Regional Capitals Australia Welcomes Telstra’s Minimum Service Guarantee Announcement for Regional Landlines

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Regional Capitals Australia (RCA) welcomes today’s announcement from Minister for Regional Services, Sport, Local Government and Decentralisation Bridget McKenzie and Telstra CEO Andy Penn, which outlines that landline reliability will be increased in regional Australia through a program of work. The work will be undertaken to resolve faults and extend repair times currently being experienced by network users.

Telecommunications play a vital role for Australians living in regional capital cities, and the program of work will provide vital access to life-saving emergency communications while the minimum service guarantee will ensure the consistent delivery of emergency messages.

The announcement from Telstra and the Federal Government is in response to the 2018 Regional Telecommunications Review, which recommends that an audit be conducted into the landline repair times for Telstra customers living in regional Australia. 

Telstra has consequently committed to an additional program of work to increase the reliability of landline services in regional Australia, which will include:

  • repairing and replacing connectivity infrastructure; 
  • regularly reviewing aged landline repairs; and
  • moving customers from their current network onto the more reliable NextG Wireless Local Loop network.

Connectivity is essential for the continued growth of our regional capitals and we are pleased that Telstra has committed to improving their processes for identifying and resolving regional landline network issues.

Overall business productivity is also increased, with additional access provided to a wider range of job and networking opportunities for regional businesses. 

Liveability standards for regional Australians are improved through reliable access to telecommunications, which enables access to social infrastructure services and increases social connectedness; breaking down the tyranny of distance.

Contact

Angela Scicluna

P: 03 8658 5715

E: secretariat@regionalcapitalsaustralia.org

About Regional Capitals Australia

Regional Capitals Australia (RCA) is a national alliance of local government councils across the nation representing Australia’s regional cities. RCA’s mission is to provide a recognised platform to champion the strategic importance and sustainable development of regional capitals around the nation. To learn more about our work visit http://regionalcapitalsaustralia.org.

Available for Interview
Cr Samantha McIntosh – Chair, Regional Capitals Australia