NASH DEMANDS MINISTER REVEAL DODGY PHONES

Nationals Senator Fiona Nash has called upon Communications Minister Senator Stephen Conroy to reveal the Next G mobile phones identified as sub-standard by the communication authority in its recent report into Next G coverage. Senator Nash said it was unacceptable for the Minister to keep to himself the make and models of the six phones the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) found to be inadequate during their testing of the new Next G network, and insisted he let CDMA customers in on the secret. “Not only is Telstra continuing to sell these phones, but rural and regional consumers have no idea which ones they are, given the names of the phones have been blacked out on the publicly released copy of ACMA’s report,” Senator Nash said. Responding to questioning from Senator Nash during Senate Estimates, Minister Conroy conceded he had bowed to requests from Telstra to omit the names of the phones in question from the report posted on the department’s website. “Not only has Minister Conroy deliberately kept consumers in the dark, he has admitted he can’t guarantee that Telstra aren’t still selling these dodgy phones to customers looking to switch from the CDMA network,” Senator Nash said. “These phones have been listed as being worse than the worst CDMA phone – does the Minister really think he’s justified in keeping this information to himself? “I fully accept that these particular phones may work perfectly well in city areas, however it is dishonest and deceitful to withhold the names of these six phones from bush users, who may inadvertently be sold these phones, and I call on the Minister to immediately identify the phones in question. “I am certainly not opposed to enhancing telecommunication services in the bush and am very supportive of new technologies – particularly in relation to mobile phones – but change should not come at the expense of rural and regional communities. It’s the Minister’s responsibility to ensure each and every mobile phone user in the bush is equipped with the right phone for their area and with one that works equally, if not better than their old CDMA phone.” Media contact: Julie Siegert 0429 818 600

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