Radio, TV and press mentions of mobile phones and APUMP
- September, 30 1998 ABC LONGREACH GREAT WESTERN QLD.
Announcer: ... at the Connecting the Country conference on Monday, Senator Richard Alston,
the Communications Minister announced an extension of the analogue mobile phone service.
Boyd Munroe, the Association for the Protection of Users of Mobile Phones, spokesman: ...
I can see some warm and fuzzy words but I can't see anything that the Minister can be held
to.
- September, 30 1998 ABC LONGREACH GREAT WESTERN QLDd Radio
News. The association for the protection of users of mobile phones says it's unconvinced
by a Government promise to retain the analogue mobile phone network until 2000.
- September, 30 1998. MT ISA RADIO CARPENTARIA Radio News. The
Association for the protection of users of Mobile Phones says they are unconvinced by the
Coalition promise to retain the Analogue Phone Network until the year 2000. Boyd Munro,
Spokesman, APUMP: ... the Minister said he was pleased to confirm that they will introduce
a staged phase out of Analogue in Regional Australia ... those words can be satisfied by
leaving one Base Station in the Blue Mountains ... ther's nothing concrete there.
- September, 30 1998. BROOME 6BE Radio News. The Federal
Shadow Minister for Communications Chris Schacht has criticized an announcement by the
Federal Government to extend the closure date of the analogue phone network ...
Communication Minister Richard Alston says the 3 major carriers have agreed to extend the
deadline to the end of the year 2000. Senator Chris Schacht: ... what we should do is have
one system.
- September, 29 1998. SYDNEY ATN7 State Television News. We
have proof tonight that digital mobiles disconnect twice as often as telephone companies
admit.
- September, 29 1998. ALBANY 6AL Radio News. The shadow
minister for Communications Chris Schacht has labelled an announcement by the Federal
Government to extend the closure date of the analogue phone network as an example of
bureaucratic bungling. Chris Schacht, Opposition Communications spokesperson: ... if it is
at all possible to ensure that the new digital system is available to everybody ... so be
it.
- September, 29 1998. BUNBURY 6BS Radio News. The Shadow
Minister for Communications has criticised the federal government's extension of the
closure date of the analogue phone network. Shadow Minister for Communication Chris
Schacht.
- September, 28 1998. ABC PORT PIRIE Boyd Munroe, APUMP: ...,
from the Association for the Protection of Users of Mobile Phones, says the Coalition has
always opposed the analogue network and Labor has swung both ways ... says the Democrats
and the independents have always supported the system ... says the CDMA (ph.sp.) system
allows duel access, but doesn't allow today's digital system to work with analogue ...
says the system would therefore be opposed by the digital companies.
- September, 28 1998. ABC PORT PIRIE. Walsh says Senator
Richard Alston, Communications Minister, has announced Telstra, Optus and Vodafone will
delay the analogue phaseout deadline by 12 months. Boyd Munroe, APUMP: ..., from the
Association for the Protection of Users of Mobile Phones, says he is guarded by this
announcement because the Liberal party's policy statement is they will work towards the
phaseout ... argues working towards something is very different from actually doing it.
- September, 28 1998. ABC PORT PIRIE Announcer: ... delay to
phasing out of analogue mobiles - Association for the Protection of Users of Mobile
Phones.
- September, 28 1998. SBS Television World News At Nine. The
fazing out of Australia's mobile analog phone system has been delayed for twelve months
... carries Vodafone, Telstra and Optus have agreed to extend the deadline.
- September, 28 1998. BRISBANE ABQ2 State Television News. The
analogue mobile service will be maintained for another year.
- September, 28 1998. CANBERRA ABC3 State Television News.
Farm lobby groups have welcomed news that the mobile phone analogue network will survive
for another year.
- September, 28 1998. CANBERRA 2CN Radio News. The National
Farmers Federation has welcomed the Federal Government's decision to extend the time span
for phasing out analogue mobile phones.
- September, 28 1998. SYDNEY 2BL Radio News. The peak
organisation representing farmers has welcomed the Government's decision to extend the
phase out of Australia's analogue mobile phone system by 12 months. Wendy Craik, National
Farmers' Federation executive director: ... this sort of announcement is welcolmed.
- September, 28 1998. TRIPLE J Radio News. The phasing out of
Australia's analog mobile phone systems has been delayed for 12 months ... the Federal
Communications Minister Richard Alston says Telstra, Optus and Vodafone have agreed to
extend the phase out deadline.
- September, 28 1998. ADELAIDE 5AN Radio News. The phasing out
of Australia's analogue system has been delayed for 12 months. News of the deal came at a
regional conference. Federal Communications Minister, Richard Alston, says Telstra, Optus
and Vodafone have agreed to extend the deadline.
- September, 11 1998. PERTH 6PR, Announcer: ... Ron was on a mobile and
dropped out ... phones are terrible around City
- September, 11 1998. SYDNEY 2GB. Male talkback caller on mobile phone
coverage: ... Prime Minister John Howard is going to let us keep our analogue phones ... I
have an Optus and a Telstra ... the analogue one never fails. Announcer: ... I can't see
the need to dump analogue
- September, 11 1998. ADELAIDE ADS10 State Television News. An Adelaide
man has suffered a bruised leg after being pinned under tonnes of excavation equipment.
