Bundeena / Maianbar Telecommunications Survey March 2015
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Bundeena / Maianbar
Telecommunications Survey
March 2015
Contents Summary ...........................................................................................................1 Background........................................................................................................2 Survey Methodology.......................................................................................... 2 Results ...............................................................................................................3 Landline Telephones ..............................................................................................................3 Internet...................................................................................................................................9 Mobile ..................................................................................................................................17 Questionnaire ..................................................................................................31
Summary
Bundeena and Maianbar are two relatively isolated communities on the southern fringe of
Sydney metropolitan area. The telecommunications services on which many residents rely
heavily for work, study and social purposes are unreliable and of generally poor quality. The
infrastructure is in poor condition, with the existing copper network reported to be badly
degraded.
In late 2014 problems with telecommunications services were compounded by the loss of the
submarine cable connecting Bundeena and Cronulla, causing sudden widespread disruption
to telecommunications for many local residents and businesses. Subsequent work on the
copper wire network has not returned services to an acceptable level.
Responding to community concerns, the Bundeena Maianbar Chamber of Commerce
conducted a community survey in February 2015 which found:
Service interruptions for landline phones and internet have been widespread, frequent
and prolonged
Most internet connections are via ADSL and are very slow (when they work at all).
Average reported speed on ADSL is around 3.25 Mbps
Many locals run their own business or work from home and there is a very high
degree of reliance on telecommunications services
There is widespread dissatisfaction with the quality and reliability of landline, mobile
and internet services
Mobile reception is generally very poor, particularly for customers of providers other
than Telstra
Most people (around 81%) support the building of a mobile tower in Bundeena or
Maianbar
The lack of mobile reception in and around the Bundeena area is also recognised as posing
significant public safety risks. Access to Bundeena or Maianbar by road involves a 24km
drive through bushland on poor quality, unlit roads – often at night and/or in poor weather.
Bundeena and the surrounding Royal National Park are also high bushfire risk areas which
attract thousands of visitors per day during the summer months.
1
Background
Bundeena and Maianbar are two small communities in the south of Sydney, bordered by Port
Hacking to the north and surrounded by the Royal National Park on all other sides. In the
2011 census the population of Bundeena was 1,894 and Maianbar’s was 523 (Census of
Population and Housing, 2011)1. Despite being part of the Sydney metropolitan area these
two villages are relatively isolated, with the only means of access being a 20-minute ferry trip
from Cronulla or a 30-minute drive from Sutherland or Waterfall. Functionally, in terms of
provision of basic services (water, electricity, sewerage, landlines), Bundeena and Maianbar
can be considered to be on an island.
The two communities are also very poorly served in relation to telecommunications
infrastructure. Landline services are unreliable and prone to frequent and prolonged outages,
mobile reception is poor or non-existent and internet speeds are extremely slow.
In part because of relatively long travel times to other parts of the Sydney region, many
residents run their own home-based businesses or work from home for their employer and
rely heavily on phone and internet services to make this possible.
In July or August 2014 the submarine cable linking Bundeena to Cronulla was badly
damaged, resulting in large parts of Bundeena being without telephone and/or internet
services for periods of up to several months. Telstra have not repaired the cable, but have
instead installed two additional top hats to service Telstra customers only. Telstra has also
indicated that it has no plans to upgrade the decaying and fault-prone copper network in the
local area. Service problems continue to be frequent and many residents (including Telstra
customers) report that internet speeds have worsened.
In February 2015, in response to increasing community distress, the Bundeena Maianbar
Chamber of Commerce conducted a community survey to quantify the nature and extent of
telecommunications problems in the local community.
Survey Methodology
A copy of the Bundeena Maianbar Chamber of Commerce telecommunications questionnaire
was distributed via letterbox delivery to every residence in Bundeena and Maianbar –
approximately 1,000 households in total. An online version of the questionnaire was placed
on Survey Monkey. A total of 197 responses were received (117 online and 80 in hard copy)
giving an overall response rate of approximately 20%.
1
http://www.abs.gov.au/census
2
Results
Landline Telephones
176 survey respondents (89%) have landline telephones. Of these, about two thirds (65%) are
Telstra customers.
The vast majority (96%) of households with a landline service have been with their current
provider for 12 months or longer.
Many residents rely on their landline telephone for work, study and medical alert systems.
For example, almost a third (32%) of all respondents indicated that they rely on their landline
telephone to run their own business.
In the 12 month period leading up to the date of the survey 134 respondents (68%) reported
having experienced at least one service interruption. The overall average was 4.1 occasions.
Number of times service interrupted
Service Provider Respondents Minimum Maximum Average
3
Number of times service interrupted
Service Provider Respondents Minimum Maximum Average
Optus 17 1 10 3.4
Telstra 46 1 36 4.5
Other 10 1 10 3.2
All 73 1 36 4.1
The average estimated number of days without a working telephone service was 23 days.
Number of days without service
Service Provider Respondents Minimum Maximum Average
Optus 17 2 200 36.8
Telstra 44 1 90 18.7
Other 11 2 120 19.7
All 72 1 200 23.0
The majority of the reported service interruptions are likely to be associated with the loss of
the submarine cable. According to the office of Sharon Bird2 (Federal MP for Cunningham
which includes Bundeena and Maianbar), Telstra have indicated that they do not intend to
replace the damaged submarine cable but instead claim that the current level of infrastructure
is being managed to its optimum. If this is so, the responses in this survey clearly indicate
that the network’s optimum performance is well below acceptable levels.
Overall, 41% of respondents who have a landline telephone service are satisfied with its
reliability, compared to 49% who are dissatisfied.
Respondents are slightly more positive about the call sound quality of their landline
telephone service:
2
Phone call on 26 March 2015
4
Respondents were invited to make general comments on their landline telephone service.
