For telcos attempting to restore services in the wake of record floods in northern NSW and SE Queensland, failing power remains to be the biggest challenge. Among the interim fixes being deployed in the field were generators and satellite cells-on-wheels 

According to NBN Co, it currently has 14 generators on standby. All of these are ready to deploy into Northern New South Wales once the waters recede and it can access the network. The company also has generators ready for deployment into Caboolture, Barellan Point, Grantham, Munruben, Milton, and Jimboomba in Queensland.

Around 125 mobile sites of Telstra have been impacted. According to Telstra regional GM Michael Marom, “Many areas are...still inaccessible due to floodwaters or are without power. We are working with power and local authorities to access the affected areas so we can get to work to bring services back online… We are making progress… We have technicians on the ground in areas we can access and we have more ready to go as soon as other areas open up.”

A spokesperson of the telco added: “We have temporary mobile facilities available that can be used in appropriate situations. Our technicians were able to install a temporary satellite mobile service in Kilkivan, near Gympie in Queensland, to deliver some coverage to the community after one of our cables was washed away. Temporary mobile facilities do have the same limitations of requiring power and access to an area in order to be deployed and we carefully and constantly assess where and when they may be able to help.”

Meanwhile, TPG Telecom said that some impacted sites cannot be safely accessed as yet. “We have mobile service in most flood-affected areas, except for several postcodes in southeast Queensland and northern NSW. Where our network is unavailable, Triple Zero calls will divert to an alternative network where available,” said the company’s spokesperson. 

“Two Vodafone stores are currently closed in Queensland.”

In terms of NBN progress, a spokesperson of the network said “The site is owned and operated by a third party and we continue to work closely with them to restore services as soon as it is safe.”

“We have generators on standby to support connectivity in these areas, which will be deployed once we are able to access these areas,” added the spokesperson. “We will also work to restore the remaining services in this area as soon as possible, however, this may take some time due to floodwaters still making site access difficult and unsafe in some areas.”