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The following stories regarding the unreliability of the Optus Mobile service in the Barossa Valley during December 2015 illustrate how the Barossa Valley was put at risk due to non-essential communications 'up-grades' by Optus during severe to catastrophic bushfire risk days facing the region in recent times. Even into January 2016, these issues of unreliability still dogged Optus's service in the Barossa Valley....
NEW YEAR, SAME CRAP FROM OPTUS IN THE BAROSSA VALLEY
From Optus's 'outage maps' page. All Barossa towers show the 'red outage' symbol
Just when you thought it was safe to go back to your Optus mobile service in the Barossa, think again.
Readers of Barossa News Online will remember less than a month ago we brought you news of the unreliability of the Optus Mobile service during those severe to catastrophic fire danger days in the week or so after the disastrous Pinery bushfire.
At the time, with the Barossa on tenterhooks as the weather threatened new dangers, Optus blithely went about a non-essential ‘upgrade’ (to 4G) of their service which took out 3G connectability in the southern Barossa Valley for days - days which left Optus’s Mobile Barossa customers distressed and unable to communicate with, among other services, the CFS website, Alert SA, or family and friends when pre-planning potentially critical bushfire responses.
If you haven’t read those reports or want to refresh your memory of them, we’ve put those stories on this special page, so as not to clog up our ‘front page’.
BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE!
Optus is at it again! Clearly Optus’s technicians have wearily trudged back to work after Christmas in the Barossa, again causing Optus mobile services to go off-line until (according to them) January 10th at the earliest.
And this time, the outages, according to Optus’s own Service Outages map, affect the entire Barossa Valley!
Yep! From Nurootpa to Tanunda, to Williamstown and Lyndoch and all Optus Towers in between, the Optus service is ‘down’, all towers showing ‘red’ (ie: no service) during the day, typically from 1000hrs to 1800hrs -- and now, as we write this at 2300hrs on January 6, the cancer of the Optus outage has crept into the evenings.
This during another mini-heatwave in the Barossa, and the threat of more bushfires.
AND an outage which economically could affect the Barossa the most. This is peak tourism season for South Australia’s premier wine and food region with many hundreds of tourists in the Valley each day, enjoying the lush green of the coming harvest, and enjoying the conviviality of the Barossa which makes it so unique.
The outage and unreliability of Optus’s mobile service at this time of the year - both from a critical emergency services view point and from a tourism and economic point of view - is simply unforgivable.
This time, we knew by experience, that complaining to Optus about this totally unsatisfactory point view, was useless.
So on behalf of Optus’s Barossa Valley customers - and on behalf of Optus customers visiting the Valley - we took our complaint to those who allegedly look after our interests.
We took our complaints to the regulatory authorities, and to the ‘apparatus’ which claims to represent our best interests - our local politicians. (to alert them however, we had to drive to Gawler to get a mobile signal!)
First we alerted the Telecommunications Ombudsman’s office, where we received a very understanding and sympathetic hearing - and a promise that our concerns would be raised with Optus. But we were recommended by the Ombudsman’s office to raise the issue with the Federal Department for Communication and other Federal Government communications subsidiaries.
We thought the easiest way to do that was through the Barossa Valley’s Federal Member of Parliament, Tony Pasin - and his office staff when we contacted his electoral office were suitably startled and concerned, particularly from a emergency safety viewpoint.
We also contacted the local SA Government MP for the area, Stephan Knoll. His office was equally concerned - and made the comment that we were not the first to contact them about Optus’s inefficiency - and they felt we would be definitely not be the last.
We also brought this wholly unsatisfactory state of affairs to the attention of the South Australian Government’s Minister for Emergency Services, Tony Piccolo, who also happens to be the neighboring MP to the Barossa, and in whose interests it is to ensure mobile phone communication is as efficient as it can be during the critical fire danger season we are currently confronting.
Will these representations work? Will the regulators or our MPs both Federal and State force Optus to abandon unnecessary upgrades during perhaps the most critical fire danger season the region has faced?
Only time will tell. But don’t hold your breath.