Most of these focused on service problems:
After rain there is static sounds which make incoming and outgoing conversations
hard to hear
NEED TO HAVE VOLUME UP HIGH
I work from home and have to interview people and I really struggle on the landline
to be understood and to understand people. Quite unprofessional to have to ask an
interviewee ... can you hear me?
We very rarely use our landline and only have it for internet WIFI connection. Would
be happy to get rid of it if possible.
Telstra fault call centre is impossible - diverted to Philippines - limited English. I
have a Telstra manhole just outside my front yard which is a pit in earth. It is
constantly covered over by dirt in a heavy rain and fills with water and interrupts the
phone line service. They frequently can't find it and dig up the grass all around the
area.
My main complaint is that when I lost service I received a text message proudly
undertaking to have it fixed within 30 days. It took 29 days. I don't call this "service"
This is very hard to estimate. There are periods for days on end without phone
service.
It had been very reliable up until last year
Impossible to get any information from Telstra on cause of disruption or estimated fix
time - this is just as frustrating as not having the service.
Was previously with Telstra and had similar good telephone service
Terrible service and interruptions over many years
Service is OK, but drops in & out in the middle of a call often
Problems in the last 12 months have been with internet (ADSL) via the landline, the
telephone was ok. Took a few weeks to get fixed. Have had phone line problems
5
previously when with Telstra and they also took up to 2 weeks to fix. Have been told
by technicians that local lines are very degraded and a mess of 'patch-ups'.
We have no phone services for 2 out of 3 days in the worst periods. At times it takes
months for a proper solution to be given. Then we may have a phone service working
properly for a few months. Problems vary from dangling wires off power poles,
communications boxes not locked (allowing to be opened and tampered with), water
on the line, etc etc etc etc.
We had water in the street phone box about 7yrs ago that took out service for approx
3 days - "remote area" they said. otherwise landline all good
Too long to get technician to attend property during problems
Landline service is ok. Mobile service is appalling. Almost no reception most of the
time.
When the phone line is working the ADSL performance is very poor or not working.
When we complained about the ADSL the repair has resulted in PHONE performance
to be very poor or not working. ADSL has priority in our household so we do not
complain now even though the fixed telephone line is currently not working.
the telephone line is unclear. It is not the handset, as I have bought and tried a
number of different handsets. Apparently it is the quality of the line, and we are at the
end of the line.
I answered 'dissatisfied' above because of reliability issues. At the moment the line is
fine, but when it goes crackly for days/ weeks on end or cuts off altogether I'm very
dissatisfied.
The problem is always external to house and is a Telstra supply issue
when we had no landline service we were told many different things about what the
problem was & how long before it would be fixed.... no one seemed to be able to give
an accurate estimation
Ongoing random phone line outages as well as being affected by submarine cable
incident for 2 months. Sometimes after heavy rain our line in the street pit becomes
affected. Optus have been accommodating and credited our account when request to
assist. Poor ADSL speeds well below other areas of Sydney. The new top hats to the
Telstra infrastructure only increases speeds for Telstra customers not other providers.
It took Telstra 2 weeks to send a technician to fix our phone line. Unacceptable. And
no compensation payable because a mass service disruption was declared for
somewhere else in Australia.
At times our home line has been very crackly.
we have had many problems with our phone and internet service, with many calls
outs. Currently, the quality on the landline is poor, and the internet is slow
Since the service fault was fixed in mid January we have had much better service, so
the poor rating above is mostly for before then. We tried to get in touch with Telstra
to fix our service and they kept telling us they had fixed the problem, but they hadn't.
It was only when we got onto the local area manager (thanks to some help from
Bundeena chamber of commerce) that something actually happened for it to get fixed.
My partner also had to call Telstra from his work in the city and was on hold for
6
seriously long times, and then he was put onto someone who would tell him (in a few
different calls) it was all fixed (but it wasn't). As our mobile service was also very
limited, I couldn't call from mobile in Bundeena. Not impressed! We were, however,
grateful to the technician who did in fact come to fix our problem properly. He came
out of hours, and said he was worried that we were going to 'attack' him, as he said
everybody else was doing that. Instead, I gave him a cold glass of water and thanked
him. I think people should keep it in mind that it's not his fault. Our line was out of
action for phone and Internet for about two weeks that time.
The internet speed is quite inadequate. In the past two years we have lost voice for 2-
3 weeks, and ADSL for about 3 weeks. Both were the result of failure in the old
copper wires between our house and the local node!
I think the number of times the landline has been interrupted and the length of time it
has been interrupted is totally unacceptable for the money I pay for the privilege of
having Telstra as my provider. I have heard of Telstra customers in
Bundeena/Maianbar who were given large discounts on their bills because of these
interruptions...unfortunately not all customers received these discounts. This seems
totally unjust - all customers ought to have received a discount off their bills
automatically!
Broadband service is crap due to bad line
It took 4 weeks for a technician from Telstra to reconnect my landline which is quite
an unacceptable waiting time.
Lots of noises, clicks and occasionally interruptions by Muzak
stuck with a landline because there is no mobile coverage here
We have not been affected by the problems that others have had recently. I had a
slowing of the Internet last week but it was fixed efficiently by help from a Telstra tech
support person.
We're intending to change providers in the near future
It's the worst, I’ve had problems for five year
Biggest gripe for me is internet speeds. So slow, Skype can't cope.
Every time it rains the access is cut for several days while the lines dry out. Atrocious
broadband service coupled with bad customer service. No NBN in the foreseeable
future, as we are deemed to be ADSL 2+ area .... please. No one in Bundeena gets
ADSL 2+ connection speed or through put.
When we first got it connected to the Simpson Road address we had issues with the
line dropping out and the sound quality - a techie came and pointed out that the
copper wiring was way overdue to be replaced but he doubted they would do it just
for 2/3 houses
The crackling on the line is terrible so much so that we can't use the phone. My real
answer is that we have had 8 years without a useable service.
