Fed: Rural phone users getting better deal says ACA

AAP General News (Australia)
12-18-2000
Fed: Rural phone users getting better deal says ACA

By Stephen Spencer, Economics Correspondent

CANBERRA, Dec 18 AAP - Rural phone users are reaping the benefits of the government's
bid to sell Telstra with improved connection and fault clearance rates, a new report found
today.

The latest Australian Communications Authority (ACA) report found Telstra now does
a better job of connecting and repairing phones in rural areas within specified time limits
than in the city.

The report found 95 per cent of new lines were connected within the specified time
of 10 working days in major rural areas and 30 days in more remote areas.

However, the promise of a new connection within five working days in urban areas is
only being met 93 per cent of the time.

Similarly with fault clearances, the promise to repair phones within one working day
in city areas is met 90 per cent of the time, but 94 per cent of the time in rural areas
within the promised two days.

The worst performance was in more remote areas where new infrastructure had to be built
and where despite having 12 months to connect new phones, 16 per cent of connections were
still late.

Sixteen per cent of fault clearances also failed to meet the promised guarantee of
three working days in more remote areas.

However, acting Communications Minister Peter McGauran said the report showed all phone
companies were lifting their game when it came to new connections and fault clearances.

"This latest ACA quarterly report is the fourth consecutive report showing sustained
quality of service improvements in telecommunications," Mr McGauran said.

But opposition communications spokesman Stephen Smith said the improvements in rural
areas were an attempt to buy support in rural areas for the full sale of Telstra.

"Australians living in rural and remote areas know that that political focus will disappear
if the rest of Telstra is sold," Mr Smith said.

Even with this political focus, he said one in six customers in major rural areas without
infrastructure were still not having service connected in time.

In city areas where new lines were needed, one in six were not being connected in time.

"Even the repair of faults in some urban areas are a problem, with 15 per cent of faults
in South Australia not reported in time," he said.

Telstra had the best record of connecting new phones of any of the phone companies
while Optus was best at rectifying faults, with 99 per cent fixed within the promised
time frames.

Call drop-out rates for mobile phones also remain low, ranging from less than one per
cent for Optus and Vodafone in the ACT, to a high of 1.93 per cent for Telstra in New
South Wales.

AAP ss/daw/em/de

KEYWORD: PHONES

2000 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.