Between 1 July 2021 to 30 June 2024, the TIO received 51,854 phone and internet complaints from consumers living in regional, rural and remote Australia about faults, poor service quality, poor mobile service coverage, outages and accessibility barriers.
Regional consumers told the TIO that faults and service problems can take longer to be resolved in regional locations. In some cases, a regional customer may report faults over several years without any lasting improvements to their services.
Unlike people in metropolitan areas, regional consumers may have no choice but to depend on their landline or satellite service when there are no other options. Often, mobile coverage is poor in regional, rural and remote areas in Australia.
The TIO also heard about consumers who sign up to a mobile service after being told that their mobile will work in their area, but when returning home to a remote location find they have no service.
This can be especially dangerous for consumers living in areas at greater risk of bushfires, cyclones, floods and other natural disasters. Reliable access to telco services plays a critical role in the coordination of disaster response, recovery and in sharing timely and accurate information during major outages and crises.
While satellite services may resolve connectivity issues for some consumers, these services can be highly dependent on weather conditions. The TIO's complaint data shows consumers in regional areas continue to experience unreliable connections and service quality problems. Satellite is also a more expensive service type, and may not be affordable for all consumers.
The telco regulatory framework needs to be modernised to ensure regional consumers can have reliable telco services. The TIO's recommendations to improve phone and internet services for regional, rural and remote Australian's include:
- One coherent, robust and modern regulatory framework rather than the USO scheme, SIP regime, and CSG regime to offer standards for different services.
- The SIP regime should have clear benchmarks and standards so that consumers can seek compensation from a SIP.
- In reviewing the USO framework, the government should consider the essential nature of mobile services, to ensure the regulatory framework meets community expectations.
- Mobile coverage maps should be standardised, accessible to all consumers, and should include information about geographical location, quality of coverage, and data speeds.
- First Nations consumers should be consulted on plans about how to help close the digital inclusion gap.
- There needs to be an increased focus on mobile accessibility to improve connectivity for First Nations consumers living in regional areas.
As stated by Ombudsman Cynthia Gebert:
"Telecommunication services are essential services, as important to our health and way of life as the electricity and water in our homes. We rely on phone and internet services in emergencies, for work, banking, telehealth services, social cohesion - everything. We need a policy agenda that reflects the indispensable nature of telecommunications."
"Regional, rural, and remote consumers are getting left behind, and it's time that serious efforts are made to address the digital divide in this country."
