No phone coverage, service dropouts, and slow action by providers.
Australians’ mobile and internet gripes have been increasing, with the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman reporting a surge in complaints.
Between October and December last year, there was a 13 per cent rise in complaints to the watchdog compared to the previous quarter.
The 3G network shutdown has been largely to blame.
Complaints rise across the board
A total of 15,297 complaints were made in the final quarter of 2024, according to the latest Ombudsman’s report.
It was a 5.6 per cent increase over the same period last financial year.
Most issues related to providers’ delayed or lack of action, followed by complaints about service fees.
Among the top 10 problems raised by consumers, nine registered increases in complaints compared to the previous quarter.
The largest increase was noted for no phone or internet service which increased by 44.1 per cent.
Complaints about mobile services rose by 23 per cent.
Issues mainly related to poor coverage or restricted service, and no phone or internet service issues.
Many were in influenced by the 3G shutdown, the report said.
The top five regions for telecommunications complaints were Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Moreton Bay and the Sunshine Coast, all in Queensland, followed by the NSW Central Coast.
Mobile towers around Australia were upgraded to 4G and 5G technology, ahead of the 3G network shutdown. (Supplied: Telstra)
Farmers feel 3G impact
Grain grower Brendan Taylor has been struggling with patchy coverage since Telstra and Optus cut off 3G in late October.
He said his first mobile phone, which sat like a brick in the front seat of the ute, had better reception on the plains of Queensland’s Western Downs than what he gets now.
“There’s black spots where there never used to be black spots,” Mr Taylor told AAP.
“There’s more gaps, more drop outs, you can have a good amount of service according to your phone and you still can’t make a call.”
Queensland grain grower Brendan Taylor has been struggling with patchy coverage since the 3G shutdown. (AAP: AgForce)
The 3G network shutdown resulted in 190 complaints in October, spiking to 566 in November, before dropping again in December.
Ombudsman Cynthia Gebert said it was encouraging to see 3G-related complaints decrease by the end of the year, but there were ongoing issues in regional and rural areas.
“I implore the telcos to keep working on solutions that ensure equal access to reliable and phone and internet service for all people in Australia,” Ms Gebert said.
There have been hundreds of complaints about the 3G network shutdown. (ABC Midwest and Wheatbelt: Bridget Herrmann)
The 3G shutdown was expected to mostly impact people in remote areas who had been getting what was described by Telstra and Optus as “fortuitous” coverage.
Fortuitous coverage refers to people who were not on the official 3G map, but received a signal anyway.
Many were likely to also struggle to get a 4G signal because it doesn’t travel as far as 3G.
Mr Taylor said the patchy coverage had caused problems during harvest.
He had to drive around to find reception to keep in touch with truck drivers and grain buyers.
“For people that have no service, that is a big deal and it’s a safety concern as well,” Mr Taylor, who represents grain growers through the Queensland peak body AgForce, said.
Telstra and Optus 3G towers were turned off on October 28, 2024. (ABC Central Coast: Sofie Wainwright)
Optus ‘confident’ about coverage
Telstra and Optus promised that reception would not go backwards after 3G was cut off, and that if anything, customers would enjoy better connectivity.
Telstra’s 3G network used to cover 2.65 million square kilometres across Australia, whereas 4G has been expanded to cover three million sq km, executive Justine Rowe said.
Telstra and Optus told an ongoing Senate inquiry into the 3G shutdown their coverage had either improved or remained stable after the closure.
Optus executive Harvey Wright said less than 1 per cent of customer complaints to the telco since September 2024 related to 3G.
“We’re pretty confident that, actually, we haven’t seen any reduction in coverage,” Mr Wright said at a hearing in early February.
Complaints coming back unresolved by providers continued to climb, up 14.7 per cent from the previous quarter.
The largest amount of complaints were made about Telstra, followed by Optus then Vodafone.
Communications Minister Michelle Rowland has requested that the telcos begin providing weekly updates on consumers’ coverage-related complaints.
Complaints from residential consumers and small businesses each recorded an approximate 13 per cent increase since last quarter.
Residential complaints accounted for 89.2 per cent of all complaints.
ABC/AAP
