At a recent webinar, Ombudsman Cynthia Gebert met Australian Telecommunications Alliance (AT) CEO Luke Coleman to discuss what needs to change to keep pace with the way Australians use and rely on phone and internet today.
Regional communities continue to face greater impacts
Drawing on findings from the TIO’s recent Left Behind report, the discussion highlighted the unique challenges people in rural, regional and remote Australia continue to face.
When there are fewer telcos or technology options available, service disruptions can have a greater impact and may take longer to resolve. As governments and industry consider future reforms, regional experiences should remain an important part of the conversation.
Community expectations have changed
Phone and internet services have shifted from being useful services to essential infrastructure.
People increasingly depend on connectivity to participate in everyday life. Despite this, many parts of the current telco framework were developed before this level of reliance existed.
While there isn’t always agreement on the best solutions, industry and the TIO agree the rules and the framework they sit within should better reflect today’s realities. We need a framework that supports innovation, investment and strong consumer protections.
Trust grows when problems are handled well
Trust in telcos and their services is shaped by more than network performance.
People want phone and internet services that work, clear communication when things go wrong, and confidence that complaints will be handled fairly and efficiently.
Ongoing collaboration between industry, government, consumer advocates and the TIO is important to drive improvement and better outcomes for consumers.
For the TIO, that includes continuing work to improve the complaint experience for consumer and telcos, as well as identifying emerging issues through complaint insights to drive meaningful reform.