Stockton’s cell phone problems reach bottom of…
Ian Slight often has to go outside to get cell phone reception.
“Sometimes we can answer calls in a tiny corner of the living room or under the back door, otherwise we have to go outside,” said the 61-year-old.
Mr Slight lives at the northern end of Dunbar Street in Stockton, less than two miles from Newcastle’s central business district, but struggles every day with unreliable mobile reception.
He said an elderly neighbor had recently fallen and was unable to call 000, the emergency number, because cell phones in the area sometimes cannot find any service providers near cell towers.
Newcastle MP Sharon Claydon has taken up the cause of Mr Slight and others experiencing problems with mobile phone reception in Stockton.
She told Parliament last week that poor phone and internet connections are “really taking their toll”.
Mr Slight said he hoped to start a home-based business after he retired, but would need better phone coverage to consider that move.
Once he and his wife tried to make an important international transfer, but the connection kept breaking off.
“It affects your mental health,” he said.
“Optus or Telstra, it doesn’t seem to make much difference.”
Lindy Nisbett, co-chair of the Stockton Community Group, said internet access in the suburb appears to be adequate, but mobile phone coverage in north Stockton remains a problem.
She said improving mobile phone connectivity in the region was becoming increasingly important to serve the thousands of residents expected to move into new developments between Stockton and Fern Bay.
Ms Claydon told Parliament she had been “inundated” after asking Stockton residents to share their experiences.
“They talk about the fear that their children will constantly drop out of school and not have reliable learning resources,” she said.
“Almost 5,000 people live in Stockton, which is just a few minutes by ferry from the city of Newcastle.
“Newcastle is the sixth largest city in Australia, so the poor telecommunications experience is particularly shocking for Stockton residents.”
Ms Claydon said she had met with representatives from Telstra and Optus to discuss residents’ concerns.
“I am pleased that Telstra has agreed to investigate its suburban telecommunications network and I have asked Optus to do the same because we need to identify and fix these issues,” she said.
In addition, it has expressed interest in receiving a grant to improve coverage under the Peri-Urban Mobile Program.
Telstra is expected to shut down Australia’s 3G mobile network at the end of the month.
