NOT ENOUGH is being done, quickly enough, to improve mobile black spots throughout the State, according to Victorian Federal politicians and farmers.
Many fear the bush still faces years of frustration over inadequate phone and internet services.
The Federal Government has announced each electorate will get funding for three upgraded mobile phone services, from a $100 million telecommunications black spot program, being rolled out across the next four years.
But politicians and the Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) said there would still be a hold-up in the roll-out of adequate services – a claim confirmed by Telstra.
Member for Mallee Andrew Broad said the setting up of the National Broadband Network resulted in a massive lag in upgrading existing equipment, as telcos were reluctant to increase their capacity.
"Part of the problem is that with Telstra, 80 per cent of their infrastructure construction program has been building more capacity in existing areas, with only 20pc in areas which don't have capacity," Mr Broad said.
"When the NBN was announced, they weren't going to put any more ports into the exchange as they believed they were going to be superseded by the NBN."
Telstra Countrywide's south-western area manager Bill Mundy agreed.
"Certainly we have a lot of our current program of network build dedicated to increasing the capacity of the network," he said.
"At this stage we are awaiting the outcome of the black spot program; they are the holders of the key on that one."
In the eight months from December 2013, the Department of Communications received reports of more than 4000 locations throughout Australia with poor or no mobile coverage.
The locations have been included in a database which will be shared with mobile network operators and infrastructure providers, who will then prepare funding proposals.
The Parliamentary Secretary to the Communications Minister, Paul Fletcher said mobile connectivity was an indispensable feature of everyday life for people living in rural and regional Australia.
"The government expects to fund 250-300 new mobile base stations around Australia under the program," Mr Fletcher said.
Locations for new services should be announced later this year, he said.
"The government anticipates that the first base stations funded under the program will begin to roll out in the second half of 2015."
Mr Broad said the lag would partly be rectified by the Government's plans for more towers and a satellite service.
But he said each electorate was only allowed to nominate three black spots.
"There will need to be management of expectations here – in an electorate of 41 blackspots, I have nominated six," Mr Broad said.
The comments come after the release of new figures, by the Australian Communications and Media Authority, which said the take-up of mobile services continued to grow outside the capital cities.
Authority spokesman Joseph Di Gregorio said there was a huge jump in the use of mobile phone internet services in communities with less than 1000 residents.
The report showed in December last year, 33pc of adults in communities with less than 1000 people went online using their mobile phone – up from 5pc, four years ago.
But VFF vice-president David Jochinke, of Murra Warra, while there might be an increased take-up, there was long way to go to meet the need.
"On about half of our farm we can't get any decent mobile reception, we can't get a phone call out, let alone get data," Mr Jochinke said.
"When it comes to analysis and getting down to the technology of drones and robots, we are going to need live data streams.
"It's one thing to say 'yes we are all connected', it another thing to know we are not connected all the time."
Federal Member for Bendigo, Lisa Chesters, said she'd been told her electorate would get one new service.
"As technology improves, and we are all walking around with smartphones, the network we have in regional Australia can't cope – our communities are in a telecommunications crisis," she said.