Telstra service leaves a lot to be desired. I had to fight for a credit on my account for
the time I had no phone or internet. Telstra said my equipment was at fault when half
of Bundeena was offline.
7
We only use our landline to provide us with internet, and don't actually have a phone
connected to it. Mobile phone reception is disgraceful though
Our service providers service is fine - the problem is due to Telstra's infrastructure
Periodic occurrences where there is no landline available.
Provider is iiNet, but Telstra provides the wires.
Telstra continued with false information to our service provider Optus that the phone
problems were internal. On the last occasion Telstra snapped our external phone line
and hid the broken wiring under the house eave! Our son reconnected the phone
wiring on 15 December 2014!
All ok
I am so sick of calling Telstra to complain and the hours I have spent on the phone to
them over the last 4 years. Usually when it rains heavily our landline would go then
the internet. So frustrating. I think 5 times each year for a week plus major problems
last year.
it is a waste of time calling telecoms help desk to complain as it is located in Manilla
(Philippines) and the fault never gets proper follow up
I run a business from home and need reliable service. To have no phone/internet for 3
weeks was a joke
there is often a background crackle on the line. Prior to this year we had constant
problems with the quality and reliability
feeling very frustrated. Why can't it be fixed properly and permanently instead of
lasting for 3-4 weeks
landline is crackly due to connecting cable in old rusted conduit
some numbers the call just drops out and always charges involved
apart from submarine cable issues - generally ok
can't ring out on one of two phones
we lose our telephone and internet often. Telstra is the only network to work in the
RNP
often very crackly and other end cannot hear all the words
we use our landline for VoIP internet only so never use the telephone or landline
they gave us a $50 credit so we took that and have now disconnected the service
because of bad service and line rental costs
get it fixed!
have just changed from Optus to Telstra. Had called the ombudsman to fix up mess
telephone service is now improved after much complaint to Telstra and TIO some
years ago. The TIO arrange a refund of money due to problems
there have been a few occasions when the line has dropped out, but do not know if it
was 'us' or 'them'
8 constant issues. Will work fine for a while then back to having issues. Been like that
forever
need better information on repair times and problems
due to lack of mobile coverage being without landline is incredibly risky especially
with small children living on the bush
very annoying to have provider suggest it's the phone that's the problem when it's a
provider issue.
when the landline went out Telstra did not seem to have current advice we would be
off for a month. Hopeless
cannot get phone, internet and Foxtel working all at once
Needed to go to TIO to get problems sorted. We use landline for business and
disruptions caused major issues for us
Telco's are obviously not communicating to one another as Optus does not know
about (or wants to listen about) problems most people experience at some time
especially when weather interrupts town service.
Whilst waiting for Telstra service they said that landline calls would be transferred to
a mobile. This did not occur for all calls.
We hardly use the landline
sound quality poorer (crackles) at times ie like when it rains
Our landline doesn't work and hasn't done for a couple of years. We only use mobiles
as I was sick of technicians visiting and not solving. Also it is easier without as no
more constant wrong numbers. Our number as one digit different to a Cronulla
restaurant - A nightmare!
Our service is VOIP so when we have interruptions to one service it is to both
Internet
94% of survey respondents reported having internet access at home. Not surprisingly for a
relatively geographically isolated area, a very large proportion of those with internet access
depend on it for running their own business (39%), working from home for an employer
(36%) or for study (44%).
9Due to a production mistake, the hard copy version of the questionnaire did not include the
question about the respondent’s internet connection type. As a result this information is
missing for 77 responses. 70 of these indicated that they do have an internet connection, but
39 did not provide details of their connection speed (perhaps because they had no internet
access at the time of the survey?). Incomplete responses have been excluded from the
analysis that follows, but it can reasonably be assumed that the results based on the remaining
data are a fair representation of the overall picture.
Of the 104 responses to this question entered via Survey Monkey 92 (88%) nominated ADSL
as the connection type.
The average ADSL connection speed is 3.25 Mbps3. This compares very poorly with average
ADSL speeds for Australia as a whole (7.78)4.
3 Respondents were asked to use the ZDNet broadband speed test at www.zdnet.com/broadband-speedtest to
measure their connection speed. Responses which reported ADSL speeds in excess of 20 Mbps (ie. higher than
the theoretical maximum ADSL speed) have been excluded from the analysis.
4
ZDNet speed test comparative data (www.zdnet.com/broadband-speedtest)
10Speed (Mbps)
Connection Type Responses Minimum Maximum Average
3G/4G (via mobile phone) 3 12.00 12.00 12.00
ADSL 85 0 16.25 3.25
Cable 1 1.92 1.92 1.92
Other 6 2.99 50.00 23.35
Satellite 2 1.94 17.89 9.91
All 97 0 50.00 4.80
Poor ADSL performance in Bundeena and Maianbar is a product of the combination of the
long distance to the nearest exchange (in Cronulla) and the poor state of repair of the local
copper wire network, neither of which are likely to improve in the foreseeable future. The
fact that residents stick with ADSL despite its poor performance reflects a real lack of viable
alternatives. As detailed later in this report, 4G wireless internet is not an option for many
residents due to extremely poor reception.
Overall, only 15% of respondents were satisfied with the speed of their internet connection.
19% were neutral, while 67% were either dissatisfied (35%) or very dissatisfied (32%). No
service provider had a net positive rating:
The two questions regarding the frequency and duration of interruptions to internet services
were accidently excluded from the online version of the survey. Of the 80 responses
completed on the hard copy questionnaire, 70 had internet access and 64 of these had
experienced a disruption to their service in the last 12 months. On average, these respondents
experienced 4.8 service interruptions in the previous 12 months. The average time without
internet service during this period was 22.8 days.
