The NSW Farmers’ Association says a survey of its members found 71 per cent had concerns about the Next G service.
Communications Minister Stephen Conroy will next week decide whether to allow Telstra to switch off the CDMA network, which is used extensively in rural and regional Australia.
The CDMA network is scheduled to be turned off on January 28 – but only if government is satisfied that the Next G mobile coverage is the “equivalent or better” than the service it replaces.
Association president Jock Laurie said farmers still had concerns with aspects of the Next G network, including call drop outs, handset performance, car-kit reliance, poor and unreliable reception and Message Bank problems.
“The Association has passed on the survey results to the National Farmers’ Federation, who are in discussions with the Federal Government regarding farmers’ feedback on Next G,” Mr Laurie said.
“People in rural communities rely on their mobile phones as a safety mechanism to be able to call for help in the event of an emergency – so the network must be reliable,” Mr Laurie said.
“A common problem reported by Members was calls going straight to Message Bank despite the handset indicating there was a signal,” Mr Laurie said.
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