GOLD Coast-based mobile phone company Think Mobile is expanding into Australia's capital cities.

The privately owned Think Mobile - a sister operation to satellite phone company Globalstar - was launched in September 2005 and has captured a slice of the Gold Coast and regional Australian mobile phone markets.

Peter Bolger, managing director of Think Mobile's parent company, Pivotel, says the company is extending its reach to include capital cities - a move which will see it compete head to head with Australia's biggest telecommunication companies.

Mr Bolger says Think Mobile is enjoying success with below-the-line marketing activities, including sponsorship of community events like the Think Mobile Blues on Broadbeach festival. The company is also concentrating marketing resources on internet-based activities.

"We also target potential clients through the information technology market,'' he says.

"While our target market is anybody aged from 19-49, our research shows our customer base is price conscious and technologically savvy. They have a strong focus on the internet, which is where we target a lot of our marketing efforts.

"We're competing with some very big companies, so we have to be more nimble and more creative with our marketing and product offerings."

Mr Bolger says the company is focusing ion providing a link between customers and mobile phone content providers.

"The technology offered with mobile phones is becoming increasingly sophisticated, ranging from quality MP3 players, digital cameras and DVD-quality video recorders to video games and satellite navigation systems," he says.

"We want Think Mobile to be a pioneer in delivering this high-quality content to mobile phone users and, more importantly, to our customers.''

Meanwhile, Telstra Country Wide Group managing director Geoff Booth says the Federal Government's decision not to take broadband to the bush is a missed opportunity.

He says using almost $1 billion of taxpayers' money to subsidise a foreign-owned competitor will do little to improve telecommunications as the plan relies on unproven technology and largely duplicates existing services.

He says the fears of people living in rural and remote Australia have been realised, as most of the funds won't be spent on extending the network.

"This is strike two for country Australia. We went to the Government in August 2005 with a proposal that would have provided high-speed, terrestrial broadband to 98 per cent of the population, but were knocked back.," he says.

"Now they have knocked back our proposal to extend ADSL broadband to
95 per cent of the population.

"The Australian Government has just sent the clearest possible signal that it places more value on subsidising foreign-owned competitors than on delivering improved services to the bush.

"It's clear that SingTel, a company that recently walked away from servicing regional Australia, is now the Government's preferred carrier," he says.