Telstra is ready to support communities on the Fleurieu Peninsula this summer with eight upgraded payphones, recovery equipment on standby and extra mobile data for customers.

Telstra Regional General Manager for South Australia Michael Patterson says with extreme weather events becoming more common and harder to predict, Telstra spends months inspecting thousands of sites around the country to ensure its network is as resilient as possible.

“We know how critical it is for Australians to remain connected during a natural disaster and while we can’t predict what mother nature will throw at us, we’re as ready as we can be,” Mr Patterson says.

“We have a long history of responding to extreme weather events and the Telstra Response Team are often first on the ground after emergency services to assess and help restore our network.

“While our network and other infrastructure like electricity can be affected during a natural disaster, we continually work to find better, faster ways to reconnect affected communities.”

Upgrading 1000 payphones in disaster-prone areas 

Payphones in the region are among 1,000 across the nation being upgraded with free Telstra Wi- Fi, USB charging ports and back-up power to help keep communities connected during a natural disaster.

Almost 800 payphones, 40 of which are in remote Indigenous communities, have already been upgraded with eight in the Fleurieu Peninsula region such as Normanville, McLaren Vale and Victor Harbor.

“If your mobile phone isn’t charged, or you’ve had to evacuate, a payphone might be the only way to contact family and friends to let them know you are ok,” Mr Patterson says.

“Knowing where your nearest payphone can be a huge help in case the power goes out and you need to make a call, get online, or to charge your phone.”

More ways to get people back online

Last disaster season, Telstra deployed 110 new trailer-mounted, high-powered generators across Australia and have done so again this year.

These generators are part of a multi-million-dollar co-investment under the federal government’s Strengthening Telecommunications Against Natural Disasters (STAND) program.

“Extended power outages are often a major cause of network disruption, however the quicker our network sites are powered up, the quicker we can reconnect a community,” Mr Patterson says.

“In preparation for this disaster season, we have proactively deployed 14 high-powered generators to at-risk areas across South Australia in case our network is impacted by a power outage.

“We have back up power systems built into many of our network sites, but these high-powered generators along with other infrastructure such as temporary mobile towers known as Cells-on-Wheels can help with getting people back online faster.”

This year, Telstra has expanded the use of portable satellite technology with 24 Starlink satellite kits stationed across South Australia which can be assembled in under 10 minutes and help provide basic connectivity for teams.

These initiatives are part of Telstra’s ongoing investment in its mobile network. Over the seven years to end of Financial Year 2024, Telstra invested $11.8bn in its mobile network nationally with $4.3B of this invested in its regional mobile network.

This includes new technology that can help boost network resilience such as satellite-based backhaul for remote mobile sites. The roll out of LEO enabled backhaul, for example, can help improve reliability in areas where the terrestrial network is susceptible to natural disasters and communities might otherwise find themselves in isolation.

Six remote base stations in South Australia are currently using satellite backhaul with plans to connect more than 300 sites around the country with Eutelsat OneWeb’s LEO solution by mid next year.

Last disaster season, Telstra provided short-term assistance through extra data to customers in 122 locations across Australia, with over 400,000 instances of support.

Australians need to consider their own disaster plan and know Telstra is there to support in times of crisis:

• 100GB of extra mobile data: Customers on monthly mobile plans who live in a disaster affected are will receive 100GB of extra data – for free – without having to contact the company first and request it.
• Extra support for pre-paid customers: Customers on pre-paid plans are eligible for 70GB of extra data. If customers have their service registered to that postcode, they will receive an SMS offering disaster assistance.
• Dedicated disaster assistance team: Contact Telstra on 1800 888 888 for billing and payment support, advice on managing services if you need to relocate or to help resolve a fault caused by disasters.

More information about these initiatives and how communities can prepare themselves for natural disasters can be found on Telstra Exchange.