Telstra
| Basic information | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1975 |
| Type | Public |
| Industry | Telecommunications |
| Official website | https://telstra.com.au/ |
Telstra Group Limited is Australia's largest telecommunications provider, offering a wide range of services including mobile, broadband, and fixed-line telephony to the Australian market. As of the latest data, Telstra supports approximately 22.5 million retail mobile services and 3.4 million fixed data services. [1][2]
Since 28 October 2024, Telstra has focused exclusively on providing 4G LTE and 5G mobile services, having phased out its 2G and 3G networks. In the competitive Australian mobile network market, Telstra's main rivals include Optus, owned by Singtel, and TPG Telecom, which operates the Vodafone brand.
Originally established as a government-owned entity under the name Telecom Australia, Telstra underwent privatization and became a fully private company by 2006. It is currently listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) as a publicly traded company.
Telstra launched the 'Belong' brand in 2013 as a low-cost mobile and internet services provider and acquired Boost Mobile (Australia) in 2024.
Whilst Telstra's primary market is Australia, it has also moved into the international markets in Europe, Asia and the United States.
Controversy's
Locking purchased content behind new Fetch hardware
In 2024 Telstra contacted a customer to advise that they would no longer have access to their library of content unless they upgraded their 'Telstra TV Box Office' to a new Fetch device. This change in policy requires customer to purchase new hardware in order to access the content and media they have paid for. In this instance the customer was provided a new Fetch device for free, however at no time has Telstra offered all affected customers a free device and likely many customers either paid for new hardware or lost access to the content they had purchased. [3]
Under Telstra's terms of service it specifies that the content purchased is 'your content' and specifies that you can 'buy' or 'purchase' the content, however Telstra still reserves the right to take access away from the content under various circumstances. This could be misunderstood by customers to believe that they own something they paid for that is actually closer to a lease or rental arrangement.
Reducing speeds on Belong NBN plans
In November 2020 Telstra migrated 8,897 customers from a 100Mbps plan to a 40Mbps plan without notifying them. There was no price change for these customers even though Telstra saved $7 per customer per month for the newer lower speed service. Telstra was forced to pay $15 Million in penalties after the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) instituted proceedings in the Federal Court.[4]
Selling mobile contracts to customers who cannot afford them
Between January 2016 and August 2018 representatives at Telstra stores sold unaffordable contracts to 108 Indigenous customers. Sales staff manipulated credit assessments, misrepresented products as free and exploited language barriers. In 2020 the ACCC instituted Federal Court proceedings against Telstra for unconscionable conduct and the Federal Court ordered Telstra to pay $50 Million in penalties. [5]
References
- ↑ Telstra - About Our Company - 2025-01-14: https://www.telstra.com.au/aboutus/our-company
- ↑ Telstra Group Limited - Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telstra
- ↑ The Guardian - ‘My whole library is wiped out’: what it means to own movies and TV in the age of streaming services https://www.theguardian.com/media/article/2024/may/14/my-whole-library-is-wiped-out-what-it-means-to-own-movies-and-tv-in-the-age-of-streaming-services
- ↑ ACCC - Telstra found to have misled nearly 9,000 Belong customers over broadband speed claims - https://www.accc.gov.au/media-release/telstra-found-to-have-misled-nearly-9000-belong-customers-over-broadband-speed-claims
- ↑ ACCC - Telstra to pay $50m penalty for unconscionable sales to Indigenous consumers https://www.accc.gov.au/media-release/telstra-to-pay-50m-penalty-for-unconscionable-sales-to-indigenous-consumers