Some Optus mobile customers in Strathalbyn have been without service since Wednesday last week and will not be back online until this Friday 23 August.
An existing site is being upgraded with 5G infrastructure to the Fleurieu Peninsula town, causing problems for residents and workers wanting to make and take phone calls and text messages.
One local couple tells us they have to take a 10 minute drive from their home to get full service.
“Our family and friends were worried when they could not get a hold of us,” the couple told us via social media.
Another business owner on Commercial road said she has had to buy a Telstra sim in order to run her cafe.
“We got a notice a couple of days before the work started…. we have been without any coverage at all for the duration” she said.
Optus has responded to our queries with a statement.
“Optus sincerely apologises for any disruption caused and appreciates the patience and understanding of the Strathalbyn community as this upgrade work proceeds….Fixed services such as nbn are not impacted, meaning customers can still make and receive calls by enabling Wi-Fi calling or using apps like WhatsApp and FaceTime,” an Optus spokesperson said.
The telco says from this Friday the coverage should improve for local residents and workers.
“Some customers may experience reduced mobile coverage as we upgrade the existing site with 5G infrastructure to bring a heightened level of network performance and coverage in the region… We thank customers for their patience and look forward to bringing improved coverage to Strathalbyn from August 23.”
The company has declined to comment on whether they will offer compensation to any local customers put out by the outage.