11Days without Internet Service in last 12 months
Service Provider Responses Minimum Maximum Average
Not Specified 5 1 21 8.00
iiNet 8 2 30 11.82
iPrimus 1 2 42 12.80
Optus 17 2 200 37.07
Telstra 29 1 90 22.25
TPG 5 2 120 25.63
Vodaphone 0 6 6 6.00
Other 7 1 25 9.11
All 72 1 200 22.84
Perhaps not surprisingly, almost two thirds (63%) of respondents are either dissatisfied or
very dissatisfied with the reliability of their internet connection.
Comments:
The extent of the difficulties experienced by respondents can also be inferred from the
quantity of comments on this issue.
broadband is slow; ADSL2 cannot be delivered. Broadband is always vulnerable
during prolonged periods of rain.
Have had a few times (at least 3 times) without internet service for a good period of
time
It is generally OK but my service provider Telstra has the slowest speed. Their
websites are faster, eg. Outlook and Facebook et al.
Occasionally goes down, once for 3 days
12 My internet is on a different line to my home phone and I have had a lot of reliability
problems over the last 5 or 6 years. The last disruption resulted in me having to
purchase a new modem at my own expense.
Download is fast, upload is very slow
Also have Optus mobile phone and dongle -useless
There would be no internet/telephone service on this street if the repair patches
weren't blending together. I pay for ADSL, yet only get dial-up speeds because of the
pathetic network in Bundeena.
SHOCKING SHOCKING SERVICE IN CAPITAL LETTERS
The service is absolutely dreadful, it is slow and drops out constantly. I don't have a
landline as it is so crackly when you try to answer it is a waste of time
When I lost my phone line I was forced to purchase a pre-paid 4G pocket modem for
around $100.00 as my wife required internet for her job. The download speed was
close to 10.0Mbps much better than the landline, however the cost of data was
exorbitant compared to ADSL and the other thing that annoyed me was that you could
only pre-purchase in blocks which expired after one month, making it an impractical
backup option.
Typically, I need to unplug my landline phone to get internet access.
It makes me want to cry. I work part time from home and I estimate it takes me three
times longer to get things done because of my poor internet service. Because my home
phone is not a registered business line I was unable to get any compensation for time
and money lost during recent service outages in September 2014. Our mobile
reception is also very poor so we can at times be left with no way to communicate
with the outside world. It is worrying if an emergency should occur - and ridiculous
to have to worry about that in these modern times.
Speed is too slow for contemporary life and for use for home based business.
Most days it is OK, other days the service is poor or will not connect for some hours.
I also have a Mobile WiFi Pocket modem this is also very ON & OFF service (put a
tower in Bundeena/Maianbar)
Our connection sometimes drops out or goes very slow
The line is very slow, we can just about manage iView but it drops out frequently.
Problems in the last 12 months have been with internet (ADSL) via the landline, the
telephone was ok but internet constantly dropping. Took a few weeks to get fixed.
Have had phone line problems previously when with Telstra and they also took up to
2 weeks to fix. Have been told by technicians that local lines are very degraded and a
mess of 'patch-ups'.
Intermittent regarding connection
A better question would be "Should you have internet access at home" - Answer Yes.
But we do NOT have access at home. When the internet is working we may get
1.8Mb/s. The best is 2.39Mb/s. I understand the limitations for ADSL and how the
speed will drop with distance. There is no reason that we cannot have a stable 3Mb/s
at my house (this is available at my distance)
13 We are "weekenders" and use a Telstra mobile broadband device. Internet is up and
down and sometimes weather dependent.
Over the past 7 years our whole household feels that the speed is getting worse. We
used to get 12 mbps. Now it is really annoying to even stream YouTube.
Woeful. Frustrating. Drops out frequently, sluggish, and renders smart TVs effectively
useless.
We can't stream without interruptions. Sometimes many freezes within a short
YouTube or other video. We often have difficulty watching iView, SBS On Demand is
even worse - I have given up trying to watch SBS online. Slow and jerky video with
out-of-sync audio.
speed is adequate for what we use it for but probably too slow for streaming, provider
is dodo via Telstra Bigpond
I am a business coach. I call clients using Skype. Often I have to use my back-up
Telstra USB dongle which is satellite run, to make my calls. Often I will be on a Skype
call and the internet drops out. I used to coach from Bundeena in 2007-2010 and the
system was highly reliable. I moved away for 3 years and returned working from
Bundeena since 2013-2015. Since then the internet service has been noticeably poorer
and regularly unusable.
Constantly drops out completely, very frustrating in terms of working from home in a
home business, Has been significantly worse in the last 12 months
I keep having usage spiking problems and Telstra is no help in fixing this. I am also
forced to pay more to access internet using mobile broadband as I have no access to a
telephone line and therefore ADSL. My internet costs me a lot more for a lot less.
The speed has vastly improved in the last month. Previously we'd get a max of 3mbps,
getting down to 0.5 Mbps. Now getting up to 15 Mbps, but it's not consistent. So
pleased about the recent improvement, but not confident it's here to stay.
Given our proximity to the largest city in Australia this is pretty pathetic!!
Checked speed using 3G mobile wifi as currently have no connections. The internet
service is generally reliable and I only lose it when phone lines go down. Though
compared to other parts of Sydney it is very slow.
Today it is actually going faster than most times (usually used more in evenings). We
pay for a service we simply don't get!
Poor ADSL speeds well below other areas of Sydney. The new top hats to the Telstra
infrastructure in Bundeena only increase speeds for Telstra customers not other
providers.
The service provider (Internode) have always given us excellent service but they are
at the mercy of the poor status of the infrastructure. They tell us that they have not
been able to convince the network provider (Telstra?) that the problems are NOT on
our property but are somewhere between us and the exchange.
In the past 12 months we have been without Internet for over 8 weeks total. Although
we were able to hot spot our phone to gain access to the Internet it was a very
frustrating process. Our total number of calls to Telstra during these periods would
14have been well into the double figures and took a long time to rectify. Often being
given the wrong information.
It is a bit iffy as is the mobile service
not up to speed most days. have to reboot regularly
the speed tests vary a LOT. But often has been super slow. Tonight it is 5.8.
