The days of standing down the paddock or up on a bucket could be over under the governments proposed rollout.

Twenty-eight new or upgraded base stations, covering 104 mobile phone blackspots, will be funded in the New England electorate.

Drake, Bonshaw, Urbenville, Sandy Hill and Tabulam will all benefit from the Federal Government’s agreement with Telstra and Vodafone.

“Telstra has announced it will establish new base stations at Balala, Bonshaw, Drake, Dungowan, Hillgrove, Kings Plains, Rocky Creek, Urbenville, Walcha Road, Woolomin,” Member for New England Barnaby Joyce said.

Vodafone will undertake the works along the Bruxner Highway at Sandy Hill and Tabulam.

Mr Joyce said he’d witnessed the distress mobile blackouts had caused across the region.

“It was merely two weeks ago I was at the Lunatic Hotel in Drake and the number one priority was a mobile phone tower.

“At Legume and Urbenville in the far north of the electorate we’re getting mobile phone coverage for all of them.

“At my local pub, the Dungowan Hotel and at places like Woolomin and Duri, the big issue is mobile phone coverage and we’re getting it.

“This is real delivery for our electorate. Even at Walcha Road near where I grew up, they have long wanted mobile phone coverage, now they’re getting it,” he said.

Blackspot affected residents could be looking at a lengthy wait for the service however, with Telstra expecting it to take three years to install the towers.

In addition to the new mobile towers, Telstra will be installing 250 Small Cells to deliver high speed 4G data services in towns where suitable infrastructure is available.

NSW Minister for Regional Development John Barilaro called it the ‘greatest mobile funding programme in the history of Australian mobile communications’.

“The NSW Government’s investment of $24 million, along with $28 million of Federal Government funding and a contribution from the networks, will result in a total investment of $92 million,” Mr Barilaro said.