Phone service is a turn off

By Kirra Livingstone

POOR mobile phone coverage is costing local retailers thousands of dollars in sales at key events, prompting the Maleny and District Chamber of Commerce to demand action.

The region’s biggest events, including the recent Maleny Wood Expo that attracted thousands of people over the recent Labour Day long weekend, were hampered by a deteriorating mobile signal.

Stall holders at the Expo said they lost tens of thousands of dollars in sales due to the lack of connectivity, Maleny Chamber of Commerce president Spencer Shaw said.

Writing to federal member for Fisher, Andrew Wallace, Mr Shaw said that as a tourism destination with key events across the calendar year, it was crucial to have a network that supported the area.

The poor reception was also an issue on weekends and holidays.

“Our layman’s understanding of this issue is that the current phone network is adequate for the residential population of our region, but that events such as the wood expo overload the network and service deteriorates as numbers of phone users rise,” Mr Shaw wrote.

“This inadequacy of service however is not limited to these large events as they return to our region post–covid, but in discussion with our members, appears to be a frequent issue on weekends and holidays.”

Mr Fisher said he understood the frustrations and was looking to address the concerns raised.

“It’s important to hear from families and businesses of the community to add weight behind my advocacy for improved telecommunications infrastructure in the region,” he said.

Maleny, and outlined the inadequacy of mobile phone reception for the popular tourism region.

“While I was proud to secure new mobile phone services in Conondale, Kenilworth, Glenview… Beerwah, Glass House Mountains, Mooloolah, Peachester, Beerburrum and more…there is more work to do and I’m determined to keep fighting…”

“In good news, as part of the Mobile Blackspot Program, Telstra will be upgrading our existing base station at the Maleny Showgrounds, adding extra 4G capacity and bringing new 5G coverage to the area for the first time,” she said.

“If all goes well, we expect this work to be completed and on air by early August. This should help improve customer experience at future events.”

May Boisen also highlighted other towns in the Blackall Range are receiving much needed upgrades to improve coverage and capacity.

“New Telstra coverage is also coming in the next few months for Beerwah and Booloumba, under the Mobile Black Spot Program, in addition to sites we’ve already built in the Glasshouse Mountains, Peachester, Maleny and Conondale,” she said.

“Residents can also improve their mobile coverage by using their NBN connection to access Wi-Fi calling… in some cases mobile coverage in their home or vehicle can be increased by fitting an external aerial or a phone booster.”

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) said if consumers are struggling to voice their concerns to their telco providers, they should contact the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman.

“I have made many representations to Telstra and government for residents and businesses in the hinterland, including

Telstra Regional Manager, May Boisen, said that although the issue is not entirely Telstra’s fault, the company is undertaking upgrades, which are expected to improve Maleny’s coverage.

“If dissatisfied with their provider’s response, consumers have the option of escalating their complaint to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO), which is the independent complaints resolution body established for the telecommunications industry,” ACMA said.

“We