By Shamsiya Hussainpoor
Emergency services are grappling with a major issue, power outages are causing telecom systems to fail, preventing the public from reaching out for help when needed.
Kallista CFA member Chris Job has raised this alarming issue on several occasions with the media and the council.
“If the community wants to support us further, we need their backing in advocating for a solution. When the NBN goes down, our communication systems also fail, and no one can reach us,” he said.
“We’re then left without phones, unable to provide updates on emergency situations or respond to any emergency events.”
“We’re an emergency service. In a catastrophic event, we want the community to rely on us, but right now they can’t, and it hasn’t become a priority.”
Monbulk member Daniela De Martino said that telecommunications are essential, not a luxury.
“When a serious weather event occurs or during bushfire season, we all rely on the mobile network for emergency calls. Unfortunately, the companies have not ensured continuity of service during power outages,” Ms De Martino said.
“Following the February storms, I started a petition calling on telcos to ‘Power the Towers.’ I encourage people who want to see mobile telecommunications companies build resilience into their towers to sign it on my website.”
Ms De Martino also advises the community to contact Federal Minister for Communications Michelle Rowland and request that the government mandate uninterrupted power supply through legislation.
“The State Government has intervened to improve telecommunications resilience in the Dandenong Ranges. We’ve partnered with NBN Co, the Commonwealth Government, and local councils to establish NBN Community Wi-Fi in Emerald, Kalorama, Monbulk, Olinda, and The Patch,” she said.
“I will be meeting with telecommunications companies in the coming months to discuss our community’s needs and concerns. The more signatures on my petition, the louder our voices will be.”
Despite the recurring telecom outages during storms in the Hills, infrastructure improvements remain lacking.
Vodafone, Telstra, and Optus were all contacted for a response.
An Optus spokesperson said severe weather events in Victoria and Tasmania have led to power outages at several mobile sites, causing disruptions to both mobile and NBN services for some customers.
“Our teams are working with the relevant authorities to restore services to impacted areas as soon as possible and as safely as we can,” the spokesperson said.
“Optus is committed to keeping our customers connected by providing the best possible coverage across our network.”
“Generators are being deployed to strategic locations across both states, with the first already in place and operating to maintain mobile site operation.”
Telstra Regional General Manager Jenny Gray reported significant progress in restoring services in Victoria after severe storms caused widespread power outages.
“Nearly all of our mobile sites are now back online, and we are progressively restoring remaining landline phone and internet services,” Ms Gray said.
“Our sites rely on mains power to operate but have backup energy supplies that helped extend coverage for several hours following the storms.”
“Our network sites use substantial power—one mobile base station consumes as much energy as 10 homes. Due to ongoing power outages, some sites gradually lost power.”
She added that the company’s technicians are working statewide to restore services as quickly as possible whenever it is safe to do so.
“We’re also investigating and innovating ways to enhance our networks’ resilience and reconnect customers more swiftly during disasters,” Ms Gray said.
“We appreciate everyone’s patience and urge everyone to stay safe.”
A TPG Telecom spokesperson, representing Vodafone, said that severe weather in Victoria caused power outages in several areas, leading to disruptions in some mobile services.
“While our networks are designed to be resilient, natural disasters can lead to power outages that affect communication networks. It’s crucial for people to have a plan to stay connected during these events,” the spokesperson said.
“Our sites have backup power systems that are activated in emergencies to keep sites operational until it is safe for our technical teams and power utilities to restore services.”
“Our teams are working with the relevant authorities to restore services as quickly as it is safe to do so. We have restored a significant number of mobile sites across the state, but ongoing power outages are still affecting a few sites.”
Mr Job said emergency responders cannot risk their safety or that of the community, and that backup power solutions are essential.
He said installing uninterruptible power supplies or backup generators for telecom infrastructure is crucial to maintaining communication lines during power outages.
He also added that emergency responders are ready to assist in any way they can to ensure this becomes a reality.
