But that’s what some residents of Mathoura are having to do because of what they describe as inadequate phone service coverage.
Clifton Gregson contacted the Pastoral Times to complain about the phone service ‘black spots’.
Affecting residents, visitors and motorists passing through, he said the reason that Mathoura has notoriously poor service is not fully understood.
He said he was at his “wits end” about what he could do next.
“It’s been bad for a while, but it’s been getting worse since just before Christmas,” he said.
“I’ve contacted Telstra, and after being on the phone for 35 minutes I was told that I should contact them if I lose service again.
“I’m not the only one in town having issues and have called New South Wales Member for Murray Helen Dalton’s office too. The person I spoke to was lovely and advised me that the more ‘noise’ we make, hopefully would lead to something being done.”
He was given similar advice from a Telstra employee in Echuca.
Mr Gregson said to make a phone call, he has to travel to the bowling club on the Deniliquin side of town, and sit in his car in the car park.
“It's a bloody disgrace,“ he said, raising concerns about what would happen in an emergency.
Service improvements have been promised for Mathoura with the erection of a Telstra cell tower at Picnic Point, near Mathoura, announced in 2023, and funded in 2024.
The project is yet to begin.
After being contacted by the Pastoral Times, Telstra suggested the recent issues experienced by Mr Gregson and other residents was a result of congestion.
“Mobile services in parts of the region may have been experiencing congestion on our network recently, with an influx of visitors to the area over the holidays,” Telstra regional general manager Steve Tinker responded.
“We design and manage our mobile network to provide the best connectivity available and plan for peaks and troughs in demand as best we can.
“We constantly enhance and optimise our coverage and capacity to cater to shifting customer needs.
“Big spikes in demand can mean customers may experience some congestion at times. If you do experience congestion, in all but exceptional circumstances, it should be short-lived, localised and temporary.
“We also have plans in the pipeline for a new mobile station in the area, after being awarded funding under the Federal Government’s Regional Connectivity Program.
“We’re in the early stages of planning and look forward to delivering improved coverage to the community.
“We also encourage business owners to talk to their bank about connecting their EFTPOS terminals to their NBN or Wi-Fi connection to prevent delays in processing transactions.”
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