J58 Telecommunications Services

Bill hikes, investment warning as telcos face $7.3bn spectrum slug

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Original article by Jack Quail
The Australian – Page: 17 : 17-Dec-25

More than 80 per cent of the spectrum liccnces held by Australian telcos are slated to expire between 2028 and 2032. The Australian Communications & Media Authority has increased its estimate of the value of the spectrum licences to $7.3bn, compared with its previous valuation of $5bn to $6.2bn. ACMA chair Nerida O’Loughlin contends that the new estimate represents a "fair price" for spectrum, which is a public asset. However, telcos have warned that any increase in the cost of spectrum licences will affect their ability to invest in network upgrades, and could result in higher prices for mobile plans.

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AUSTRALIAN COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA AUTHORITY

More AI, fewer staff for Telstra

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Original article by Joseph Carbone
The Australian – Page: 13 & 16 : 28-May-25

Telstra CEO Vicky Brady revealed details of the telco’s Connected Future 30 strategy on Tuesday. The five-year strategy includes using artificial intelligence and cloud technology to enhance its communications network and deliver a better experience for customers. Telstra will also aim to increase its strategic net promoter score to more than 50 per cent by 2030. However, Brady conceded that the increased use of AI will result in more job losses at Telstra. She also responded to claims that Telstra has overstated the size of its mobile network, stating that the telco stands by its claim that it provides three million square kilometres of coverage without the need for an external antenna.

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TELSTRA GROUP LIMITED – ASX TLS

Telcos get slower at resolving problems

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Original article by Joseph Lam
The Australian – Page: 17 : 2-Oct-24

Data from the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman shows that it received 56,718 complaints about telcos in the 2023-24 financial year, which is 14.6 per cent lower than previously. Mobile services accounted for about 43.5 per cent of complaints, while 39.4 per cent of complaints concerned internet services. Meanwhile, about 63 per cent of complaints were made by customers whose telco had failed to address issues in a timely manner or had taken no action at all. Telstra attracted 27.1 per cent of complaints, compared with 23.5 per cent for Optus.

CORPORATES
TELECOMMUNICATIONS INDUSTRY OMBUDSMAN LIMITED, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD

Giving it away: Optus’ novel plan to win back customers

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Original article by David Ross
The Age – Page: Online : 23-Jul-24

Optus is offering people the chance to access its mobile network for one week for free, as it tries to win back customers after it was hit by a mass outage in 2023 that impacted 10 million customers. The telco lost thousands of customers after the outage, and Optus MD of customer success Maurice McCarthy says it has been trying to rebuild customer trust since then. McCarthy says the free trial is the first of its kind from an Australian telco, and possibly the world; it will see people get access to 30 gigabytes of data, unlimited standard national calls and 1,000 standard national text messages over a seven-day period.

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SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD

Aussie Broadband’s budget Buddy chases lost customers

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Original article by Jenny Wiggins
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 & 19 : 16-Jul-24

Shares in Aussie Broadband fell by 14 per cent to trade at $3.06 on Monday after the telco announced that its 2024-25 financial year earnings would be between $125 million and $135 million, some $10 million less than its previous forecast. Aussie Broadband launched a new cheap internet brand called Buddy Telco on Monday, with group MD Phillip Britt hoping it will win back some of the customers it has lost to rival Superloop after Aussie Broadband lost a wholesale contract with Origin Energy to Superloop.

CORPORATES
AUSSIE BROADBAND LIMITED – ASX ABB, SUPERLOOP LIMITED – ASX SLC, ORIGIN ENERGY LIMITED – ASX ORG

Mobile users to face hit in Telstra cuts

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Original article by Jenny Wiggins
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 16 : 22-May-24

Telstra has revealed plans to reduce its global workforce by up to 2,800 before the end of 2024, as part of its plan to reduce costs by $500m via its T25 strategy. The telco has advised that the job cuts and other cost reduction measures will help to reduce its expenses by $350m by the end of the 2024-25 financial year; however, Telstra has conceded that it will fall short of the T25 target. Telstra’s enterprise division is expected to bear the brunt of the job cuts. Telstra will also increase the price of some mobile phone and internet plans.

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TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS

Telstra delays 3G shutdown over triple zero calls

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Original article by Savannah Meacham
The New Daily – Page: Online : 7-May-24

Telstra has delayed the shutdown of its 3G network until 31 August, in order to give customers people more time to upgrade their devices to enable them to make triple zero emergency calls. Currently around 400,000 devices are 4G enabled, but they still depend on the 3G network to make emergency calls. Federal Communications Minister Michelle Rowland has warned that some people may think their device is operating normally after August, but they will find it will not work when they try to make an emergency call if they have not upgraded it.

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TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INFRASTRUCTURE, TRANSPORT, REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT, COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS

Telstra delays 3G shutdown over triple zero calls

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Original article by Savannah Meacham
The New Daily – Page: Online : 7-May-24

Telstra has delayed the shutdown of its 3G network until 31 August, in order to give customers people more time to upgrade their devices to enable them to make triple zero emergency calls. Currently around 400,000 devices are 4G enabled, but they still depend on the 3G network to make emergency calls. Federal Communications Minister Michelle Rowland has warned that some people may think their device is operating normally after August, but they will find it will not work when they try to make an emergency call if they have not upgraded it.

CORPORATES
TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INFRASTRUCTURE, TRANSPORT, REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT, COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS

Optus parent writes off billions

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Original article by Jenny Wiggins
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 13 & 18 : 30-Apr-24

Singapore Telecommunications has announced a $S3.1 billion ($3.5 billion) writedown, most of which relates to its Australian subsidiary Optus. However, its potential impact has been offset by Optus’s agreement with TPG Telecom to share regional telecommunications networks; the agreement will see TPG pay Optus service fees of $1.59 billion over 11 years. Optus will use that money to accelerate its investment in 5G networks and complete them two years faster than foreshadowed. TPG’s deal with Optus comes after competition regulators rejected a $1.8 billion deal proposed by TPG and Telstra in 2023 to share networks and spectrum.

CORPORATES
SINGAPORE TELECOMMUNICATIONS LIMITED, SINGTEL OPTUS PTY LTD, TPG TELECOM LIMITED – ASX TPG, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS

Telstra installs robot helpers across stores, call centres in push towards AI-fuelled future

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Original article by Matthew Elmas
The New Daily – Page: Online : 20-Feb-24

Telstra has started to deploy an artificial intelligence tool called Ask Telstra to assist staff in handling customers’ complaints. Ask Telstra is powered by Microsoft Azure OpenAI, and is intended to be an internal search engine that will allow employees in the telco’s stores and call centres to access customers’ data quickly when they make a complaint or seek assistance. Professor Gary Mortimer from the Queensland University of Technology believes that unscripted, synthetic and natural AI voice interactions will eventually become the norm for retailers.

CORPORATES
TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, QUEENSLAND UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY