra's Head of Service for TasGRN:
"In Tasmania, we must prepare for all conditions, especially with the site having no access to mains power. We have just had the Winter Solstice, so sunlight hours were as low as 4 or 5, which means the backup generators are running to keep this site online."
Tim Rutherford, Senior Director, Dept. Police Fire and Emergency Management:
"The new network will deliver improved coverage, increased clarity, and interoperability to our emergency services and utility organisations across the state, ultimately making the lives of those using the network and everyday Tasmanians safer. Our team, along with our partners Telstra and Motorola, have been working very hard to deliver this network, and we are so proud of the benefits it will deliver for all Tasmanians".Hydro Tasmania is the first organisation to switch to the new network, which goes live on Monday, 24 July, 2023. TasNetworks, Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service follow soon after, along with Sustainable Timber Tasmania, and then the Emergency Services begin their transition, with Tasmania Police the first in line.