The service has been getting progressively worse....we used to get in the 2.1-2.3 range
now we often get 1.4
my technical speed is not great but in reality it is much slower and some evenings is
so slow it is useless and downloading videos or watching a program is impossible
attempts to get ADSL 2 have been fruitless despite paying for a business ADSL 2
package
tis a little slow
For the money I pay for Telstra to be my provider I believe it is totally unacceptable
that the service has been interrupted as often as it has and for long as it has and no
compensation has been offered!
It's crap but the ISP is good - The line is the problem
Internet is slow and stops. We've complained to TPG and they say it's the line and
Telstra do not doing anything as we are not with Big Pond. We used to be with Big
Pond but it was worse.
WE are paying for a bundle of 200G and have never been able to use more than about
10 - 20 % of that amount due to the woeful download speed - That ends up being a lot
of money for a service we aren't really getting.
Not only is the broadband speed very slow, but it receives interruptions regularly.
When I have queried Optus, they say this is due to the line, and that they are planning
to make repairs on it (within the last few months....) UNACCEPTABLE FOR A FULL-
PRICE SERVICE PRODUCT.
Our internet cuts out constantly. It is also terribly slow. In order for me to put a
customers order into MYOB and the warehouse it takes about 20 mins. I can do it in 2
minutes in our CBD apartment. It is so bad it is a nightmare for me to run my
business.
At present satisfied
It is off as often as it is off. When there are problems, no one can tell you why. I spend
more time on the mobile phone trying to sort out issues, only to get long wait times for
the problem to be attended to and never one answer.
Again the issues are due to Telstra's infrastructure and nothing to do with our internet
service provider
Extremely slow and at times unusable. I have had repeated discussions with Optus. Re
booting, change of modem, change of settings does not resolve the issue. Optus admit
we are the furthest from the exchange Ned they can do nothing.
We would like an option other than a wireless modem as we have only 15 Gig per
month, otherwise it is ridiculously expensive. We regularly run out of data and have
15to turn the modem off for about 1 week each month. We really want the NBN fixed
fibre service and are happy to get a landline to use it.
After complaints over years, a tech came to site and measured back to the exchange.
Problem is length of run, made worse by change of wire gauge at junction between
underwater and land cables. With iiNet as provider, Telstra won't talk to me, but
Telstra owns the problem hardware.
Appears Telstra phone line is inadequate. Especially seems to occur more regularly
in wet or humid conditions
lose reception when planes fly over or near
all ok - bit slow at 10.30-12pm
It's slow most days - afternoons and nights
At least Telstra give you credits for lack of service
my Bigpond internet is bundled with my voice telephone but it's unreliable
our internet has often been unreliable and slow and drops out for no apparent reason.
It has affected our son’s access to online university tutorials and is generally
problematic. Recent work on the lines has improved it somewhat
loss of service high and restrict usage
it was working a lot faster last time it was fixed
our internet provider has been very good. Helpful, available. Issues we had
originated with internet - landline outage due to underwater cable problems
some days ok, others very erratic in connection speeds
we live in Sydney not Antarctica
Telstra is the only service provider who can promise me internet access, otherwise I'd
use another carrier
satisfied
tried to get wifi but would not work in our house
at this part of Beachcomber Ave you cannot have ADSL broadband because houses
share cable therefore I have to wifi.
we need NBN (optic fibre from exchange to home) asap
the speed is very slow and regularly drops
wireless broadband
get it fixed!
have based answers on old Optus service however appears interviewee now has
Telstra
we have made enquiries to Optus to be our new service provider but they have
declined as in our location they cannot guarantee ADSL 2. [One email account] has
no email service for the next 5 days or possibly 10-14 days before email problems
resolved. Also multiple duplicate emails. 40 minutes on phone trying to resolve
16problem. Internet OK. [Other email account] has intermittent email disruption,
multiple duplicate emails.
slow
when it's up it's good. When it's down it's useless
up until the issue with the submarine cable we were very happy customers, now not
even fast enough to stream services such as stan.
can't live without it
in this modern age to lose the internet mean all work and bill paying / advice /
notification comes to a halt - no replacement offers!
Access slow
Internet service is not reliable at all times
I also have mobile 4G. Compared to this service ADSL is painstakingly slow.
Transactions that take 2 seconds on 4G can take 5 minutes. Last night I could not
access
Internet service in Bundeena is horrible. Service is down 3-4 times daily. We run a
charity and rely on the web. Service drops in and out every day
Unreliable service. Reluctant to address problems, Philippines call centre unable to
fix problems.
ADSL is so outdated. I had cable in the USA and that was ten years ago!!
I don't know if the speed problems are provider related. I have had lots of problems
lately
Too slow
Cancelled internet with Telstra after many years of unreliable reception and service
Very happy [with speed of internet connection]
We support the rollout of NBN. The ADSL2 speeds here are so bad they affect our
capacity to work at home
Mobile
There is no mobile tower in Bundeena or Maianbar. Distances from local residences to the
nearest mobile tower (Ewos Parade, Cronulla for Bundeena and Port Hacking Rd, Dolans
Bay for Maianbar) range from approximately 2.15km to 3.2km.
17Nearest mobile towers
Mobile reception in residential areas is generally poor and in some areas non-existent. Even
so, many residents are forced to rely on mobile phones for calls and internet access because
their landline services are frequently interrupted and ADSL performance is poor.
98% of survey respondents have a mobile phone. 33% of all respondents rely on a mobile
phone as part of running their own business, and 31% for working from home for an
employer:
1854% of respondents with a mobile phone rate their reception at home as either poor or very
poor. Telstra customers are significantly more satisfied with mobile reception than customers
of other providers.
45% of respondents rate their mobile call quality at home as either poor or very poor. Again,
Telstra customers are the most satisfied with call quality.
1960% of respondents rate their data transfer speeds as either poor or very poor. Telstra
customers were the only group to be (slightly) more positive than negative about data speeds.
