00:00Some people are worse off after the 3G shutdown and what will the government do to fix it?
00:06The 3G shutdown was meant to improve mobile service but regional Aussies say it has left
00:10them with blackouts and weaker reception, a major risk during harvest and bushfire season.
00:15Since the final shutdown my constituents have experienced worst connectivity,
00:19completely losing the ability to make calls in some areas
00:23and have been told to spend their own money on aftermarket antennas.
00:28A survey from farm organisation Grain Growers found 90% of producers lost service,
00:34raising safety concerns for farm workers and emergency response.
00:38In Charters Towers one family's reception plummeted from 90% to just 20%.
00:44It is very true that there are multiple complaints from customers particularly in regional areas
00:50who've seen fortuitous coverage diminish and who have seen their services overall being challenged.
00:56Telco's Insist coverage has expanded. Vodafone announced earlier this year it's more than
01:01doubled its mobile coverage area to over one million square kilometres,
01:05primarily benefiting regional areas.
01:08Regional Australians are fed up with having to pay a premium for mobile coverage across Australia
01:12and that ends today with Vodafone more than doubling our network across Australia so that
01:17consumers within regional Australia can enjoy the products and services and reliability
01:21that those in the city already have today.
01:23While Telstra stated their 4G coverage now spans three million square kilometres
01:29and claimed a 50% speed boost in remote areas.
01:33The ACMA and the ACCC have both been highlighted in this not only in terms of the technical
01:41requirements but also the representations that have been made to customers about coverage pre
01:47and post switchover because as many consumers will know those coverage maps don't always match
01:53what they actually receive.
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