He said while monitoring showed the Grampians locations were receiving and transmitting calls during the period of concern, a meeting with CFA Grampians Group representatives prompted the company to perform a ‘detailed investigation’.
Mr Tinker said he believed the issue was ‘software related’ and technical changes and resets appeared to have solved the problem.
Laharum CFA captain Luke Dumesny said mobile connectivity had improved and the result was indicative of the power of community groups to make a difference.
“We were able to use the CFA and emergency response volunteers as a face of the issue and obviously a collective like this can assist in getting things resolved quicker,” he said.
“That’s what community groups are all about – looking after each other and getting things done.”
Mr Dumesny said mobile coverage had returned to a similar reliability to before the software problems and Telstra had, ‘within reason’, done what it could to solve the issues.
“Obviously there are spots that are still dead zones,” he said.
“They are mainly behind tree lines and mountains, and unless we have a tower at every corner, those problems are not going to be resolved quickly.”
Mr Dumesny said the meeting with Mr Tinker and Dr Webster in March enabled the group to highlight the danger a lack of coverage posed to a bushfire-prone region, to media, politicians and coverage providers.
He said it was important community groups raised issues with appropriate people when problems arose, showcasing the effectiveness of a streamlined response.
“Instead of Telstra being bombarded with individuals, Steve Tinker and Telstra were able to help us out and get everything rectified,” he said.
“We appreciate the assistance given. They got it sorted in only a few weeks after we met with Steve and Dr Webster.”
Mr Dumesny said continued monitoring from telecommunications providers, as well as quick response from community groups if connectivity problems resurfaced, remained key to keeping on top of future issues.
Mr Tinker emphasised regional connectivity remained a ‘shared’ challenge to be solved by all levels of government, national broadband providers and other mobile carriers.
“Telstra knows better than anyone the challenges of providing telecommunications services in regional and rural communities and the huge benefits it can deliver,” he said.
“We are committed to regional and rural Australia and our ongoing investment is evident of this. However, providing regional connectivity is not just a Telstra responsibility.”
Mr Tinker said Telstra had built more than 200 new mobile sites across regional Victoria during recent years, including sites around the Grampians such as Wartook Valley.
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