Embracing a digital economy

Telstra and NSW Farmers each care deeply about Australians in rural, regional and remote areas in New South Wales. Through our partnership we have the opportunity to hear what matters for regional communities. But just as importantly, we take our listening and turn this into opportunities to collaborate and deliver improvements where there is opportunity to do so.

This year has been like no other with extreme challenges but as businesses reopen and some social restrictions ease, we believe it is time to change the dialogue from recovery and start thinking differently.   Profound disruption has brought opportunities to be bold, to re-think conventional wisdom, and seek out new economic and social opportunities to help build a stronger future for everyone.

The disruption has forced many to embrace technology like never before. Australia now has a digital economy and it is important that we as a nation now do not lose that momentum particularly in areas of health, education and creating vibrant regional economies.  

Telstra is committed to playing our part in the future of regional Australia just as we have always done. Together with NSW Farmers, we are able to help regional communities face an ever-changing future with confidence.

Here are some Telstra updates to help you stay connected

Cyber Security, the rising threat

Even before COVID-19, cyber security was a large and growing area of risk that went to the very heart of the safety and security of the nation, of every family and business. COVID-19 has amplified that risk because so many of us are now working and studying from home.  We’re already working to make sure that the internet is a safer place to do business, socialise and stay entertained from home. Our Cleaner Pipes initiative works to actively block cyber threats on our network that would compromise the safety of our customers’ personal information. Cleaner Pipes involves significantly upscaling our Domain Name System (DNS) filtering, where millions of malware communications are being proactively and automatically blocked every week as they try to cross Telstra’s infrastructure. This action reduces the impact of cyber threats on millions of Telstra’s customers including stopping the theft of personal data, financial losses, fraudulent activity and users’ computers being infected with malware. We know many consumers and small businesses do not have the resources to adequately protect themselves. If customers click on a link to a malicious or suspicious site that has been blocked, they will be presented with a webpage alerting them to what has happened.

The quickest way to get personalised support from Telstra

COVID-19 has fundamentally changed the way we interact with each other. People are calling less and messaging more. Everyone is going online to find answers. That’s why we’re rapidly changing the way you can contact us when you need support.

Messaging in the My Telstra app is a convenient way to get help. Unlike our old Live Chat interactions, the conversation happens on your schedule. Just as you would experience in other messaging apps that you use, you can jump in and out of the MyTelstra messaging conversation as it suits you. And your history is always there so you have a record of the interactions. Our always-on Messaging service also means no idle time between conversation, no dropouts, and a more personalised experience.

To access Messaging, download the MyTelstraApp https://www.telstra.com.au/mytelstra

Why we’re changing our mobile plans

We know that you want and are using more mobile data than ever – so we’ve updated our plans and pricing to meet that need. Last year, as we moved to plans which had no lock-in contracts and no excess data charges in Australia, we radically changed the way we worked. If you have a mobile plan with Telstra, you now have the freedom to move up and down plans to suit your budget and data use each month, so you only pay for what you want. One year on from when we introduced our new mobile plans, we’re refreshing our mobile plans with up to 30GB of extra data. From July 1, in line with the extra data we’ve added, prices will rise by $5 per month on new Small, Medium and Large mobile plans. Our Small plan gains 10GB of extra data for a total of 40GB per month, while Medium and Large plans both add 20GB for a total of 80GB and 120GB a month respectively. Our Extra Large plan will rise by $15, and include 30GB of extra data for a total of 180GB. We’re including 5G access on Medium and above plans and above as part of this shift.

The good news for existing customers who migrate to our new plans before September 30 is that they won’t see any price rise for 12 months. We’ll be contacting these customers about their plans changes to encourage them to migrate and take advantage of this rebate.

Giving back to our regions

Telstra’s executive regularly travels to regional areas to meet with rural and regional customers and stakeholders in their communities to get a firsthand sense of the issues that matter most to them. While this hasn’t been physically possible during the COVID-19 pandemic, it hasn’t stopped us from keeping a strong focus on connecting with and supporting regional Australia.

We care deeply about keeping communities connected, which is why our purpose is to create a connected future where everyone can thrive. It is also why we’re working to help foster digital inclusion and provide support to community organisations. In more recent times that is especially so for those that have been impacted by the various crises experienced right across our country, from bushfires, drought, floods and now COVID-19.

We’ve identified a range of essential services – not-for-profit, and cause-related organisations – that are on the frontline of helping disadvantaged groups and impacted communities, and we’re working closely to help them with various philanthropic endeavours and initiatives. Many of these organisations we already partner with through our business, and this donation is an extension of that support to further enable their important work continuing through technology.

For more information on any of these stories go to Telstra Exchange https://exchange.telstra.com.au/