Hillston farmer Stacey Storrier was told she was “lucky” that she received mobile phone service at her home in the New South Wales Riverina region.
But when Telstra’s 3G network is switched off on 30 June, that luck will run out.
Storrier is concerned for the safety of her family and neighbours if coverage is expanded to fill the gap.
“It’s just the health and safety of people that work on your properties and that live in regional Australia,” she said. “If something happens and you can’t make a phone call to ambulance, it can be the difference between life and death.”
Australia’s three main telecommunications companies have been steadily upgrading 3G towers with 4G and 5G for several years, and claim to have managed the transition to ensure minimal disruption. Vodafone has already switched off its 3G network and Optus will switch off in September 2024. Just 2% of all…
