More than one thousand rural telephone exchanges will be upgraded across Australia as part of a multi-million dollar program to deliver extra services to remote customers.
The program involves replacing software and hardware equipment in more than 1250 exchanges over the next seven months.
Fifteen teams of technicians will work simultaneously on the AU$24 million dollar national program, which will result in a range of Telstra products, including 3-Way Chat, EasyCall and MessageBank Home, being offered to 150,000 country customers.
Telstra Country Wide Group Managing Director, Doug Campbell, launched the program in the north central Victorian town of Wanalta, the first rural community to receive an exchange upgrade for its 56 customers.
"While Telstra has invested AU$5 billion in infrastructure and new technologies in country Australia over the past four years, access to Easycall has emerged as a priority need in our discussions with customers in rural areas," Campbell said.
Telstra's subsidiary, Network Design and Construction won the AU$24 million tender in December
