Telstra customers to wait nine days for service restoration: ‘Incredibly frustrating’

In a world where we rely on our mobile devices, a network outage can be more than just an inconvenience. It can disrupt our lives in significant ways.

This is the reality that many Telstra customers are currently grappling with as the telecommunications giant's 4G network experiences widespread and prolonged outages.



A map of the Telstra 4G network, splattered with red blotches, revealed countless 'dead spots' across the country.

Thousands of customers in Sydney's eastern suburbs, including Coogee, Kingsford, and Maroubra, have been left without service and told to wait nine days for the service to be restored.


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Thousands of Telstra customers have been affected by the outage for days. Credit: Shutterstock


The blackout began without warning on 26 February. While some outages listed on Telstra's website indicate a restoration date of March 4, many others are left in the dark with a fix date 'unavailable'.

Telstra said there had been an ‘unplanned service interruption’ and technicians are ‘investigating the cause of a network issue that is affecting the 4G network’.

The fallout has been significant, with customers describing the outages as a 'joke' and 'annoying'.

One customer, who sought help at a Telstra retail store, likened the experience to being in a mobile data 'dead spot'.

‘Telstra shop told me [the 4G mobile data is] estimated to be back by the 4th (of March). Apparently, technicians only started investigating today,’ she said.



One man shared his frustration at being unable to access the internet at home.

‘I have to drive my car until I can find reception and then sit in the driver’s seat doing my uni work and stay out if I want to do any general social media scrolling,’ he complained.

Another customer explained how the outage had severely disadvantaged her work and personal life.

With her local NBN service also down, she was left without internet access at home.

‘It’s incredibly frustrating not having access to the internet through my phone data. Internet services are currently down at my property, and without access to Telstra 4G, I’m unable to come home and prepare for work the next day,’ she said.

‘I’ve had to stay back at work to use the office Wi-Fi or sit in my car on the street to access slow internet for work purposes or to respond to messages from family and friends.’

The outages have also disrupted the usual post-work routines of many customers.

‘It’s not ideal coming home after a hard day of work and can’t I access mobile internet to sit back and relax to watch something on my phone,’ one man said.


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The map revealed the ‘dead spots’ of the Telstra 4G network. Credit: Telstra


In response to the widespread criticism, a spokesperson for Telstra claimed that the map image on its site made the problem look worse than it actually is.

He explained that the shutdown was necessary for vital updates to the network, including the introduction of 5G to Maroubra and its surrounding suburbs.

While the spokesperson did not provide a specific number of affected customers, he suggested that services might be restored earlier than March 4.

‘While we have listed up to seven days for the outage, we will look to do the work as quickly as possible and all things going to plan, expect to have works completed well within this time,’ he said.

‘While there may be some overlapping coverage from our other sites, there will be an impact [on] some mobile services.’



‘On Monday we began doing an upgrade of our key Maroubra base station on Anzac Parade to help bring new 5G coverage to the area. As the works require us to partly rebuild our site and replace a lot of equipment, this means we have to turn off the 3G and 4G network,’ he added.

The spokesperson also claimed it was ‘difficult to estimate the impact to local residents in this part of Sydney.’ However, he also encouraged customers who believe they have a case for compensation to contact Telstra and request a compensation pack.

The Telstra spokesman also confirmed that fixed line and NBN services are not impacted and that Triple Zero calls can still be made.

He encouraged customers with access to a Wi-Fi signal to activate Wi-Fi Calling, a ‘free setting on most popular phones that allow you to make and receive calls and access the internet when you are in range of the modem’.



This situation came after Telstra announced a half-year profit of $1 billion, an increase of 11.5 per cent from the previous year.

Telstra CEO Vicki Brady attributed the company's gains, in part, to acquiring tens of thousands of customers in the wake of the Optus data breach, when nearly 10 million Optus customers’ personal data had been leaked.

‘We would estimate that impact to be maybe in the tens of thousands [of customers]. To be honest, we had a very good December quarter…And in terms of the competitive dynamic, it’s brought front of mind for customers that it’s all about resilience and reliability, whether in our personal lives or our businesses,’ she said.
Key Takeaways
  • Telstra's 4G network experienced widespread and prolonged outages, leaving many customers with no data access.
  • Customers in Sydney's eastern suburbs were particularly impacted, with some advised of a nine-day wait for service restoration.
  • Telstra stated that the shutdown was due to upgrades necessary for the introduction of 5G in the area.
  • Despite the service interruptions, Telstra recently reported a half-year profit increase, partially attributing gains to new customer acquisitions post the Optus data breach.
Have you been affected by the Telstra 4G outage? Let us know in the comments below.
 
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No mention whether Telstra is gonna give compensation/credit those effected,etc?
Makes you wonder how a cashless society would (or wouldn't) work at such times!
 
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Reactions: GillyH
So now we know it can happen to
Telstra as well as Optus. I stayed with Optus. No problem personally with them at all.
Unfortunately we don't have much say with provider TELSTRA owns nearly all the towers. They all piggy back off them including OPTUS. We should of learn't from the OPTUS fiasco twice in 2 years . May sure you have CASH for your coffee & groceries when it happens again.
 
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Reactions: Cheezil
We had a Telstra outage last week due to the bush fires. Not all towns. l got a phone call from my daughter as her sister inlaw was stuck didn’t know how to get back to Melbourne. With her being a doctor didn’t help with no service to help her. To many people rely on service. What happened to using maps.
Sorry; I have to laugh. Melbourne is south, east or west of most places in Australia; the sun rises in the east and sets in the west as indicated by shadows of trees and telegraph poles and whilst it is very easy to become disorientated in the flat-lands of Australia it isn't that hard to find Melbourne without a mobile phone and Google maps. Although it helps to know where one is relative to Melbourne (maybe ask a local person?) before looking at trees and telegraph poles. Finding one's way around Melbourne is another issue, but one could always ask a policemen or even a mere passer-by. A paper map is always helpful if one knows where lies north, and that can be found with an old-fashioned watch or even the sun at midday if one has a handy telegraph pole or tree nearby.
 
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Reactions: Veggiepatch
Good heavens. Take the opportunity to "get a life". In my 20s and 30s and even early 40s we didn't have home internet and we communicated and enjoyed the company of our family and friends. It will do them all good to live without having a phone stuck to their face!
 
Good heavens. Take the opportunity to "get a life". In my 20s and 30s and even early 40s we didn't have home internet and we communicated and enjoyed the company of our family and friends. It will do them all good to live without having a phone stuck to their face!
The good old days, we may not of had mobiles or public media that everyone knows about your business. We were actually polite unlike the youth of today.
 
Did I mention "women" in my post? I offered a little advice and you come at me with swords drawn.

My next piece of advice to you may be less than savoury. Don't poke the sleeping bear!

EDIT: Spelling is not your forte. Maybe you were coming at me with meat CLEAVERS drawn. Now go play in the traffic.
You said Princesses. Maybe you think even males are Princesses
 

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