Telstra opens hotline for "genuine" complaints

Telstra has opened a dedicated hotline for customers experiencing technical difficulties with the move from CDMA to Next G, following a decree by the Communications Minister.

The hotline was established after the office of the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy found that although Telstra had fulfilled its basic commitments to customers in providing equal or better network coverage on Next G as it had with CDMA, there are still extra measures it can implement to help customers with the transition.

Senator Stephen Conroy

According to the department's findings, some customers have purchased Next G handsets that do not provide adequate service for the network, despite the fact that its overall coverage has been deemed acceptable.

"The hotline would give the small number of customers experiencing genuine problems a direct line to a specialist call centre where trained consultants would take them through diagnostic steps to help locate the cause of their issue, and where necessary arrange a physical test of coverage at their location," Telstra Country Wide group managing director Geoff Booth said in statement.

He added that if these steps prove there is a genuine problem with the handset, Telstra will be willing to issue customers with a new device for free.