Signal upgrades critical to save lives

Loxton apiarist Ian Cass suddenly turned anaphylactic and needed to call for help when attending to bees near Bugle Hut.

After being stung and losing consciousness he collapsed breaking two bones in his leg and permanently damaging two tendons.

"After a bit, I got onto my knees and tried the phone, no reception," he said.

"So I crawled to the car on my hands and knees and got right against the edge of my car because I knew if I got against the steel pane, that would get the best phone coverage - and my wife got the message after a couple of calls. But she couldn't hear me, I couldn't hear her, it was like (another language) but fortunately she could hear the panic in my voice.

"I was stuck there."

Mr Cass said when buying a top of the range phone that promised to receive the best signal, it should not require spending thousands of dollars more in add-ons, such as antennas and boosters to receive the signal.

"It's vitally important because, if you're driving through the middle of Ngarkat, there's no coverage - you are relying on someone pulling up on the side of the road to rescue you," he said.

Mr Cass is one of a number of primary producers telling their story of near-tragedies as phone service let people down, including a farmer in NSW who crawled one kilometre with a broken back to find service.

Federal Member for Barker Tony Pasin said a functional mobile phone service was no longer a luxury, it was a necessary business tool.

"In the case of regional communities, it is also a key piece of safety equipment," he said. "All Australians deserve access to fast and reliable telecommunications services, regardless of where they live.

"There are 399 mobile blackspots in Barker alone.

Mr Pasin said constituents complained daily about paying for a mobile phone service they were unable to use most of the time.

"I can confidently say it's the number one issue raised with me by constituents," he said.

He said they welcomed an additional $1.3b investment from the Coalition government to improve regional communications.

The Labor party has commitment to establish a Better Connectivity for Rural and Regional Australia Plan.

Telstra SA regional general manager Michael Patterson said they had significantly invested in delivering new 5G coverage across Australia, while their mobile network reached 99.5pc of the population.

"Telstra understands the challenges and opportunities that come from connecting communities across Australia," he said.

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"However, providing connectivity is not just a Telstra responsibility - it's a challenge that must be shared between federal, state and local governments and with communications companies such as the nbn and all mobile carriers.

"Co-investment partnerships between telcos and governments in activities such as the Mobile Blackspot Program are helping provide more opportunities for people to get online, participate in the digital economy and deliver improved connectivity."

He said there were many places with coverage gaps.

"This may be due to a range of factors including distance from the nearest base station, terrain (hills and valleys), tall trees or built infrastructure," he said.

"In some cases blackspot locations can be reduced by customers using an external aerial or a phone booster to improve coverage. If people are working or travelling in areas where they know there is no mobile coverage, it is always good to have a contingency plan in place, in case of an emergency."

He said where continuous connectivity was important and people were regularly working in an area of no coverage, a satellite phone would be a good option.

"In emergency situations where people are trying to call triple zero, if there is a working base station of any carrier within range, the call will go through, regardless of which provider they are with," he said.

An Optus spokesperson said regional communities demanded, and deserved, improved access, affordability and reliability from their telecommunications provider.

"Telecommunications services are vital during emergencies, and we integrate resilience into our network operations to ensure we can continue to help our customers stay safe, connected, and informed," they said.

They said Optus' 4G network covered 98.5pc of the Australian population.

"We are also participating in the Alternative Voice Services Trial agreement, leading the way in providing pioneering satellite voice technology with the Australian federal government to support rural and remote communities," they said.

"This trial showcases three Optus satellite services that will provide high quality, reliable voice and data services in rural and remote areas, comparable in quality to that of traditional copper wires."

National Farmers Federation chief executive officer Tony Mahar welcomed announcements by both major parties for improving coverage in the bush.

"We look forward to working with the next government to provide industry input into these investments, so they provide the best possible outcomes for our regions," he said.

He said the digital divide in the bush continued with a recent survey by the NFF finding a significant number of respondents reporting a decline in reliability of communications in the past 12 months.

"Reliable, affordable telecommunication and data access is as intrinsically linked to business, education, health services and lifestyle of regional and remote Australians as it is for urban Australians," he said.

"For agriculture, the opportunities are there to allow farming businesses to grow by taking advantage of the innovations in the agtech space but we need the connectivity to match."