CommsDay Summit 2013

9th April

Teresa Corbin, Chief Executive Officer, ACCAN

ACCAN National Consumer Perceptions Survey• 1 in 3 respondents had never switched

providers, particularly consumers aged 55 and over

• Half had been with their provider for 5 years or more – clear that Australian consumers need to participate more in the market

Making the Right Call

Plain-English guide, based on the new Telecommunications Consumer Protections Code, informs consumers of:

1. The information you should receive before you sign up or buy

2. What to expect when you're signing up or buying

3. What should happen after your purchase

4. What to do if something goes wrong

Available for download via accan.org.au/rightcall

Phone Rights app• Last month ACCAN launched its

first-ever smartphone app, Phone Rights

• Phone Rights gives consumers practical tools and advice on issues like poor mobile reception, customer service delays, contracts and difficulties getting problems fixed

• Phone Rights is available for free on iPhone and Android smartphones

Phone Rights appPhone Rights will help you:• Test and log mobile reception

issues• Record and track complaints• Find answers to common problems• Contact your service provider

directly• View video guides• Learn how to avoid bill shock,

compare products, understand billing and usage alerts

Log poor reception

Log where and when you’ve had poor mobile coverage

• Show your provider and the TIO

• Designed to identify black spots, not congestion issues

• More than 10,000 downloads of Phone Rights – primarily for this tool

Mobile coverage in AustraliaOne of the biggest bugbears of mobile phone customers in Australia…

• 2011-2012, the TIO received 29,783 complaints about mobile coverage

• By 2017, Cisco predict 56 million mobile devices in Australia.

• Mobile coverage not just a regional problem anymore – network congestion in cities is a big issue

Regional Telecommunications Review 2011-2012We need to address the place of mobiles in a new definition of universal service. Some possible improvements include:

• Co-investment programs (jointly funded by the Commonwealth and interested states or territory governments) to expand mobile coverage

• Open-access arrangements for other carriers to share tower infrastructure

Some achievable mobile coverage goals• A commitment to improving mobile

coverage so that all major highways and towns with over 500 residents have proper mobile coverage

• Allow options for local councils, business and chambers of commerce to self-fund mobile coverage improvements

Free public Wi-FiWhy does Australia lag so far behind other countries in access to free public Wi-Fi?

• Free public Wi-Fi is a handy solution to network congestion

• Shopping malls, small retailers and councils have the opportunity to be the “new players” in providing consumers with access to the internet

• What are the privacy concerns regarding these new public Wi-Fi providers?

• Remote Indigenous communities benefiting from public Wi-Fi

Thank you!

Contact:

• Email: ceo@accan.org.au

• Twitter: @ACCAN_AU

• Ph: 02 9288 4010

• TTY: 02 9281 5322