Spotted: New NBN Co gear and a very naked Telstra

By Brett Winterford on Jan 27, 2011 6:00 AM
Filed under Telco/ISP

Photos just in from iTnews' army of spies.

iTnews is building an army of spies.

It started with our walking history tour of Aussie telco manhole covers, which was completed only after some eagle-eyed readers sent in some shots of their own.

We’ve since had quite a few photos arrive in the inbox – of everything from flooded data centres in Brisbane to strange new pieces of telecoms infrastructure we’ve not seen before.

We have rounded up some January arrivals – not all of which we have an adequate explanation for… perhaps you can help?

(Oh and my apologies for using an Uncle Sam image so close to Australia Day – there should be a law against such a thing. Keeping to the Yankee theme we’ll name our spies “embassy staff”.)

THIS JUST IN FROM THE GERALDTON EMBASSY (WESTERN AUSTRALIA)

So you have seen some manhole covers for Tasmania NBN Co, and some esky-lid covers from NBN Co in Queensland… How about this then?

Photo: Alex

Alex claims to have found this manhole cover on the backhaul route being built between the Metronode data centre in East Perth to NBN Co’s terminal in Geraldton.

If there are no complaints or controversies about its legitimacy, we’ll be adding this to the collection.

THIS JUST IN FROM THE AITKENVILLE EMBASSY (QUEENSLAND)

Scott Brown noted this new piece of kit being added to the power pole outside his house in one of NBN Co’s first release sites.

Photo: Scott Brown

We haven’t been able to identify it as yet, but Scott suspects it is a fibre connection point. Any telco engineers out there able to give a better explanation? Please comment below or email us.

THIS JUST IN FROM THE INNER WEST SYDNEY EMBASSY (NEW SOUTH WALES)

Just because everything is going fibre it doesn’t mean copper can’t still be sexy – check out this Telstra pillar box spotted in Sydney’s Inner West, naked as the day you were born.

Source: Jenna Pitcher

Technology columnist Jenna Pitcher sent this in to us after spotting the topless pillar box over the weekend in a high density area.

Whilst she isn’t a Telstra customer, Jenna was concerned for her neighbours (their circuits could easily have been compromised by vandals) and attempted to contact Telstra to come and return the box to some level of decency.

Navigating on her smartphone, she searched Telstra’s web site for the relevant number – and upon thinking she found it, dialed a number that took her to a voice recognition service, and after following prompts the call was patched through to Triple 0.

Annoyed, Jenna persevered by calling Telstra’s main hotline service number, and was directed through to an Indian call centre. Imagine explaining that

(a) You’re not a Telstra customer

(b) This is serious but please don’t put me back through to Triple 0

(d) No, again, we’re not Telstra customers.

Leaving her details, a Telstra representative called back ten minutes later and said the problem would be addressed within 24 hours.

"We can advise that there has been no impact to services in the area and that we will have the lid replaced this afternoon," a Telstra spokesperson told iTnews.

"We are not sure of the reason why the lid has been removed. It may be due to vandalism or damage, which is why it is great you have reported it to us."

Thankfully, we all learn a lesson from this episode:

(a) Telstra learns why Indian call centre staff aren’t best place to handle local service issues

(b) iTnews readers learn that the best number to report vandalism or damage to Telstra's network is on 13 22 03.

Spotted anything interesting in the wild? Shoot us an email.

Spotted: New NBN Co gear and a very naked Telstra

17 comments in this discussion

"Still, I also worry about those who work in public agencies, as to whether they understand the very basics of information theory, when they devise their item numbering schemes. The NSW Roads and ..."

