Stefan Bradley
Mobile network users on the Telstra network in Stratford faced a four-day communications outage last week, with the company facing criticism for a lack of engagement with its customers during this time.
Telstra confirmed to the Gippsland Times on Tuesday that a power issue impacted services from Thursday December 14. This is despite many residents reporting mobile communications issues the day before, from about 2pm.
“Is anyone else have (sic) issues with Telstra today in Stratford?” wrote one Facebook user at 4pm on Wednesday December 13.
It appeared the outage only affected Stratford, as those who left the town were able to access mobile services. Residents on the Telstra network reported that no calls, texts or reception was available unless you left the town.
Telstra Regional General Manager for Victoria Jenny Gray apologised to those who were inconvenienced and said a replacement part was needed to fix the problem, which is why it took a number of days for it to be fixed.
“A power issue that impacted mobile services in Stratford from Thursday (14 December 2023) was fixed Saturday afternoon (16 December 2023). Landline, nbn services and calls to Triple Zero weren’t impacted,” Ms Gray said in a statement to the Gippsland Times.
“Our technicians investigated as quickly as possible; however, the fix required a replacement part to be ordered. Once the part arrived on Saturday, our tech was able to bring mobile services back online Saturday afternoon.
“While we worked to get everything back online as soon as we could, we apologise for the inconvenience caused and thank everyone for their patience.”
Telstra suggested that those affected by mobile connectivity outages in the future can switch to wi-fi calling if a wi-fi network is available.
“When it comes to improving connectivity, residents with access to a wi-fi signal can activate wi-fi calling,” Ms Gray said.
“This is a free setting on most popular mobile phones and allows your mobile to use a wi-fi network to make and receive mobile calls when in range of the modem and works during an outage. To find out more they can google Telstra wifi calling or just search in your settings icon on your phone.”
Stratford Transfer Station had to steer away from EFTPOS payments, as did other businesses in the town, including Stratford Hardware & Plumbing Supplies.
“We know that many businesses rely on point-of-sale devices as part of their daily business,” Ms Gray said.
“However, the EFTPOS network is not managed by Telstra, it is managed by banks and financial institutions. While some point-of-sale terminals use mobile connectivity, many terminals can also be connected using fixed line or Wi-Fi/nbn internet connections.
“If retailers are experiencing issues getting connected or are looking for more certainty in case of any future outages, we encourage them to contact their bank for more information and details on how to switch between these methods.
“Having multiple connectivity options such as a landline and wifi is good business practice when reliable connectivity is important and is something Telstra always encourages.”
The outage also meant that various organisations couldn’t contact clients or be contacted. There were also concerns that emergency service personnel such as firefighters would be unable to receive calls or alerts.
Stratford local Melinda Clark went to bat for the town during the outage, posting updates in the Stratford Community Notice Board (SCNB) Facebook page as she tried to get updates from Telstra. In her experience, messaging the company in the Telstra app was more effective than staying on hold with wi-fi calling.
“Only time you get reception to make calls is after you leave town or are lucky enough to have wi-fi calling on your phone,” Ms Clark told the Gippsland Times last Friday during the outage.
“Telstra says that it’s a power outage, but won’t send out a text telling any of us about this.
“Businesses are either closed or missing sales leading up to Christmas as they can only accept cash.”
Ms Clark criticised Telstra’s “lack of communication”.
“Someone was meant to contact me from Telstra each day but no-one did. They wanted my mobile number to call on when I didn’t have the reception to receive said call,” Ms Clark said.
“I was also meant to hear from a manager and still haven’t heard from anyone. So their lack of communication is appalling, not just to me but to the whole town when I know quite a few of us asked for a text message to go out.
“If they can do it when upgrading a tower in a certain area, they could have done it in this situation.
“It took (the Gippsland Times) to contact them for any one to know what was going on. As no one has heard anything nor have I heard from their team about compensation that I’ve already asked for.
“I also know quite a few people have lodged complaints with the telecommunications ombudsman as well for Telstra’s lack of communication throughout this whole four-day event.”
A number of locals in the SCNB Facebook page, including Ms Clarke, suggested that businesses and customers should seek compensation from Telstra, with some indicating they already had.
Telstra said they’d consider each case individually.
“We always consider compensation on a case-by-case basis, and customers can call our front of house teams to discuss their individual situation,” Ms Gray said.
The Gippsland Times had originally phoned and emailed Telstra last Friday but received no reply, but a second email sent on Monday morning was responded to within an hour. This reporter was informed that the Friday email did not reach the intended inbox for unknown reasons, and a statement was provided Tuesday morning.
3G and 4G outages listed Telstra themselves.