In addition to the resident population of approximately 2,500 people, busy summer days can
see an influx of between 2,000 and 3,000 visitors to Bundeena/Maianbar and the adjacent
beaches. Many thousands more are day visitors to the surrounding Royal National Park. This
area is extremely bushfire-prone. Bundeena and Maianbar are connected to the outside world
by a single road, as are the other major tourist destinations of Audley, Wattamolla and Garie.
In times of bushfire these roads are often cut, potentially trapping thousands of people in the
Royal National Park without any means of communication. This is a significant public safety
risk.
Residents have to drive at least 26km through the Royal National Park to go to work, go
shopping or visit friends or family. Many work and social trips involve driving through the
bush at night on poorly maintained, unlit roads which are crossed by large animals such as
deer and wallabies. In bad weather this trip is even more hazardous. Accidents and
breakdowns are frequent. With most parts of the Royal National Park having no mobile
reception, people injured in motor vehicle accidents or stranded by breakdowns may be a
20long way from help and with no means of communication.
When mobile phones first became available the network was analog and only the deepest part
of the valleys in Royal National Park did not have mobile coverage. Since the switch was
made to digital, with promises that services would improve over time, there has never
actually been a time when mobile coverage has approached the level of service that was
available under analog. This is due to lack of mobile phone towers covering the areas. Line of
sight is much more critical with digital networks and a lack of towers plus hilly terrain in
places means many more ‘dark’ areas.
When landlines go out, Telstra has offered to divert incoming landline calls to a mobile
phone within the household, as a means to keep people in communication. However, with
many households having limited mobile reception, this causes more problems than it solves
with calls dropping out or simply not being received at all. It is not a viable solution for many
people in these two communities but this does not appear to be acknowledged by Telstra. It is
also not a viable option for those using back-to-base medical alarm systems.
Comments:
Bundeena and through the National Park is a bad area for reception
I have had to get a home zone device to boost the signal in my home, since I can’t get
any service at all without it. But the device is not very reliable and goes out for hours
at a time.
I am in a mobile black spot with very poor 4G connection only get 3G.
At home it is fine but in dead areas in Bundeena it is a severe problem
I do not have reception everywhere inside my house - all services cut out in places
Very patchy and not good all over Bundeena. In the park (Bundeena Rd and Sir
Bertram's drive) there is a wide dead patch between Maianbar and Audley. This is not
just an issue for residents but also for visitors and potentially a safety issue with the
many walks/trails around the suburb.
Forced to use the most expensive provider because only Telstra has reception.
Also have an Optus phone - very poor
Vodafone promised a tower in Bundeena within 12 months. That was 4 years ago.
Better than the opposition but still hit and miss
it is near impossible to complete a conversation. At times the phone dings to let you
know there is a missed call and the phone doesn't even ring. I feel like I am in a third
world country with this service.
there is no service in parts of Bundeena and also along the road through the national
park, and given the number of accidents in the park this is a real safety issue
I need to retain, and pay for, my landline service only because of the poor mobile
service
If we do not stand in one particular square metre of our house, then we have no
mobile reception - alternatively we can walk out our driveway and stand on the street
21- sometimes it works then. If we leave that one room with our mobile phones then we
miss calls and messages that sometimes don't register for days. Very frustrating!
no mobile reception in the house.
Mobile service is very poor, it is very common to have to call back 2-4 times in one
call because cell drops out
Our provider uses the Optus network
Mobile reception is consistent, but not fast.
When I moved to Bundeena 3G was new and little used. I also had reception right
through my house except for one area. Now we get below 1Mb/s, calls cut out and
there are 2 locations I could position my mobile to make a phone call - if I were to
move the phone by centimetres then it will cut out.
performance varies depending which part of the house you are in.
Messages do get through - in and out often, calls break up or go dead all the time.
Cannot rely on it and have to continually follow up or use another medium to
communicate
we have Telstra and Optus. Optus is useless and is rarely able to connect even for
SMS. Telstra is heaps better.
Our mobiles are pretty useless at home. Most of the time we have zero reception.
Sometimes SMS works but messages are often received long after they were sent -
sometimes several hours later. Not good if there should be an emergency.
provider is Dodo via Optus, sound quality and reception is patchy even inside my
house with clear line of sight to Cronulla and very poor in Bundeena generally and
close to zero in the park.
Reception at my home is good for locations OUTSIDE Bundeena. Within Bundeena it
is worse than very poor and totally unreliable. I am housebound and rely on my
landline phone. If it malfunctions I can't depend on mobile communications for local
help.
The phone only works standing in one spot on the deck outside the house. I am unable
to receive or make any calls from inside the house. I can sometimes receive and make
text messages - have one bar in some parts of the house.
Basically can't use it at home.
It's ok to good in most places, but terrible to non-existent in others. It's intermittent
within my house.
Again, given our proximity to the centre of the largest city in Australia this is pretty
pathetic!!
Can only get connection in some parts of house.
it drops out all the time. useless and not worth having. I text and hope that will get
through
virtually no reception in or around my home. I want the option to consider dumping
my landline and only use my mobile but I can’t consider that option.
My mobile phone is almost unusable at home.
22 We also have a mobile hotspot (G4 modem) that uses the Optus network. Telstra
mobile is poor anywhere in town but Optus is even worse with many areas where
connection is not possible at all.
works in certain part of house only.
The service in Bundeena is not as good as other places.
seem to get a lot of messages a long time after they have been sent
Might need to change providers if I want to stay living here long term! Terrible
service.
Calls usually cannot be made by mobile from the house
reception is patchy and prone to drop out just by moving around the house
Many other people have difficulties. We are not able to connect with a number of
areas in Bundeena
Reception/service intermittent when in lower parts of Bundeena, e.g. Bundeena Drive,
Brighton St
The same as I have said before about the landline and internet - poor service and
customer care!
