Carlisle River resident Krystal May only has to drive a couple of kilometres from her home before she completely loses phone service.
“It’s a really big problem,” she told the Brolga. “Driving from Carlisle River to Colac, if you break down or you hit a kangaroo or you come across an emergency, you have no coverage.”
What’s going on: May’s experience is not unique. Since 3G networks across Australia were shut down in 2024, mobile blackspots and poor internet have plagued rural areas like Carlisle River.
The decision sparked a senate inquiry into the shutdown, raising concerns about Triple Zero access and the preparedness of rural and regional areas for the change.
The inquiry found the shutdown had not been managed properly and left Australians with no connectivity after gaps in 3G and 4G coverage were uncovered.
West Vic impacts: The issue was also raised during July’s parliamentary inquiry into the January bushfires, with the inquiry finding mobile blackspots affected firefighters’ ability to communicate during emergencies.
For locals like May, the need for better coverage was becoming increasingly urgent.
“I’m not sure whether more towers are the answer, or whether they’ve got any other kind of technology, but it definitely is a huge issue,” she said.
Problems for farmers: Victorian Farmer Federation vice president Scott Young, a sheep and crop farmer near Ballarat, said telecommunications was a growing concern for western Victorian farmers, ranking 11th in the organisation's recent survey of 1,100 farmers statewide.
“Since the change in 3G, 4G, 5G, we don't seem to be getting that same improvement that we'd probably expect from new technology going forward,” he told the Brolga.
Instead, it’s turned into an added responsibility, with more farmers installing satellite dishes, while others were turning to systems like Starlink to maintain a connection.
“What it has done has meant that farmers have had to invest in a lot of on-farming infrastructure and spend a lot of money to ensure that they've got reliable communication methods,” Young said.
What’s being done? Young said the VFF was in regular talks with telcos like Telstra to determine solutions.
“If you haven't got service, you can still connect to a satellite so you can still send text messages, so that you're not completely out of service,” he said.
“I think in the future they're looking at being able to do satellite phone calls through that as well, we're we're not there yet, but we're continuing to work with them and and listen to what they've got to say as to how far away that is, and we really encourage development of that, so that no matter where you are, you'll be able to get service in regional areas.”
The vice president said the upcoming election presented a prime opportunity for farmers to push “all sides of politics” for commitments to improve regional connectivity.