The connectivity crisis

By Natalie Brady, QFVG Head of Communications

Equal access to reliable and affordable telecommunications services, be that phone, mobile or internet is something all Queenslanders should expect, right? Sadly, a July 2024 report by the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) has again affirmed the significant issues many living outside of metropolitan hubs continue to experience.??

According to the report, between 2021 and 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.?

Connection in the bush is in crisis. This is what growers throughout the state continue to tell us. And if it wasn’t so serious, it’d be laughable.????

Growers have cited frustration about frequency of mobile service dropouts, patchiness of mobile phone coverage from one side of the farm to the other, and concern for the health and safety of staff working without adequate phone service when they may need it.??

Many are still reliant on old ADSL copper wire reporting that they lose all communication when it rains, or it is windy. Others cannot even make use of their landline at particular times of the day because the line is so crackly. They are then reluctant to disconnect as this might mean losing the most reliable means of making a phone call.??

To us, the biggest surprise is the locations experiencing these issues including parts of the Sunshine Coast, Lockyer Valley, Granite Belt and the Wide Bay. Hardly locations you’d consider rural, and certainly not remote.?

Compounding the issue is the imminent closure of the 3G network.??

There are countless devices across the ag sector that depend on a reliable mobile network. Pest monitors, weather stations, irrigation pumps, tracking devices on vehicles, and security cameras are just a few examples of the technology that keeps our farms running smoothly. These tools are not merely conveniences; they are integral to the efficiency, productivity, and security of agricultural operations.??

Safety is another key issue with regional areas at greater risk of bushfires, cyclones, floods, and other natural disasters. Having reliable access to teleco services play a critical role in the coordination of disaster response, recovery and the sharing of accurate information during major outages.?

My job relies on connectivity – I don't know a job which doesn't in some way. The question we have is: with over 50,000 questions being asked, who has the answers?