It's crap
Reception in Bombora Avenue is totally unreliable, with strength of reception
changing every second!
Voice reception is very poor to lousy, Using MMS is only possible by standing in the
middle of the street, SMS works best but is also "delayed".
no service at home
Reception is exceptionally poor.
Terrible in Park and no reception in RNP and certain parts of B&M. This is a
constant concern, and getting worse with increased traffic and visitors.
Lucky to get a single bar on iPhone 4 or iPhone 5.
The broadband may be slow, but it is usable - WHERE I LIVE THE MOBILE IS
TOTALLY UNUSABLE. The reception is at best 1 bar, and frequently drops out. I am
at the far end of Bundeena, near the coastal walk start - it really needs a tower at this
end - desperately...
What more can I say but very poor. You feel like you have won the lottery if you can
answer a call and hear the person on the other end.
The mobile reception is disgraceful in our area. I recently travelled to Vietnam and
drove through a NP there much larger than the Royal NP, and had full strength 3G
service the whole time. We didn't drive through any villages or towns for miles. The
fact much of the area doesn't have mobile reception is also a danger, with the amount
of activities that can be done in the area.
To get one bar we have to have our phones in one corner of the house and not move
them.
23 We only have mobiles, no landline currently so we rely on our mobiles to
communicate with friends and family. It would be much more reassuring if reception
was better. Data throughput is determined by location and varies within a few metres.
This is massively frustrating.
Mobiles are virtually unusable for conversations at home (inside and out), with SMS
only sent/received in a few spots. We also have iiNet mobiles, with same lack of
reception.
Lucky to get 1 bar when making calls. Also quite variable.
Telstra mobile costs extremely expensive especially when we had to ring Optus that
we had no home line. Optus would not give us a direct number. We would be on hold
for one hour where we would be diverted via India and Melbourne.
unreliable reception
While on a walk I chatted to Telstra mechanic during 'big issues'. He told me they
were putting a 'top hat' exchange but that optic fibre technology in the 'top hat' was
only available to Telstra customers due to loophole in the law which allows this
monopoly. If true, very annoying as the rest get stuck with underwater cable.
I don’t get reception inside the house - only near certain windows.
Black spots as drive through RNP between Bundeena and Audley.
thank goodness this reception works or we would be totally out of communication.
coverage of roads in the RNP is completely inadequate. Additional solar powered cell
sites should be installed on Maianbar road at the water reservoir, Garie turn off and
Otford.
no reception in most areas of my house.
quite often our signal drops out and there are dead spots in reception on our
property. Mobile phone reception is very patchy.
used principally for urgent calls (doctor, police, breakdown) when in the RNP.
pitiful that is doesn’t work most of the way to Sutherland.
at times no service at all in the house. At best reception is restricted to a small area of
the house.
doesn’t work in house only out on the street.
I have to wait until I get to work to make calls.
some days reception is better than others.
reception in the home and beachfront is great. Reception in Horderns Lane outside
my house is zero.
I cannot make or receive mobile calls at home. I can receive texts but usually have to
walk down the street to send.
I can't make or receive calls inside the home.
no answers given but have responded that no service to house.
often drops out or doesn’t work at all in the RNP.
24 the sound sometimes has a distortion and we need to call again.
get it fixed!
not good in car via bluetooth inbuilt system due to aerial behind in rear window - we
need 1 or 2 more towers.
I have swapped to Telstra now.
cuts out during conversations.
it's the location of home.
no mobile issues to date with Telstra.
knew there was bad reception when we moved in so ensured we had a landline.
average cover - limited to and from home on Bundeena Rd - bad if there is an
accident.
mobile reception ok at home but non-existent in many other parts/houses in Bundeena
and RNP.
We use home internet for mobile devices through WIFI connection.
There is no mobile service through the Royal National Park.
No service when traveling through the park.
Poor reception. When ADSL down can’t use data or phone.
Almost zero mobile phone service. Have to go outside and stand in the street to get
any reception.
Mobile does not work in downstairs office.
(Use TPG) We are low on the street, in the gully, so reception is very bad at home. I
have to call people back on the home line.
We were given a signal booster by Optus which helped signal a little but not much.
very poor 4G mobile reception.
I am in a mobile phone black spot. Very hard to get reception for my mobile. Can get
3G sometimes but rarely 4G service.
In 2013 a feasibility study for a mobile tower in Bundeena identified the area behind the
Bowling Club in Liverpool St as a suitable location. However, for reasons unknown, this
tower was not built.
81% of survey respondents support the building of a mobile tower in Bundeena or Maianbar.
25Support for a mobile tower is stronger in Bundeena (82%) than in Maianbar (62%).
Mobile Tower Comments:
And a tower through the National Park.
It would be unlikely to affect me personally but I think there is enough technology
around now to not need this.
Not just for my connection but for the Royal National Park. Emergency services are
hard to call in case of an emergency or being lost in park.
Absolutely. We need it badly for fire brigade communications and for the dead spots
in Bundeena. The situation at present is dangerous in the dead areas e.g.as a surgeon
on call I cannot stay in a dead area for long when on duty. It is not a matter of just
inconvenience for me as a surgeon and as a voluntary fire fighter in the RFS.
I have to use a landline because the reliability and reception of all the mobile
providers is so poor. If we had a tower built I could cancel the landline.
Provided all providers agree to use. Would leave the providers to choose delivery.
Accident emergency calls and bush fire reporting is not possible from the many black
spots in Bundeena and surrounding area. Many visitors are using Optus-based
phones which don't work in many parts of Bundeena and the road through National
Park. This is a life and death safety issue.
Anything to fix our terrible telecommunications service in this area.
How about near the water tower at Maianbar and at the same time what about fixed
wireless NBN as we seem to be the forgotten people on the NBN rollout.
This is a no-brainer - but the tower also needs to be effective for bushwalkers (etc.) in
national park.
