1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:02,560 Speaker 1: More than a third of farmers say their mobile coverage 2 00:00:02,560 --> 00:00:04,960 Speaker 1: has actually gotten worse in the past year, and it's 3 00:00:05,000 --> 00:00:08,639 Speaker 1: affecting both their work and their safety. Only fifty seven 4 00:00:08,680 --> 00:00:12,520 Speaker 1: percent of farmland gets coverage with no improvement since twenty 5 00:00:12,520 --> 00:00:17,680 Speaker 1: twenty two. FED Farmer's telecommunications spokesperson Mark Hooper is with me. Now, Hey, Mark, 6 00:00:19,120 --> 00:00:21,960 Speaker 1: good evening. Were any idea why it's getting worse? 7 00:00:24,320 --> 00:00:29,280 Speaker 2: I would say that that's probably a pretty technical question. 8 00:00:29,560 --> 00:00:32,519 Speaker 2: I mean, it's probably relates to load capacity and all 9 00:00:32,560 --> 00:00:35,839 Speaker 2: of that sort of thing. But I guess that's probably 10 00:00:35,920 --> 00:00:40,080 Speaker 2: one of the key takeaways for us is that there's 11 00:00:40,120 --> 00:00:44,559 Speaker 2: obviously some technical challenges in that space. And one of 12 00:00:44,560 --> 00:00:46,560 Speaker 2: the reasons that we ran this survey at this point 13 00:00:46,560 --> 00:00:49,000 Speaker 2: in time is to get a bit of a baseline. Again, 14 00:00:49,080 --> 00:00:50,800 Speaker 2: what was a check in, because as he mentioned, this 15 00:00:50,880 --> 00:00:53,680 Speaker 2: hasn't changed since twenty twenty two, which we lasted the survey, 16 00:00:54,040 --> 00:00:56,600 Speaker 2: so that was surprising in the first instance, but also 17 00:00:57,480 --> 00:01:01,720 Speaker 2: coming up in twenty six we've got the sunsetting or 18 00:01:03,120 --> 00:01:06,679 Speaker 2: closure of the three Genie group and so potentially it 19 00:01:06,680 --> 00:01:08,360 Speaker 2: could get worse. So we're just trying to get a 20 00:01:08,360 --> 00:01:12,680 Speaker 2: good handle on what the situation is and hopefully look 21 00:01:12,760 --> 00:01:14,199 Speaker 2: for some technical solutions. 22 00:01:15,160 --> 00:01:17,759 Speaker 1: It's it's quite apt that your line is a little 23 00:01:17,800 --> 00:01:23,039 Speaker 1: dodgy with us. Mark. Hey, you said thirteen percent still 24 00:01:23,160 --> 00:01:27,040 Speaker 1: using three G. That's pretty serious stuff because it is 25 00:01:27,160 --> 00:01:28,360 Speaker 1: coming to an end. 26 00:01:29,640 --> 00:01:33,559 Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, that's that's right. And you know, there's there's 27 00:01:33,600 --> 00:01:37,240 Speaker 2: both that aspect to it in terms of, you know, 28 00:01:37,360 --> 00:01:41,280 Speaker 2: needing to change devices and stuff and preps. People are 29 00:01:41,319 --> 00:01:44,520 Speaker 2: still using those older devices because they get better coverage 30 00:01:44,520 --> 00:01:49,760 Speaker 2: from them. But also there's you know, there's also the 31 00:01:50,880 --> 00:01:54,320 Speaker 2: yet to be identified I guess in terms of what 32 00:01:54,360 --> 00:01:57,320 Speaker 2: happens when that closes down. Does that improve the four 33 00:01:57,360 --> 00:02:00,200 Speaker 2: G five G coverage? Some say yes, some say no. 34 00:02:00,400 --> 00:02:03,160 Speaker 2: So again, technical issues there that have to be worked through, 35 00:02:03,200 --> 00:02:04,800 Speaker 2: and so we're just trying to get a bit of 36 00:02:04,800 --> 00:02:06,840 Speaker 2: a baseline handle on what the situation is. 37 00:02:06,920 --> 00:02:09,520 Speaker 1: What about starlink, Mark, Lots of people are texting and 38 00:02:09,560 --> 00:02:10,480 Speaker 1: saying get starlink. 