Mobile Phone Coverage
Our community has suffered poor mobile phone coverage since the introduction of the service. With the withdrawal of the analogue system the coverage has degraded further.
The Community Building Initiative process provided a community voice for the problem and members of the community have been actively seeking improvement in the service for our area.
The latest initiative is reported below and residents can improve our prospects to get a better service by taking part in the surveys linked to this page. The limitations on the survey site means I have had to break the survey into three parts, so please respond each to ensure we capture all the information we are seeking.
To reach as many of our comunity as possible please ask each person at your property to participate in the survey .
Meeting with Telstra Countrywide manager over mobile coverage
The meeting held at the Laharum Hall on 12 of April with Telstra Countrywide Regional Manager Bill Mundy was attended by more than 30 people, including residents, council officials and business operators.
Cr David Grimble chaired meeting and introduced Bill Mundy to outline Telstra's mobile service constraints and prioritising of works to improve coverage.
Telstra have a clear understanding of the deficiencies of local service, but no commitment to improve it until there is commercial justification.
Many people said how the area is disadvantaged in terms of mobile phone coverage, in comparison to the majority of Victorians, and how this is having a deleterious impact on social, safety and business communications in our area.
Bill Mundy explained the main impediments to a better service are:-
The mobile phone service is not regulated by a universal service obligation on the carriers as is the copper network
- 1. It is not managed as an emergency service network
- 2. The provision of service depends on a "business case scenario" rather than community need.
In a question and answer session there were some passionate pleads for a better service because of its impact on agricultural, tourism, home based industry and safety. An explanation of the limitations of the technology provided an awareness of the difficulties and cost of providing service to the area. There is no chance of universal coverage and there will be "no service" areas even if towers were erected in the district.
The community is determined to make the case for better service by collecting statistics and lobbying politicians. A task group is being established to collect information to present to Telstra.
Add your voice to the push for improvement of local mobile service by filling in the online surveys or sending information to mobile@wartook.vic.au.
David Thompson
then
Mobile Service for Local Business Survey
and
Wireless Communications Survey