By Graeme Harrison (prof at-symbol post.harvard.edu)

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Comments: 17

aaronm Jan 27, 2011 7:58 AM	What's with the anti-indian racism? Telstra staff are all pretty useless regardless of the colour of their skin
ARF102 Jan 27, 2011 8:34 AM	Yes,yes aaronm, ad nauseam.
BrettWinterford Jan 27, 2011 9:14 AM	Indian, American, Icelandic, Zimbabwean - the point isn't the colour of their skin Aaron, it is that they can't be expected to help with local service/infrastructure issues. Is there a more politically correct way I should have said it so as to not offend your fragile sensibilities?
Rookie Jan 27, 2011 9:39 AM	Well said Brett! Sometimes we need to call a spade a spade even if it does p*** off the MINORITIES.
scan06disk Jan 27, 2011 10:13 AM	@Aaron Its not related to ones Skin colour, but the fact that they need to provide Onshore support for Onshore services, I haven't come across any issues with their Indian Based CCs, but I've heard of thousands who have had issues and due to support being remote, things rarely get solved or take forever to get solved ! @Brett "it is that they can't be expected to help with local service/infrastructure issues." Not "can't be expected to help", its not their fault, Telstra are the ones to blame putting them under scrutiny... @ Rookie Pi off the Italians and you'll have that very same spade up ur A... ;)
masonpj Jan 27, 2011 10:32 AM	One word "context", and to be completely clear, a definition; “context: the set of circumstances or facts that surround a particular event or situation”. I don’t give a flying continental about the ethnic background of the individual who serves me, but they had better understand my context. If they don’t understand my context and this is becoming a more regular occurrence now that Telstra are using a Philippine based call centre for mobile services, the operator, their supervisor and their management will incur my wrath!
frances Jan 27, 2011 1:19 PM	I had a similar experience to Jenna's last year when I tried to report a phone junction pillar (one of the square ones) whose fibreglass cover had been dislodged and was letting rain water in. I racked up $2.50 in mobile charges trying to get past the "please enter the number of the faulty line" then gave up. I then rang the local council who said it wasn't their problem. I then pocketed my mobile phone and continued walking the dog, muttering something you'll surely have heard on Grumpy Old Men. What a ridiculous world we've created for ourselves. Corporate incompetence knows no bounds.
Bazwalt Jan 28, 2011 9:14 AM	To be completely honest, Telstra need to do the same thing that Energex/Origin do with their power cabinets and place a sticker or engraving on units such as the pillars that reads "Please report problems to 13 00 00 00" or something along those lines. Its only common sense to do such i thing if you are leaving important infrastructure equipment in public access.
GrumpyGUTZ Jan 28, 2011 12:26 PM	Sounds about right for Telstra/VodaPhone/Optus/{Insert everyone else} Support. Call Centre Staff know only what is on their little response CheatSheet. I recently rang Telstra regarding a warranty claim for a cracked mobile LCD Display. 4 Times the Call Centre Support Person asked me to reset the phone. I kept telling her, I didn't think that would fix physical damage. Her constant response "Please Sir, at least try it!" In the end I drove to nearest Telstra Shop and got a replacement unit. I wish the Tech-Heads can invent a self-healing Phone. Until then increase the level of support available. As for missing Covers, report it to the Police, it is a potential security risk to the customers using that junction BOX.
Graeme Harrison (prof at-symbol post.harvard.edu) Jan 28, 2011 3:03 PM	Bazwalt is correct, Telstra/NBN etc need to put BOTH the phone number for any problems AND the serial number of the unit on the outside (like NSW traffic light boxes) for any important infrastructure in a public place. Hoping to get through on a general support number is flawed for a number of reasons (you're not a customer, you can't uniquely identify the asset, you're in a general queue etc).
midspace Jan 28, 2011 4:36 PM	yes, please don't be racist in your comments regarding call centers. The location of the call centre is at issue, not the people who run it. Whenever I've run into the overseas callcenter, my greatest problem has never been their accent, but the lack of volume and quality of line. Try shouting in a clear unaccented voice your 32 character email address into a phone line next time in an effort to idenfy your account. Damn hard. And don't take it out on the companies all the time either, as they do get it right. I had a friend tell me about their Melbourne call center for Australian Super, who have people of Indian descent who work there. Every soften they get a call from someone who doesn't beleive they are actually in Melbourne, Australia. Just cause they have the accent, doesn't mean they aren't Australian. Traffic signal boxes in Victoria have stickers on them too. "Phone this number..." "Quote this number..."