While working on a building site, the excavator he was driving toppled into a ditch. The
man, when he realised he was trapped, used his mobile phone to call his employer, who in
turn rang an ambulance.
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Boyd Munro, Association for the Protection of Users of Mobile Phones: ... we are
bitterly disappointed by the Coalition's announcement of subsidising the building of 129
digital base stations along highways that are already largely covered by analogue ... it
is a shameful waste of resources ... the minister and his staff have no concept of the
usage of mobile phones in regional Australia ... they want to close down ... for
commercial convenience of Optus and Vodafone ... Telstra has been disadvantaged. September, 22 1998. BUNBURY 6BS Radio News. The Association for the
Protection of Users of Mobile Phones has called on the Federal Government to restate a
promise ensuring adequate mobile phone coverage in regional areas. September, 22 1998. ABC VICTORIAN REGIONAL GOLDFIELDS FM Jack, Male
talkback caller: ... mobile phones in regional areas ... analogue system is very ordinary
... digital is bloody terrible ... year 2000 is 15 months away. Richard Alston, Federal
Communications Minister: ... never understand the decision to phase out analogue by the
year 2000 ... inherited it... can't simply allow analogue to continue ... legal claims
from people like Vodafone and Optus ... Telstra ... CDMA which has very high quality
digital characteristics ... not allow any analogue services to be withdrawn unless they
were replaced by digital coverage. September, 22 1998. GERALDTON 6GN Radio News. A lobby
group for mobile phone users has called on the Federal Government to restate its promise
to provide adequate mobile phone coverage in regional and remote areas. Boyd Munro,
president, Association for the Protection of Users of Mobile Phones: ... the highways
they're talking about are exclusively in Eastern Australia, there is nothing west of
Adelaide. September, 22 1998. ALBANY 6AL Radio News. A mobile phone users group has called
on the Federal Government to restate a promise ensuring adequate mobile phone coverage in
regional and rural areas. Boyd Munro, Association for the Protection of Users of Mobile
Phones president:... $25 million of taxpayers' money doing what the digital phone
companies should do with their own money. September, 21 1998. SYDNEY 2KY Boyd Munro,
president of the Association for the Protection of Users of Mobile phones ... imagine what
would happen if Telstra was privatised. Boyd Munro: ...the Federal Minister for
Communications, Senator Richard Alston, is now claiming we are exaggerating the extent of
analogue mobile phone coverage ... tells me he is not going to provide adequate substitute
coverage, and that the analogue system should be allowed to remain ... the repeal of
section 361 of the Telecommunications Act ... is only there for the commercial advantage
of Optus and Vodafone. Friday, September, 18 1998. WA REGIONAL GWN State Television News.
WA mid-west locals claim Telstra has ignored mobile phone users in the area. Friday, September 18 ABC MID NORTH COAST PORT
MACQUARIE 2KP-TR Announcer: ... Australia's vocal lobby group for the extension of mobile
services, APUMP, claims the Federal Government has gone wobbly on its commitments to an
extension of digital mobile coverage. Boyd Monroe, APUMP, spokesman: ... we've been very
concerned about the withdrawal of the analog mobile phone network ... our concerns were
put at rest when Deputy Prime Minister, Tim Fischer, announced the CDMA digital base
station ... the Prime Minister, John Howard, has announced funding for more GSM base
stations ... if the government is going to throw its money at the digital GSM stations it
would indicate the new CDMA digital technology would not go ahead September, 17
1998.ALBURY 2AY Radio News 5:05PM Thursday, The Association for the Protection of Mobile
Phone Users has slammed Deputy Prime Minister Tim Fischer for his announcement of a mobile
service for the Lockhart region September, 16 1998. ORANGE PRIME TV State Television News.
Association of Protection of Users of Mobile Phones seeks guarantees that a joint digital
analogue mobile phone system will be developed. National Party candidate for Calare Rod
Blume: ... I don't need to sign a guarantee. September, 15 1998. GIPPSLAND WIN TV State
Television News. A new mobile telephone connected to both analogue and digital systems
offers security for East Gippslanders according to Federal MHR for Gippsland, Peter
McGauran. September, 11 1998. PERTH 6PR, Announcer: ... Ron was on a mobile and dropped
out ... phones are terrible around City September, 11 1998. SYDNEY 2GB. Male talkback
caller on mobile phone coverage: ... Prime Minister John Howard is going to let us keep
our analogue phones ... I have an Optus and a Telstra ... the analogue one never fails.
Announcer: ... I can't see the need to dump analogue September, 11 1998. ADELAIDE
ADS10 State Television News. An Adelaide man has suffered a bruised leg after being pinned
under tonnes of excavation equipment. While working on a building site, the excavator he
was driving toppled into a ditch. The man, when he realised he was trapped, used his
mobile phone to call his employer, who in turn rang an ambulance.
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