Mid & North Coast Communication Issues

Public telephones are important for a number of reasons one being safety of the public. But over the years we have found that Telstra has been readily removing pay phones in the last ten years from phones that used to exist on every block now in our areas are lucky to see one in a precinct.

Years ago optus wanted in on the pay phone market and was blocked by a 75% government owned Telstra. The issues with public phones dropping in profits comes from the fact that the public phone has failed to evolve, why??? Easy Telstra has failed to invest moneys in development and nor is there competition in the public phone market to stimulate technology changes.

Public phones don't have to have handsets if they are in vandalism high areas a speaker phone in a telephone box might be the best option for these. But the phones could provide allsorts of services from instant messaging, sms, phone calls and internet access. Its time for Telstra to allow competitors to install public phones and develop new services. Public phone calls should be cheaper than mobile calls and bingo you'd have people flocking to them.