Telecommunications are a massive issue for South Australian businesses, and particularly those in regional areas.
Our regional members recently highlighted telecommunications as one of their main concerns, and often an impediment to doing business, in the
2018 Regional Voice Survey.
Business SA recently wrote to the national Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman, Ms Judi Jones, to share the 2018 Regional Voice Survey results, including how significant telecommunications issues were.
With 39 percent of businesses either dissatisfied or strongly dissatisfied with mobile coverage in South Australia’s regions, there is still plenty of work to be done. As for the NBN, while the satisfaction score was slightly higher, only 60 per cent of businesses have been connected to date. For a new service, Business SA has concerns about the third of businesses dissatisfied, predominantly with NBN speeds and service dropping out.
Business SA has also provided input into the State Government’s application process for Federal Government mobile blackspot funding to ensure South Australia’s regional chambers and their specific priorities are adequately taken into consideration.
The applications closed on 10 December and the Federal Government will make decisions based on those submissions, with construction of new mobile phone infrastructure expected to begin in early 2019.
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