Readers of Barossa News Online will remember less than a month ago we brought you news of the unreliability of the Optus Mobile service during those severe to catastrophic fire danger days in the week or so after the disastrous Pinery bushfire.
At the time, with the Barossa on tenterhooks as the weather threatened new dangers, Optus blithely went about a non-essential ‘upgrade’ (to 4G) of their service which took out 3G connectability in the southern Barossa Valley for days - days which left Optus’s Mobile Barossa customers distressed and unable to communicate with, among other services, the CFS website, Alert SA, or family and friends when pre-planning potentially critical bushfire responses.
If you haven’t read those reports or want to refresh your memory of them, we’ve put those stories on this special page, so as not to clog up our ‘front page’.
BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE!
Optus is at it again! Clearly Optus’s technicians have wearily trudged back to work after Christmas in the Barossa, again causing Optus mobile services to go off-line until (according to them) January 10th at the earliest.
And this time, the outages, according to Optus’s own Service Outages map, affect the entire Barossa Valley!
Yep! From Nurootpa to Tanunda, to Williamstown and Lyndoch and all Optus Towers in between, the Optus service is ‘down’, all towers showing ‘red’ (ie: no service) during the day, typically from 1000hrs to 1800hrs -- and now, as we write this at 2300hrs on January 6, the cancer of the Optus outage has crept into the evenings.
This during another mini-heatwave in the Barossa, and the threat of more bushfires.
AND an outage which economically could affect the Barossa the most. This is peak tourism season for South Australia’s premier wine and food region with many hundreds of tourists in the Valley each day, enjoying the lush green of the coming harvest, and enjoying the conviviality of the Barossa which makes it so unique.
The outage and unreliability of Optus’s mobile service at this time of the year - both from a critical emergency services view point and from a tourism and economic point of view - is simply unforgivable.
This time, we knew by experience, that complaining to Optus about this totally unsatisfactory point view, was useless.
So on behalf of Optus’s Barossa Valley customers - and on behalf of Optus customers visiting the Valley - we took our complaint to those who allegedly look after our interests.
We took our complaints to the regulatory authorities, and to the ‘apparatus’ which claims to represent our best interests - our local politicians. (to alert them however, we had to drive to Gawler to get a mobile signal!)
First we alerted the Telecommunications Ombudsman’s office, where we received a very understanding and sympathetic hearing - and a promise that our concerns would be raised with Optus. But we were recommended by the Ombudsman’s office to raise the issue with the Federal Department for Communication and other Federal Government communications subsidiaries.
We thought the easiest way to do that was through the Barossa Valley’s Federal Member of Parliament, Tony Pasin - and his office staff when we contacted his electoral office were suitably startled and concerned, particularly from a emergency safety viewpoint.
We also contacted the local SA Government MP for the area, Stephan Knoll. His office was equally concerned - and made the comment that we were not the first to contact them about Optus’s inefficiency - and they felt we would be definitely not be the last.
We also brought this wholly unsatisfactory state of affairs to the attention of the South Australian Government’s Minister for Emergency Services, Tony Piccolo, who also happens to be the neighboring MP to the Barossa, and in whose interests it is to ensure mobile phone communication is as efficient as it can be during the critical fire danger season we are currently confronting.
Will these representations work? Will the regulators or our MPs both Federal and State force Optus to abandon unnecessary upgrades during perhaps the most critical fire danger season the region has faced?
Only time will tell. But don’t hold your breath.
CFS HAS NO RECORD OF OPTUS ADVISING OF MOBILE PHONE/WIFI INTERNET OUTAGES DURING SEVERE TO CATASTROPHIC FIRE RISK DAYS IN THE BAROSSA - December 17, 2015
With temperatures again expected to exceed 40 degrees C over December 16 to 19 - a heatwave expected to set new records in South Australia - the OPTUS mobile phone and mobile internet services in the Southern Barossa Valley are again expected to be unreliable when they are needed the most, as fire risk again peaks from severe to catastrophic. NEWS ALERT: As we predicted below when we wrote this story on the night of Dec 16, the OPTUS LYNDOCH TOWER IS DOWN (morning of December 17) - and OPTUS's 'outage' page indicates the Tower will continue to be 'down' until December 20!!!!!
