Phone services in the bush

Considering 70% of the worlds population have never used a phone let alone own one, our service's to the bush aren't bad.
They are far from good though.
Telstra can't even hook me up to Broadband and i am 40 minutes to the south east of Brisbane in a rapidly growing area.

We can't get broadband and live in a suburb of Adelaide!

Where do you live Pete? In the cityt or the country?

I agree that home phone long distance calls are cheaper now, but VOIP is only available if you have broadband as I understand it.

If you live much further awy from the exchange than the end of the street, your chances of broadband are slim.

And Telstra don't seem to be in a hell of a hurry to expand it in the bush.
There are lots of people in the larger cities without broadband, and that's where the money is for Telstra, where there are lots of potential customers.
Not so for the smaller regional cities and towns.

And as for mobile coverage in the bush, if you have a digital phone, it's even too small for a wheel chock, that's how much use they are in the bush.
I have CDMA, and once you are off the major highways, it also is next door to useless unfortunately.

It needs the goverment to keep the pressure on Telstra to improve the services for ALL Australians, regardless of where they live.

Telstra wont put up more towers in the bush because the amount of income generated through some of these towers wont cover the installation cost.
Notice Telstra say that their service covers 90 something percent of Australias' population, not landmass. Pity.

I wish some of these decision makers were stranded out in the bush with a breakdown, or come across an accident, and see what they would do to get help.
On second thoughts, they woulld probably have a company or Goverment paid Sat phone. Out of reach for the average Joe and Jenny.

Keep the pressure on Telstra, they are our own national company, and I think the Goverment have an obligation to provide some services for the taxpayer that maybe not economical for private enterprise to fund.

Not sure how long it will take you to get this reply, the line drops out every now and again!!!!!!!!!!

Dave

Being the cynic that I am especially when it comes to the USA, which in my opinion is the cancer of the earth.
I reckon Sol Trujillo has achieved exactly what he set out to do and that was to lower the value of Telstra so that it can be purchased at a cheaper price by USA
interests.

If it is going to be that cheap GU, you better assemble all your pennies and out do them as you will make the killing you reckon they are going to.

Sounds like I am about 750Kms west of you Pete.
I think the GSM phone karks it about 8 Kms out of town in one direction, about 15 in another direction.
We get a lot more contact with each other out here by yelling out the window as we pass.
Wish you had sent me the advice about selling my Telstra shares a few years ago :-(
Dave