There’s remote - and then there’s remote, which is 300 kms from Alice Springs to ‘Barrow Creek,’ where local publican Les Pilton was one of the first worldwide to get the new iPhone.
Normally, when Apple and its telco partners have iPhone launches, you go to them.
However, if you’re really remote, there’s every chance - no matter how remote (pun fully intended) - that you can get Telstra to come to you, as evidenced by Telstra’s news.
So, what are the details?
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Well, bright and early this morning, before the sun was up, Telstra’s Local Area Manager for Northern Territory, Neale Wigney (pictured below) drove 300 kilometres from Alice Springs to the remote town of Barrow Creek.
He did this ‘to ensure Telstra customer and local publican Les Pilton (pictured-in-picture below) was one of the first in the world to receive a new iPhone 7 (8.01am ACST).’
Telstra says it is ‘confident this is the most remote iPhone launch moment and shows the extra mile(s) Telstra is going for their customers across the country!’
So, who is Mr Les Pilton?
Pilton has run the town’s iconic Barrow Creek Hotel for the past 28 years. The pub is older than the Sydney Harbour Bridge (which opened in 1932), and is the only stop along the 500km of road that stretches between Alice Springs and Tennent Creek.
As you might imagine, Pilton is 'a real character and as you’d expect, living in a town with a population of 4, relies on being able to contact the world around him!’
Telstra says that he was ‘until today using a late model 2G Nokia connected to the Telstra Mobile Network, which is the only mobile service in the region by a country mile. An upgrade to the iPhone 7 allows him to join Telstra’s speedy 4GX network and conduct the orders for the business from his new device and be more upwardly mobile!’
Telstra also shared some data from its upcoming Smartphone Index, which will be released next week.
The sneak peek of this data shows:
- Australia is one of the world leading smartphone nations with almost 9 in 10 Australians (89%) owning a smartphone - Just behind South Korea and ahead of the U.K. And US.
- Aussies are also leaders in Smartphone photography with 64% of active smartphone owners now using their smartphone instead of a camera to snap photos.
A good fit given the new camera and tech that is within the iPhone 7.
Telstra also reminds us that ‘customers who are looking to get the new iPhone 7 can also get a trade-in of up to $400 credit when they trade in their iPhone 6. It is estimated there are more than 25 million mobile phones sitting idle on shelves and in drawers across the nation and customers have told us they want an easy way to unlock the value of their unused phones. The trade in offer makes owning a new iPhone even more affordable.’
Group Managing Director of Consumer Vicki Brady said: "We’ve seen strong demand with pre-order exceeding expectations. This morning we’ve had thousands of customers visit Telstra stores around the country to get their hands on the latest smartphone. This year we’ve also gone the extra mile in regional locations. This included a stop off in Barrow Creek, Northern Territory, where we delivered the new phone to Les Pilton, one of our most regional customers.”
See photos below!