A resounding yes to a mobile tower - build it at the front of our house - I don't care
where it is! They are not that bad looking and it would make an enormous difference
to the community.
26 Conditional on it being not visually intrusive, especially for users of the Royal
National Park. Not on Jibbon Hill (former night soil depot which is being added into
the RNP) which is the largest transgressive relic cliff dune in the Sydney basin that
straddles two uplands swamps which are home to an eastern pygmy possum colony.
A tower is long overdue in Bundeena/Maianbar, the sooner they build one the better,
as we have had very poor service (if any at all) for a long time. This needs to done
ASAP.
with proper environmental and social consideration.
While unsightly, good connection to mobile services is essential, and allows less
dependence on the poor landlines. There are currently several areas in Bundeena
with no connectivity.
If you're going to put it on the hill behind my house forget it. I am not opposed to a
tower going up in the right location. There are other options to explore before putting
a tower up. Put fibre in to our homes. To our homes. Enable Cronulla exchange for
NBN. Free up the data bandwidth on 3G/4G to the appropriate service.
I'm in the RFS and rely on my mobile phone to receive communications from our Fire
Control and Officers and it can easily be missed.
depends where.
Although my reception is adequate at home and generally around Bundeena, there
are dead spots around the vicinity of the Oval and too many residents have poor
reception.
A tower is needed but must be placed responsibly. This is a village within a National
Park - tower location must take the environment into account.
If a tower could provide better reception especially within the park.
I have always supported a mobile tower for these localities. There are those who care
less about human beings and their welfare and more about their narrow-minded
agendas who lack foresight of any kind.
Running a business with very poor mobile reception, is incredibly frustrating.
This is a must for our future generations to maintain connections that are equitable.
I would want to know more about where it would go and also the health and
environment effects.
There is no service on the Bundeena Road after Maianbar Drive there is small spots
along Sir Bertram Stevens Drive where a service can be had. This is not good enough
for this area.
Would like some info on pros and cons, proximity to houses and visual impact.
Should improve the services for some areas in the national park.
I want the better service and accept that we need a tower
I think a tower could be added to something that is already a high structure, which
would keep the cost down. It is so necessary. Businesses are wasting time and losing
customers due to the poor reception here.
Long overdue.
27 There are many reasons for a mobile tower somewhere in either town, high spots in
Bundeena are the logical answers. These can be unsightly but no more so than the
pole mounted transformers that are everywhere. There is a pole outside my own
property that would be suitable. I have studied the scientific evidence for
electromagnetic radiation from towers and find none of the negative publicity
convincing.
The old council sewer dump? Area would be a good place away from all the
residential area.
Our reception is so poor (have to stand in northern corner of the house to get
reception).
Tower is most desperately needed for personal and emergency reasons.
sick of losing internet connections.
but use places like the water tower and away from people.
Technology is now available for smaller compact transmitters to be located in streets,
which I understand is also a much cheaper option for installation and will provide
better coverage in many more areas, than a tower could provide.
Absolutely.
The sooner the better.
The tower is fine as long as placed away from residential property.
We are in the modern age and there is plenty of spaces within Bundeena for this sort
of tower that does not interfere with the natural beauty of the surrounding park. We
have electrical and telegraph lines all across the streets - OF COURSE WE WANT A
MOBILE TOWER.
Bring it on.
All depends where it is.
Depends on the location of the tower - if we are looking at infrastructure priority
would prefer NBN as number 1 (both would be good but unlikely outcome). If we take
the tower option we will be stuck with mobile data speeds using 3G & 4G which is
slower than what we have now and it will delay the NBN. While residents view the
tower for mobile phone voice and text services etc. (which would be great) Telstra
views it as a cheap band-aid fix for the internet issues. Every technician has said this
and I've been through a few :)
Likely location would be Bundeena, which would not assist us in Maianbar due to line
of sight concerns.
The look of a tower is a real concern, but has to be balanced with other needs. Given
the number of car accidents in the RNP, better coverage through there is also a
consideration.
Mobile phone towers are located in the highest vantage points, often around
reservoirs eg. Bankstown, Engadine, Helensburgh. The village of Helensburgh is
similar to Bundeena/Maianbar. The phone towers should be next to the Maianbar
reservoir. This high vantage point would assist users also in Royal National Park.
interferes with business.
28 if placed thoughtfully and not to the detriment of individuals/environment.
depending on where it is built.
I think one built near water tower between Bundeena and Maianbar would help.
so stupid to have no service thru the park if you need help.
our support depends on adequate community consultation/input regarding siting and
the cost/benefit to local residents.
prefer spring valley/gully for location.
visitors often have trouble with reception here.
apart from day to day communications I this this is a safety issue for people using the
RNP and residents.
the area has been neglected too long.
at the bare minimum NBN needs to be number 1 priority for Bundeena and Maianbar.
needs to be unobtrusive and in keeping with the RNP. So yes but no if is spoils the
outlook.
as long as it's not amongst houses or close to centre of town.
only is positioned away from houses.
mobile towers are urgently needed to improve coverage in Bundeena Maianbar and
the RNP.
it would be nice to have reception during the drive through the RNP.
but what about dropouts in areas through RNP that really does need improvement it's
only 25km from the city in a direct line!
about time isn't it? We pay same rates but get crap reception.
only if it provided better reliable mobile phone and internet service.
but towers need to be away from houses for health reasons.
needed!
full RNP service would be of benefit
The extension of the lighting poles at the oval. Telstra could install new lighting poles
with better lighting. This has been done at Greenacre.
I have no issue with a tower being erected and have supported this at previous
community meetings.
very important to have excellent communications for isolated communities. Critical
location is not an eye sore. Community consultation is vital.
sure, build it in our backyard for a yearly fee.
use one of the existing structures eg Maianbar water tower.
As long as it was not in a location to effect health of residents.
For emergency situations. This is essential for travellers, walkers, beach goers to
have access to mobiles.
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