11 January 2007
Phone connection and fault repair remains strong
The Australian Communications and Media Authority’s (ACMA) Telecommunications Performance Data report for the September 2006 quarter, released today, showed strong performance from the industry in meeting new connection and fault repair standards, the Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, Senator Helen Coonan said.
The report demonstrates how AAPT, Optus, Primus and Telstra have complied with their Customer Service Guarantee (CSG) obligations. The CSG covers fixed phone services, particularly the time it takes to connect and repair telephone services.
“Telstra and other providers performed strongly in the September 2006 quarter. Telstra completed 96 per cent of its new service connections and 92 per cent of fault repairs within the timeframes set down by the CSG. Optus and AAPT completed 93 per cent and 97 per cent of their new service connections within the CSG timeframes respectively,” Senator Coonan said.
“ACMA considers any result of 90 per cent or more to be satisfactory. This report demonstrates that the telecommunications regulatory framework is delivering results to consumers.
“I am also pleased to see that the percentage of payphone faults cleared within three working days in remote areas has increased by two per cent since the June quarter.
“However, Telstra’s performance in repairing payphone faults in remote areas is still too low at 71 per cent. Given the importance of payphones in remote communities, including Indigenous communities, there needs to be significant improvement in fault repair timeframes. I will be seeking Telstra’s co-operation to ensure that repair performance can be significantly enhanced.”
More generally, the report shows Telstra’s payphone availability nationally was at 99 per cent, which is consistent with its June quarter results.
The Telecommunications Performance Data report is available on ACMA’s website, www.acma.gov.au
Media Contact: Katherine Meier
0417 441 141