OPTUS wants to build a 30-metre high phone tower in Golden Square to keep up with surging demand for new mobile services.
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The telco and partner Australian Tower Network want to build the tower and a base station at Gray Street, near Allingham Street.
They have asked the City of Greater Bendigo's permission to build on a site that also houses a warehouse and associated offices.
"Optus have identified issues with local mobile network services in the Golden Square area," planning experts have told the council.
The companies believe the tower will improve services for Optus' customers and others.
"ATN will make this facility available to other Australia's mobile carriers, government agencies and other wireless service providers," planning experts told the council.
Optus needs the tower to help keep up with demand for 5G services which has become the industry standard in recent years.
Base stations can only carry a finite number of calls and operators are constantly reacting to changing technology and population growth.
The trick is to find places where phone reception will not be slowed by hills, large buildings and even trees.
Coverage needs to be close enough - and strong enough - that people can use their phones inside buildings.
"There is current rapid urban growth and expansion occurring in the Golden Square area which has created strain on the current Optus network," Optus' planning experts told the council.
Technicians considered multiple sites around Golden Square before settling on Gray Street.
They met regulatory criteria but landlords at both locations did not want to house facilities.
The site technicians settled on was ideal, planning experts told the council.
It had a large concrete area where no vegetation needed to be cleared.
It was also surrounded by industrial properties where "sensitive uses" needed to be considered, and could easily be connected to power sources.
There was also an area for maintenance workers to park vehicles.
Technicians would fit the tower with antennas and a telecommunications dish.
Optus and ATN say the facility would comply with health standards for exposure to radio emissions.
They also say the facility would not make adverse noise or vibrations once it was operational.
"The equipment cabinet utilised by Optus will emit only minimal noise, with air-condition cooling used to enable the equipment to stay within normal operating temperatures," planning consultants told the council.
The City of Greater Bendigo is currently considering the application.
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Tom O'Callaghan
I grew up in Bendigo and I want to tell your stories.
I grew up in Bendigo and I want to tell your stories.