Our story on OPTUS’s outages in the Southern Barossa region during the last heatwave (December 3-6) - see our story further below - drew on-air interest from ABC 891 radio with Ian Henschke on Friday December 11 - an interview which ended with OPTUS claiming they checked with the Country Fire Service (the CFS) about those outages - and no objection was raised.
We checked that statement with CFS Headquarters - and they can find no record of OPTUS contacting them at all leading up to or during the heatwave! In the absence of evidence to the contrary, we can only say OPTUS did NOT contact CFS authorities despite their claims to the contrary.
During that last heatwave (December 3 - 6 inclusive), OPTUS’s mobile services south of Tanunda and south and east of Lyndoch and Williamstown went down completely during daylight hours.
Our story on OPTUS’s outages in the Southern Barossa region during the last heatwave (December 3-6) - see our story further below - drew on-air interest from ABC 891 radio with Ian Henschke on Friday December 11 - an interview which ended with OPTUS claiming they checked with the Country Fire Service (the CFS) about those outages - and no objection was raised.
We checked that statement with CFS Headquarters - and they can find no record of OPTUS contacting them at all leading up to or during the heatwave! In the absence of evidence to the contrary, we can only say OPTUS did NOT contact CFS authorities despite their claims to the contrary.
During that last heatwave (December 3 - 6 inclusive), OPTUS’s mobile services south of Tanunda and south and east of Lyndoch and Williamstown went down completely during daylight hours.
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NOW IT'S GOING TO HAPPEN AGAIN, BY THE LOOKS OF IT! - December 16, 2015
While a check of OPTUS’s ‘outages’ website page now puts the Williamstown Tower ‘in the green” (ie: operational) its Lyndoch Tower showed as ‘red’ (ie: ‘live outage’, off-line completely) during the day of Dec 16, and ‘orange’ at night (‘planned work’ - code for don’t expect your phone/text/internet/email to work!). Given the experience at Williamstown, it is possible that the Lyndoch Tower will be off-line completely during daylight hours over the next few days. It will be interesting to see whether any of the concerns of Barossa Valley residents have sunk in at OPTUS’s Sydney headquarters - and whether they will POSTPONE the Barossa upgrades until extreme fire conditions ease. But given their track record, don’t hold your breath..... If your OPTUS phone goes down, rely on ABC 891, the emergency services radio network. Tune in by using a battery-powered radio. The potential is, in the Southern Barossa, you will NOT receive any warnings which rely on the OPTUS mobile network (including 'Alert SA' warnings). An edited version of the ABC 891 interview can be heard below. Take a few minutes to listen.... |
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OPTUS mobile and internet services to the Southern Barossa down despite extreme fire risk days - December 4 2015
Southern Barossa OPTUS users are hoping mobile phone and mobile internet services have stabilised after days of unreliable (read "non-existent") daylight connectability as the Adelaide Hills and the Barossa Region faced days on edge as temperatures - and fire risk - soared.
With temperatures topping 40 degrees C on Saturday and Sunday 5/6 December and the State on extreme fire risk alert, the reliability of the OPTUS mobile phone and internet service to the Southern Barossa Valley, if anything, got worse.
For all of Thursday and Friday (from approx 1000 to 1800hrs) and Saturday (0900 to approx 1445hrs), the OPTUS system was shut down for non-essential upgrade work - critical outages as the Barossa/Mount Lofty Ranges regions were on high bushfire alert with total fire bans around the State. Here at Barossa News On Line, we were waiting for a statement from OPTUS's Corporate Affairs Office abut this sad state of affairs -- it finally arrived during the rare time their service was functional, and if it wasn't so serious an issue, the response would be funny. First, read the story below - and below that again, see OPTUS's response..... In the meantime, let's hope that OPTUS's workmen have made enough overtime on Saturday to satisfy their Christmas spending, and the system stays 'up' in the days leading up to Christmas..... With more critical-weather days ahead, we can only hope it does.
