Latest news with #CynthiaGebert
ABC News
19-05-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Ombudsman warns telcos to help in poor services areas after 3G shutdown
Australia's Telecommunications Ombudsman says the shutdown of Australia's 3G network has resulted in "life-threatening situations". Cynthia Gebert released her department's first quarter report, which showed that while complaints to the ombudsman about the 3G network had fallen, the issues that remained were complex. "Particularly in rural and regional settings, where farm operations are impacted, people who need it to operate a small business [and] we have heard circumstances of unreliable service creating life-threatening situations," she said. Ms Gebert said people had become reliant on phones and connectivity, not just to communicate over the phone. "Things like medical alert devices, farming equipment, all those sorts of things; they are so important now and people have built lives, communities and businesses around it," she said. "It's creating all sorts of challenges when they can't be reliant on that." The data showed complaints to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman about service providers were up 6.9 per cent in the first three months of 2025, with 25.3 per cent about poor mobile phone coverage, while reports of financial hardship increased by 72 per cent. The hardship reports included telcos refusing payment plans and disconnecting or suspending phone and internet services. "Telcos still have work to do in terms of providing tailored support and repayment options for people that reflect their individual circumstances," Ms Gebert said. The town of Bingara in the north-west of New South Wales has a population of 1,300. Local accountant Sam Groth said congestion issues resulted in little or no service, even in the centre of town. "I can be having a coffee with someone in the main street and when we go to open up an email and click on an online link, you just get the wheel of death," he said. "I get complaints daily from clients who can't even scan a document and email it back." Mr Groth said EFTPOS services had been intermittent, and text messages and phone calls often did not come through or dropped out, which had a detrimental effect on the town. "You've got travellers coming through and if they can't connect, that affects your reputation as a tourism provider," he said. He believed money needed to be spent on increasing the capacity of the tower, but suspected Telstra did not want to spend it on the small town. "There's not enough subscribers to invest in the infrastructure," he said. Mr Groth said he had clients running large agricultural businesses who were having significant problems, but complaints to Telstra were getting nowhere. "Their response has been, 'There are no outages, there is no problem recorded at the tower,'" he said. In a statement, Telstra regional general manager Chris Taylor said there were plans to upgrade the Bingara site later this year to increase capacity, as well as deliver 5G to the town for the first time."The site can currently get busy during peak periods like the school holidays and this upgrade should help deliver a much better experience all year round," a Telstra spokesperson said. Farmer Bruce Kreutzberger lives on a property 20 kilometres from Walla Walla in the Riverina region of NSW. When the 3G network was switched off, he lost phone service at his home and took to driving up a nearby hill to get line-of-sight access to a signal from the nearest Telstra tower. Mr Kreutzberger later bought a new "blue tick" mobile phone — certified to give superior coverage in rural and regional areas — which he said improved things. "My new phone shows no bars of signal, but I can actually make a call at the house," he said. But Mr Kreutzberger said he had experienced congestion issues in his area as well. He said he had given up complaining about the issue. Mr Taylor said individual reception could be affected by the handset customers were using and the topography of the region. "Our 4G coverage is available in and around Walla Walla but the surrounding terrain and vegetation in the area can affect it in some parts," he said. Mr Taylor said Telstra was also working on plans to upgrade both sites to provide additional capacity and to deliver 5G. Telstra, Optus and Vodaphone shut down their 3G networks in 2024 to use that spectrum to improve 4G and 5G services, but the ombudsman said she had not seen any signs of improvement yet. "It's something we're keeping an eye on because … if it doesn't fulfil those expectations, that leads to a lot of frustration," she said.
Perth Now
14-05-2025
- Business
- Perth Now
Telco complaints a symptom of cost-of-living crisis
Cash-strapped Australians fear being cut off from their phone and internet services as telcos refuse to support struggling customers, resulting in a spike in complaints. Reports to the telecommunications watchdog about financial hardship or repayment issues spiked by 71.9 per cent between January and March, compared to the same period in 2024. Despite complaints falling 8.2 per cent since the previous quarter, the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman remains concerned. Telcos need to do more to make sure people get the support they need if they're struggling to keep on top of bills, ombudsman Cynthia Gebert said. "It's a stark reminder that the cost-of-living crisis continues to impact communities across Australia," she said. Recurring themes included companies refusing payment plans or extensions, offering unsuitable payment arrangements and service disconnection, suspension or restriction. Family violence and ongoing health issues rendered Parisa's (not her real name) bills unmanageable. She tried to work out a payment plan with her provider but the $200-per-month offer was unachievable. She told the ombudsman late fees continued to accumulate and she worried her services could be cut off. Telcos lack tailored support and repayment options for customers, the ombudsman said, suggesting disconnection should be a last resort. "People don't want to be in debt, but they need payment plans they can actually afford," Ms Gebert said. Australians lodged 15,385 complaints about their phone and internet services, marking a 0.6 per cent increase since the previous quarter and a drop of 2.1 per cent compared to the same period in 2024. Poor mobile coverage reports rose 25.3 per cent, with Telstra accounting for more than half of them, while about one in 10 complaints involved the recent 3G network shutdown. For Danny (not his real name), who lives in remote Australia prone to bushfires and flooding, the issue is one of life or death as he relies heavily on mobile service to contact emergency services and stay up to date with hazard information. He is increasingly worried about his family's safety due to ongoing problems with reliable mobile phone service, which means he can't contact emergency services when he has no connection. Small business complaints rose for the second quarter to 1767, up 6.9 per cent, with the most significant increases related to poor mobile coverage and intermittent service or dropouts. Persistent mobile and internet problems are seriously impacting small businesses' ability to provide good customer service and operate efficiently, Ms Gebert said. "It can impact their reputation, customer service and ability to trade - ultimately it affects people's livelihoods and ability to feed their families," she said. Inadequate fault testing, where issues were not fixed, had the largest increase in complaints - up 26.9 per cent. Complaints were up across the board except in Queensland, where they fell 6.6 per cent since the previous quarter. NSW had the highest number of reports with 4850, while Victoria had the highest complaints per 1000 people.
