General News
10 February, 2024
Signal falters just metres from mount transmitter
THE Mount Moliagul phone transmission tower has become a sentinel of poor signal for volunteer firefighters and residents. Rheola brigade captain Phil Vernon has become frustrated with Telstra’s slow action to a problem he says has hindered...
THE Mount Moliagul phone transmission tower has become a sentinel of poor signal for volunteer firefighters and residents.
Rheola brigade captain Phil Vernon has become frustrated with Telstra’s slow action to a problem he says has hindered connectivity for 12 months.
“Everything was working perfectly for mobile phones and internet and now it (the signal) keeps dropping out,” he said.
“You ring up Telstra and get a different story every time.”
Mr Vernon and district residents shared their frustrations at an impromptu meeting in the former Moliagul school last week.
Resident Colleen Fogarty said: “I now drive 45km to have a coffee and get an internet connection.”
Bev Cain, who contacted the Loddon Herald when the Dial Us In campaign launched three weeks ago, said: “They are charging us for a service they can’t deliver.”
Mr Vernon said poor connectivity had seen the area without mobile connection for four days over Christmas as storms and floods ravaged the Loddon.
“There are a lot of dead areas and we have lots of missed calls ... and we’re 1000 metres from the tower,” he said.
Mr Vernon said CFA volunteers in the district had pagers for alerts and emergencies but phone apps were useless for residents and visitors when there was no signal.
“It’s only luck that we haven’t been hit by fires,” he said.
Lyn Gale said poor service was also hindering residents who accessed telehealth services.
Bev said: “People’s lives are being put at risk - there’s the fire risk and Melville Caves is nearby.
“I’ve called Telstra and wasted an hour of my life. This has been going on for months ... they say lightning hit the tower in June and are waiting on ordered parts to arrive.”
Telstra regional general manager Steve Tinkler said: “We’ve been working to fix some issues that have been affecting our sites that service Moliagul and Laanecoorie and we’re sorry for any impact this has had on our customers.
“We know how important communications are for regional communities and we have plans in the pipeline to upgrade both these sites by mid-year, to deliver faster speeds and higher capacity for customers.
“Providing regional connectivity is not just a Telstra responsibility. It’s a challenge that must be shared between Federal, State and Local governments and with providers like us and other mobile carriers.
“We continually investigate new opportunities to further expand our mobile coverage, including co-investment opportunities such as the Federal Government’s Mobile Black Spot Program and Regional Connectivity Program.”
The frustrations around Rheola, Moliagul and McIntyre come in the same week that Optus services in Inglewood have been down for hours at a time.