More expected of cellphone network `Short sighted'

OPINION: It is hard to believe that less than 20 years ago we didn't have things like mobile phones, email, internet and all the other bits of technology that many of us are now dependant on.

Technology – when it works – can be incredible. But when it doesn't, things very quickly get heated up.

Telecom customers are feeling the burden of broken technology with the company's XT mobile network currently experiencing serious technical issues.

Since Wednesday thousands of customers have been plagued by problems, and a number of cell sites in areas in the lower South Island are still affected.

This is the second time in two months that the network has had problems. In December a technical fault in Christchurch resulted in at least 100,000 of Telecom's 300,000 XT customers bring unable to make calls, text or use the internet for one day.

The company compensated customers by offering them free calls for a weekend.

So far Telecom has been silent on how it will compensate customers for this latest outage but it is likely that more than free calls will be needed to placate irate customers.

With telephone line rentals costing a lot of money many people have switched to mobile phones, particularly pre-paid, where they pay only for calls rather than line availability. Many businesses have also moved away from fixed lines to mobile. It is these people who are most affected when things go wrong and that is why reliable communications are vital.

Frustrated customers might be looking to give Telecom the boot after this latest outage and, according to consumer experts, they would have a good case for breaking the contracts with the company.

One thing is clear though. Telecom needs to sort out its problems and compensate its customers or else it could be a case of "three strikes..."

It is good to see that there are no plans to start charging for all adult fiction and non-fiction at the Marlborough District Libraries.

Free books have always been one of the traditional pillars of public libraries, but in Tauranga the council wants to introduce a 50c charge for all adult fiction and non-fiction books.

Such a move has rightly been labelled "short sighted" by Marlborough mayor Alistair Sowman.

Marlborough libraries currently charge only for about 40 per cent of their popular fiction catalogue as well as compact discs and DVDs as they are regarded as entertainment.

Libraries are there to provide knowledge and encourage reading. Charging for all books is a sure way to negate the good work they do.

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