Joint media release
Shadow Minister for Communications and Digital Safety, Senator for Victoria, Senator the Hon Sarah Henderson
Shadow Minister for Regional Communications, Dr Anne Webster MP
The Albanese government must guarantee that regional Australians will not be left high and dry with no landline or broadband services, following Telstra’s announcement it will shut down its CAN Radio and ADSL networks.
After Labor’s mismanagement of the 3G mobile network shutdown, Communications minister Anika Wells must ensure that impacted customers can seamlessly transition to newer technologies such as 4G fixed wireless, Starlink, or the NBN.
No matter where Australians live, access to these services including Triple Zero emergency calls is critical.
Some 8,500 customers, mainly in remote Australia, will be exited from the CAN radio network by November 2027. The shutdown of ADSL within the same timeframe will affect some 50,000 customers.
While the move to updated and more reliable technologies is appreciated, the Coalition is seeking further information from Telstra about the cost of this shutdown and who will most be impacted.
In the middle of Labor’s cost of living crisis, the last thing regional Australians can afford right now are extra landline or broadband costs.