Cellphone coverage across the Catlins will improve over the next few months, as two towers are scheduled to be built this year.
Last February, Vodafone announced the Catlins would have not one but two new cellphone towers as result of a community cell-site scheme.
Three small rural communities - two in the South Island and one in the North - will get mobile phone coverage as the first successful applicants of the scheme.
Vodafone had planned to fund two rural sites last year, but selected three - northern and southern Catlins and Waihau Bay in the North Island's East Cape.
The towers were initially expected to be completed by the end of last year. However, Vodafone NZ spokeswoman Michelle Baguley said the original community applications gave several options, and it took time to explore and verify the viability of those.
''It was not a matter of rejection, just which option was most suitable and would be technically feasible.''
A site near Papatowai had been selected for the north Catlins tower, but talks were still under way about the south Catlins site.
Ms Baguley said the southern site was dependent on the building of a new tower at Tokanui under the Rural Broadband Initiative. The Tokanui tower is expected to be completed next month, which will allow Vodafone to confirm the site for the South Catlins tower. Once the second site has been finalised, applications for resource consents will be made.
Ms Baguley said the construction of the towers would take about four weeks once the paperwork was completed.
Tourism Catlins project co-ordinator Kim Dodds said the majority of the Catlins did not have cellphone coverage. Telecom cover ended about 5km south of Owaka and the area without coverage extended to Fortrose in the southern Catlins.
The North Island project at Waihau Bay is awaiting Maori Land Court confirmation.