39 00:02:11,840 --> 00:02:16,519 Speaker 2: Yeah yeah. And so obviously we've seen a significant improvement 40 00:02:17,080 --> 00:02:21,200 Speaker 2: or uptake there of satellite services, and I think I 41 00:02:21,240 --> 00:02:23,560 Speaker 2: think this kind of plays into the bigger picture here 42 00:02:23,639 --> 00:02:28,160 Speaker 2: because on the one hand, you've got, as we've seen, 43 00:02:28,240 --> 00:02:32,640 Speaker 2: relatively petchy and limited cell phone coverage and areas. But 44 00:02:32,720 --> 00:02:37,239 Speaker 2: simultaneously a lot of those same people are experiencing or 45 00:02:37,280 --> 00:02:42,040 Speaker 2: facing the decommissioning of the Copper network. And there's still 46 00:02:42,040 --> 00:02:46,480 Speaker 2: forty percent that we're on a using a Copper landline, 47 00:02:47,240 --> 00:02:50,840 Speaker 2: and so that's quite high. Eighty percent of those didn't 48 00:02:50,840 --> 00:02:53,840 Speaker 2: have an alternative in place yet or any idea what 49 00:02:53,880 --> 00:02:57,840 Speaker 2: their alternative would be. So there's quite a transition to 50 00:02:57,919 --> 00:03:01,160 Speaker 2: happened there, and that kind of just isalates the concerns 51 00:03:01,200 --> 00:03:03,440 Speaker 2: I think that people have because you know, they look 52 00:03:03,480 --> 00:03:05,079 Speaker 2: at it and say, well, I've got really poor cell 53 00:03:05,080 --> 00:03:09,320 Speaker 2: phone coverage while they're cutting off my comper network. Obviously 54 00:03:09,400 --> 00:03:12,640 Speaker 2: they're different providers, but you know, it just adds to 55 00:03:12,680 --> 00:03:14,520 Speaker 2: that sense of isolation and concern. 56 00:03:15,240 --> 00:03:18,160 Speaker 1: I totally understand the feeling mark, but is there what 57 00:03:18,160 --> 00:03:19,960 Speaker 1: do you say to people who will listen to this 58 00:03:20,080 --> 00:03:22,639 Speaker 1: and go, well, you know you are living really there 59 00:03:22,680 --> 00:03:26,320 Speaker 1: are fewer people. Therefore the investment, you know, from an 60 00:03:26,320 --> 00:03:28,600 Speaker 1: economic perspective, may not just be worth it. 61 00:03:30,560 --> 00:03:38,480 Speaker 2: Yeah, I think if we take a holistic there is 62 00:03:38,520 --> 00:03:43,480 Speaker 2: actually quite a lot of good technology available as replacements, 63 00:03:43,560 --> 00:03:48,760 Speaker 2: particularly for the landline and internet services, and it's inevitable 64 00:03:48,800 --> 00:03:51,640 Speaker 2: that change is coming in that space, So that process 65 00:03:52,400 --> 00:03:55,640 Speaker 2: is very much underway. It's really a case of just 66 00:03:55,680 --> 00:03:59,200 Speaker 2: making sure that people have access to good advice, that 67 00:03:59,240 --> 00:04:02,040 Speaker 2: they can get an independent source of automation, they can 68 00:04:02,120 --> 00:04:06,760 Speaker 2: understand what options and also you know what the pros 69 00:04:06,800 --> 00:04:09,200 Speaker 2: and cons are. One of the things I guess, just 70 00:04:09,240 --> 00:04:13,200 Speaker 2: to come back to that starting question, you know, one 71 00:04:13,240 --> 00:04:15,800 Speaker 2: of our concerns is that we've got a lot of 72 00:04:15,840 --> 00:04:21,000 Speaker 2: good small New Zealand based businesses, whips you know, while 73 00:04:21,080 --> 00:04:24,560 Speaker 2: listen to me, supers providers do some work in our 74 00:04:24,600 --> 00:04:29,320 Speaker 2: communities and it's easy just to say, yes, Starlink does 75 00:04:29,320 --> 00:04:32,840 Speaker 2: a great job. But you know, should I give my 76 00:04:32,960 --> 00:04:35,240 Speaker 2: one hundred and fifty nine dollars a month to space? 77 00:04:35,720 --> 00:04:38,480 Speaker 2: Should I support. 78 00:04:37,560 --> 00:04:39,520 Speaker 1: Try and get it into a local one? Yeah, Hey, Mark, 79 00:04:39,600 --> 00:04:41,480 Speaker 1: we will have to wrap it up there. Unfortunately, and 80 00:04:41,520 --> 00:04:44,200 Speaker 1: ironically the line is pretty bad for you. It's Mark 81 00:04:44,240 --> 00:04:50,200 Speaker 1: Hooper speaking fed Farmer's telecommunications spokesperson, having trouble with our telecommunications. 82 00:04:50,640 --> 00:04:53,840 Speaker 1: For more from Heather Duplessy Alan Drive, listen live to 83 00:04:53,920 --> 00:04:56,960 Speaker 1: news talks it'd be from four pm weekdays, or follow 84 00:04:57,000 --> 00:04:58,760 Speaker 1: the podcast on iHeartRadio.