Local business counts cost of internet tug-of-war

POCKETS of Ipswich are without adequate broadband coverage because of a tug-of-war between NBN Co and Telstra.

For residents and businesses in areas promised NBN high-speed broadband, Telstra will not upgrade services about to be replaced by NBN infrastructure and delays in the rollout put them in a technological limbo.

The QT has received calls from readers in Basin Pocket, Augustine Heights and Peak Crossing caught with no access to internet or low speed connections.

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Technology Drive at Augustine Heights, one of the Springfield area's major business precincts, is one of those areas.

The Greater Springfield Veterinary Hospital has been without phones and internet since it opened four weeks ago.

The $1.3 million facility is the area's first dedicated after-hours veterinary hospital.

Practice manager Rachel Ball said the practice opened as an after-hours clinic and had no direct line for emergency contact.

"I signed a contract months ago knowing that a phone and internet service was a really important part of our business and I was advised at the time Telstra did provide a connection to this area," Dr Ball said.

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"Telstra has since advised that they won't be servicing this area.

"It makes it very difficult.

"We've been running off a mobile phone. It has put extra demand on our other practice (at Woodcrest Way) because they are trying to take our phone load as well as the other clinic's phone load and we don't have a direct line where people can phone us in case of emergency."

A Telstra spokesman said availability of broadband in existing suburbs could be limited by ADSL technology.

"This includes limitations inherent to ADSL technology like their distance from the exchange or the availability of spare ports at the exchange," he said.