himagain Jan 31, 2011 1:46 PM	If I had ANY accent except Oz, I wouldn't take on a call-centre job! One of the big problems is the insanity of the actual call service provider companies fraudulently claiming to be offering local support. It is actually a terrible insult to thousands of well-educated Indians (et al) to be required to pretend that they are "George from Bondi". It is just an added insanity to the stress that their often 18 hour days place on them. I do feel for them, but unless the backlash is substantial, not only do we finish up frustrated and with no real result, but these are our jobs vanishing BECAUSE we are accepting such low standards of service. Anyone remember QANTAS - the ONLY airline in the world NEVER to have a crash? (Before "outsourcing")
Gurnin Jan 31, 2011 3:23 PM	Most Telstra call centres are actually based in the Philippines now.
Ace Jan 31, 2011 5:32 PM	Except @Baz & @GH, the phone number would have disappeared along with the cover in this case. May a pressure swith mounted on top of the naked pillar, and a camera to monitor it, and another camera to monitor the monitoring camera would do the trick. But then they'd need the RTA's speed camera budget.
Ace Jan 31, 2011 5:32 PM	delete (stupid fing posted twice!) Edited by Ace: 31/1/2011 05:34:22 PM
Graeme Harrison (prof at-symbol post.harvard.edu) Feb 2, 2011 4:42 PM	Yes Ace, if the cover is nowhere in sight, the asset number may not help, but if all such items of infrastructure in a public space had both the telephone number and asset number, someone could still report it, by reference to another case farther along the roadway, the cover of which could provide the telephone number and the adjoining asset number. The biggest complaint by those who have tried to report problems is not in providing a location, but rather simply trying to get to the right phone number to report the problem.
Graeme Harrison (prof at-symbol post.harvard.edu) Feb 2, 2011 4:59 PM	Still, I also worry about those who work in public agencies, as to whether they understand the very basics of information theory, when they devise their item numbering schemes. The NSW Roads and Traffic Authority now allows you to renew your vehicle (existing) registration on-line. The RTA uses Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) to uniquely identify vehicles (as the manufacturer intended), for many purposes, but it is refused as an identifier of the vehicle for re-registration. The RTA also have their own numberplate 'text', which the RTA generated, but they also refuse to accept this themselves for vehicle identification for registration renewal. A few years back they gave a "Client ID" for the owner of a particular vehicle, but they also refuse to allow that number to be used for vehicle identification for rego renewal. Instead, for the 'new' service, they have come up with a 'new' unique ID for the vehicle - a "billing ID". One MUST enter that number, and only that number to identify the vehicle. This is actually a one-time number printed only on the piece of paper sent to you, which may have gotten lost, or which may not be with you, when you need to renew (as happened to me with a PO Box and two homes). Six years ago, Telstra were (I thought) the only organisation in Australia which refused "account number" as a basis to pay some money off a bill. Remember how Telstra's phone payment system required you to cite a number that was unique to the LAST sent invoice for that account, and otherwise they would not accept the money. This ensured that you could not pay off your Telstra bill while travelling. Well, the NSW government has recently followed this magnificent example. It seems that the more monopolistic the service provider, the more inane the rules needed to be complied with, in order to achieve simple outcomes. I suspect that the NBN or Telstra Asset numbers we would see on the covers of the infrastructure items placed in public spaces would be 32-character alphanumeric codes, having 36 (26 letters plus 10 digits say) raised to the 32-power possibilities - more data range than is needed to identify every unique particle of sand on every beach in the world. Let's hope they apply some sense in asset numbering, and not seek help from the IT people who set up their customer payments system.