With temperatures topping 40 degrees C on Saturday and Sunday 5/6 December and the State on extreme fire risk alert, the reliability of the OPTUS mobile phone and internet service to the Southern Barossa Valley, if anything, got worse.
For all of Thursday and Friday (from approx 1000 to 1800hrs) and Saturday (0900 to approx 1445hrs), the OPTUS system was shut down for non-essential upgrade work - critical outages as the Barossa/Mount Lofty Ranges regions were on high bushfire alert with total fire bans around the State. Here at Barossa News On Line, we were waiting for a statement from OPTUS's Corporate Affairs Office abut this sad state of affairs -- it finally arrived during the rare time their service was functional, and if it wasn't so serious an issue, the response would be funny. First, read the story below - and below that again, see OPTUS's response..... In the meantime, let's hope that OPTUS's workmen have made enough overtime on Saturday to satisfy their Christmas spending, and the system stays 'up' in the days leading up to Christmas..... With more critical-weather days ahead, we can only hope it does.
OPTUS unreliable in the critical bushfire month of December for its Southern Barossa customers
As the Barossa Valley confronts potentially catastrophic fire days in the wake of the horrific Sampson Flat and Pinery bushfires, Optus, Australia’s second largest mobile phone carrier, cannot be relied on.
For many residents who are Optus customers or those whose mobile phone providers use Optus as their ‘carrier’ - and are in areas of the Barossa to the southeast of Tanunda and east and south of Lyndoch and Williamstown - Optus cannot be currently relied upon to provide you with phone and/or mobile internet services for most of December - and perhaps beyond.
At a time when reliable telecommunication is so vital as we lead up to a potentially disastrous fire season, Australia’s second largest mobile phone carrier is, by its own admission, unable to provide the southern Barossa region with a reliable - potentially life saving - service, for the foreseeable future.
Why? Well, from what we are told by Optus’s Corporate Affairs Office, the company is upgrading parts of its local Barossa network to 4G. While that may be laudable, the reality is that the upgrade is severely affecting the functionality of Optus’s (until now, reliable) 3G service, rendering it for the most part, unusable!
This totally unsatisfactory state of affairs has had elderly Optus customers, mothers who need reliable contact with their children via Optus mobile phones, and many others who rely on Optus for mobile web connections, fraught with worry and concern. Some, we are advised, have taken their complaints to the Telecommunications Ombudsman.
We at Barossa News On Line went in to bat for them - and Optus Corporate Affairs has told us to tell everyone not to worry! Nooo! When there’s a fire, they’ll stop the upgrade so that the 3G service can be used again! We thought that was a bit like Optus telling the Captain of the Titanic only when the ship is sinking that there were icebergs in the area!
When told that their customers wish to check the CFS website on a regular basis (remember, that’s what we’re being told to do!) - or heaven forbid, they might want to contact relatives and their support networks for assurance or help as temperatures peak in the 40’s and fire bans are declared severe to catastrophic, we were told by Optus Corporate Affairs.....”Well if there’s a fire on its way, we’ll stop the upgrade to help ensure the 3G service is working...” (!!!)
This is patently NOT GOOD ENOUGH. Fair enough, we all recognise that mobile phone services may go down during a fire (as they did during the Pinery and Sampson Flat fires) - but they MUST be reliable on days of potential danger during the bushfire season. It is precisely when, on days of extreme or catastrophic fire danger, particularly when fires are non-existent (but which may threaten to ignite), that mobile phone services must be ‘up’ and can be used as a reliable means of communication! May we remind Optus that mobile phone and mobile internet communication is no longer a novelty - but an inalienable right.
It leaves us breathless to understand what brain surgeon in Optus scheduled this upgrade during the peak fire season! We put it to Optus that the upgrade should be put on hold until winter....(we can all more than happily live with a 3G service, 4G only going to put more money into Optus’s pocket, presumably) but got the response....”Well, bushfires can happen in winter too....’(!!!) If this is the sort of thinking that comes out of Optus’s Corporate Affairs office - (in Sydney, say no more!) then we are all in very deep doo doo......
