Despite living just five kilometres from Sydney’s CBD, Tony Kourahanis struggles to get basic mobile phone service.
“I have to use WhatsApp to make calls, and even then, the calls drop out without warning,” he said. To make or receive calls, he often has to step outside onto his lawn.
Kourahanis, a Kensington resident, said he has faced mobile and internet issues for years. “I just want my phone to work inside my house — that’s a pretty reasonable request,” he said.
While many urban customers share similar frustrations, a larger dispute is unfolding between major telcos in remote and regional Australia. Telstra — the country’s largest telecommunications provider — is under fire from rival Vodafone, which has accused it of misleading consumers for 15 years over the true extent of its mobile coverage.
External Antenna Controversy
Until recently, Telstra’s claim of covering 99.7% of the Australian population did not disclose that this figure relied on customers using external antennas. Vodafone alleges that omission misled customers and gave Telstra an unfair market advantage.
Telstra updated its website in May to clarify that the 3 million square kilometres of mobile coverage are based on the use of an external antenna. Yet, CEO Vicki Brady insists Telstra stands by its 99.7% population coverage claim.
“We revisited the data, ran more tests, and confirmed the coverage figures,” Ms Brady said during an investor day presentation in Sydney. “We provide 3 million square kilometres of coverage without requiring an external antenna.”
However, just days earlier, a Telstra spokesperson said the website update was made after Vodafone shared how it calculates its own coverage footprint.
Experts Warn of Misleading Messaging
Vodafone has formally requested that the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) investigate Telstra’s conduct.
Dr Mark Gregory, an associate professor at RMIT University, said Telstra’s statements and website information are inconsistent. “If you look at what the CEO said and then check the website, it’s confusing,” he said.
Dr Gregory added that while coverage maps may suggest signal availability, they don’t guarantee reliable service like voice calls or video chats. “What matters is whether the connection actually works,” he said.
Mounting Consumer Complaints
Kourahanis said that when he contacted Telstra, he was told the issue was due to “technical difficulties” that would be resolved — a promise made two years ago.
Ms Brady pointed out that Telstra customers are on month-to-month contracts and free to switch providers if unhappy with service. “We have the largest and best mobile network in the country,” she said.
But consumer advocacy group Ajust, which has received over 500 Telstra-related complaints in the past two years, paints a different picture.
“One in three complaints are about network and coverage,” said Ajust founder Tom Kaldor. “We’ve also seen a tenfold increase in visitors to our website seeking help with Telstra issues this year alone.”
He said many customers are paying premium prices for subpar service. “People are making decisions based on promises of coverage and speed. When those aren’t delivered, they’re overpaying.”
Kaldor added that for some, the impact is more than financial. “We spoke with a regional Queenslander who drives over 40 kilometres daily with no signal and a Western Australian who can’t reach his sick partner due to poor coverage.”
Calls for Oversight and Transparency
Vodafone is urging the ACCC to launch a formal investigation, while experts like Dr Gregory are calling for government investment in a system to independently verify the performance of Australia’s broadband and mobile networks.
“For over a decade, I’ve pushed for R&D funding to develop tools that measure real-world network performance,” said Dr Gregory. “Without that, we’ll continue facing the same patchy and unreliable telecommunications landscape we have today.”
