Telstra “confident” over coverage claims following ACCC referral

Telstra has pushed back against claims made by Vodafone that is misled consumers over its network coverage.

In a blog post published to the company's website, Telstra executive Channa Seneviratne revealed that the provider had reviewed its coverage measurement data following the allegations made by its rivals last week and stood by its earlier claims.

Seneviratne's comments come following claims made by Vodafone that Telstra had overstated the reach of its mobile network "by as much as 40 per cent" for over a decade.

The basis of the allegations being made by Vodafone is that Telstra's network coverage claims - such as that it covers three million kilometers or 99.7% of the Australian population - rely on the use of an external antenna.

As you might expect, Seneviratne pushed back on these claims.

Seneviratne defended Telstra's "conservative" approach to measuring its coverage through a combination of drive testing and desktop modelling.

He also insisted its references to additional equipment like external antenna were more indicative of what it recommended rural customers looking to get the best experience do rather than a reflection of the quality of its own network.

Seneviratne asserted that no mobile network operator in Australia can test every square meter of coverage in person and that real-world performance can depend just as much on environmental and user-side factors as it can network-related ones. 

"This has always been the case but does not mean the signal strength in these areas always requires use of an external antenna to make a voice call or access data within our 3 million square kilometres of coverage," he said.

Telstra initially changed its website to add clarification around the relationship between its coverage claims and the involvement of any external antennae but has since reverted those changes.

Although Vodafone referred the matter to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, the regular has yet to weigh in on the matter. However, other industry figures have chimed in over the coverage claims.

ACCAN CEO Carol Bennett calling the allegations serious and damaging, especially given Telstra's reputation in regional parts of the country.

“Many Australians, particularly in regional and remote areas, sign up for expensive plans with Telstra because they believe it’s the only option for reliable coverage."