We thought it was worth raising the issue with State Emergency Services Minister Tony Piccolo (also a local MP) - but his office referred us to Gail Gago, who under the obscure State Cabinet role as Minister for Science and Information Economy, apparently has carriage of these issues.
We put it to the Minister that she should express her concern to Optus and demand that the Southern Barossa Region is covered by a reliable mobile phone and mobile internet service, for which Optus customers pay - and which might be a vital life saver in the weeks ahead.
We note also that Minister Gago is also Minister for Business Services and Consumers. Maybe if her ‘Information Economy’ role doesn’t work, she could represent disaffected Optus customers as Minister for Consumers’ rights.......
We will keep you advised......
In the meantime, if you are an Optus customer or your provider uses Optus as a ‘carrier’, be very worried. Alert your ‘support’ and family groups of this potential communications disaster - and hope for the best. And get on your mobile phone (when and if it works) and complain to Optus, the Communications Ombudsman, and your local MP.
And if a fire comes, throw your Optus Contract into the flames.......
Dateline: Saturday, December 5
Now here is OPTUS's 'spin', from their Corporate Affairs Office
To the left below is the 'bumpf' from OPTUS's corporate 'dream factory'. On the right below is the proper interpretation....
Now here is OPTUS's 'spin', from their Corporate Affairs Office
To the left below is the 'bumpf' from OPTUS's corporate 'dream factory'. On the right below is the proper interpretation....
Optus is upgrading our network in the Barossa Valley and surrounding areas including necessary network infrastructure and preparation for the introduction of 4G services.
We believe expanding and improving our network coverage is important for customers, particularly in areas prone to natural disasters and weather disasters and weather events. It is important to note that upgrades to networks are for a portion of the day only. Wherever possible we aim to conduct works during the evening to reduce customer inconvenience. We regularly review conditions and potential threats when undertaking works. We can, and do, postpone works where there is a threat. We have round the clock monitoring that assesses these threats and enables us to make decisions around putting works on hold. We receive updates from the RFS, Emergency Services, telco authorities and news media services. Before we commence works that affect mobile services, we aim to proactively send SMS’s so customers have the opportunity to make alternate arrangements such as call diversions. In the event of an emergency, Optus also sends emergency alerts to its mobile phone customers. Where mobile services are unavailable due to natural disaster, Optus recommends television, radio, the internet and emergency services ‘apps’ as vital sources of information in such situations. |
Optus is swapping its '3G' network for a '4G' one. Is it necessary? Not really. 4G really only means marginally faster download speeds for kids who want to play silly computer games on their phones. More importantly, it means that OPTUS can charge more for its services.....
Moving to 4G will not improve coverage during 'natural disasters and weather events' (whatever that means). The only thing that will 'improve coverage' in emergencies is to have readily placeable mobile phone towers in disaster areas. They do it for the Clipsal V8 Race in Adelaide to improve coverage for revheads -- why not during events like the Sampson Flat/Pinery fires? AND DURING 'UPGRADES' (??)
NOT SO! in the case of the Southern Barossa 'up-grade', the service was out from approx 1000 to 1800 over a number of days! That's daylight, people, not 'evening'.....
Uh Huhh...?! There is a threat to the Southern Barossa RIGHT NOW, given the weather conditions!! So put the work on hold - until WINTER! And what point getting updates from the RFS (RURAL FIRE SERVICE) in NSW! The Barossa, last time we looked, is in SOUTH AUSTRALIA which is overseen by the CFS (the COUNTRY FIRE SERVICE)!!!
Yeah, well... all OPTUS customers we've spoken to - and those whose mobile providers use OPTUS as their 'carrier' - HAVE NOT received SMS warnings. "Aiming to proactively send..." is code for 'we don't know whether we're doing this or not, but we'd like to be....'
WHAT'S THE BLOODY POINT...! Your mobile service is down! NO-ONE CAN RECEIVE THE ALERTS! Duhhhh?! What Planet are you on??
Yep, good old 'last Century' technologies are better than OPTUS phones, thanks....BUT don't point us to the Internet and 'apps'! If our phones are down and we can't get a signal, WE CAN'T ACCESS THEM!
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NOT GOOD ENOUGH, OPTUS!!!