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🇦🇺 Australia /Disasters & Emergencies

Concerns for emergency response during rolling Telstra upgrades

From ABC Australia · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Ongoing story
  • Telstra customers in regional Western Australia are concerned that week-long network upgrades will hinder emergency responders.
  • The town of Gnowangerup, a popular tourist and agricultural hub, faces potential communication blackouts during the upgrades.
  • Telstra stated that Triple Zero (000) calls will still connect to other available networks, and apologized for the disruption.

Telstra customers in regional Western Australia are raising concerns that the telecommunications company's decision to conduct week-long network upgrades could impede emergency responders. The town of Gnowangerup, located 350 kilometers southeast of Perth, is situated at the base of the popular Stirling Range, a significant tourist destination and a prolific rescue zone.

We're quite busy in the Stirling [Range] so if we can't be contacted at all we're not going to know if anything's happening.

— Mandy HannaMandy Hanna, manager of the Gnowangerup State Emergency Service (SES), explained the critical reliance on mobile communication for coordinating rescue efforts.

Telstra informed customers of planned service outages from Friday, August 14, lasting up to eight days, with daily disruptions of up to eight hours for 4G and 5G network upgrades. These upgrades have frustrated customers and intensified scrutiny on the telco's regional service.

My main concern is because we have that road crash capability, this is affecting people's lives.

— Mandy HannaHanna highlighted the potential life-threatening consequences of communication failures during emergencies.

Mandy Hanna, manager of the Gnowangerup State Emergency Service (SES), expressed worry that the extended outage could disrupt rescue operations. "We're quite busy in the Stirling [Range] so if we can't be contacted at all we're not going to know if anything's happening," she said. Hanna emphasized that SES volunteers rely heavily on mobile phones to coordinate responses to emergencies like road accidents or distress calls on Bluff Knoll.

Worst case, we can't be contacted for a road crash, and someone loses their life because we just don't know.

— Mandy HannaHanna described the direst potential outcome of the communication outages.

A Telstra spokesperson apologized for the inconvenience, confirming that the upgrades would not affect NBN, satellite internet, landline services, or mobile coverage from other providers. They assured that calls to Triple Zero (000) would connect to an available network if Telstra's service was down. "We're sorry for the disruption, but unfortunately this work is what's required to upgrade mobile connectivity in the area," the spokesperson said.

We're sorry for the disruption, but unfortunately this work is what's required to upgrade mobile connectivity in the area.

— Telstra spokespersonA Telstra spokesperson apologized for the inconvenience caused by the network upgrades.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Australia. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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