Concerns for emergency response during rolling Telstra upgrades

Critics have lambasted Telstra for conducting lengthy network upgrades that could potentially leave residents without mobile service for up to eight hours each day. A State Emergency Service (SES) manager has expressed concern that such service disruptions could hinder emergency response efforts, particularly in rural Western Australia where first responders heavily rely on mobile coverage.

The town of Gnowangerup, situated 350 kilometres southeast of Perth, is a hotspot for grain production and tourism, with a population of around 1,200. Telstra recently informed customers to anticipate service interruptions from August 14, with potential outages lasting up to eight hours daily as they upgrade its 4G and 5G networks.

The duration and scheduling of these upgrades have drawn criticism and raised concerns about the ability of first responders to coordinate effectively during emergencies. Gnowangerup SES manager Mandy Hanna highlighted the critical role of mobile phones in coordinating their response to incidents such as road crashes. She stressed that without reliable mobile coverage, the SES may struggle to communicate and coordinate, potentially putting lives at risk.

Telstra has apologized for the inconvenience and stated that the upgrades will not impact NBN, satellite internet, landline, or mobile services from other providers. They assured that callers to Triple Zero (000) would still be connected to another mobile network if available. The telco explained that the planned upgrades are necessary to improve mobile connectivity in the region and have been designed to minimize disruption as much as possible.

Some local businesses, such as Darren Robertson's cafe, have also felt the impact of these outages, as they coincide with business hours and affect essential services like EFTPOS. Robertson has even considered switching to a satellite service to avoid future blackouts, expressing frustration with the extended outages. The Gnowangerup Shire chief executive, David Nicholson, has strongly criticized Telstra's communication and planning, calling it "atrocious and really poor customer service."

He suggested that shorter outages during the day could help reduce the impact on the town. Telstra maintains that customers can still make calls and send texts during the upgrades by enabling Wi-Fi calling, provided they have access to a Wi-Fi source.