Australia’s biggest telco Telstra has caught the Christmas spirit, opening up its payphone network for free local, national and mobile calls until 28 December.
The offer makes available more than 16,000 Telstra payphones across Australia in Christmas give-away which the telco says it hopes allows more people to “get in touch with loved ones this Christmas”.
The free payphone calls offer by Telstra is restricted to local calls, national calls to standard fixed lines and calls to standard Australian mobiles on Telstra-branded payphones, but excludes Telstra rented payphones.
And, national calls to standard fixed line numbers excludes some usage such as calls to premium numbers (e.g. 19xx numbers), 1234 and 12456 numbers.
{loadposition peter}Telstra says some of Australia’s most-used payphones are located in Mr Druitt (NSW), Melbourne Airport (VIC), Royal Brisbane Hospital (Qld), Tennant Creek (NT) and King Leopold Ranges (WA).
“Christmas is all about connecting with friends and family. While most of us are lucky enough to do this in person or have access to technology that helps bring us together, we know there are others who may find themselves separated from loved ones without a way to get in touch,” says Stuart Bird, Telstra Executive Director Home and Business Products.
“Our payphone network spans across the entire country, from capital cities to remote areas like the Gibson Desert and Thursday Island. We see an increase in calls on payphones each December, so by opening up our payphone network, we hope all Australians will be able to reach out to loved ones this holiday season.”
Cathy Humphrey, CEO, Sacred Heart Mission encouraged people who haven’t contacted their loved ones in a while to take advantage of the free calls.
“Christmas can be an extremely tough time for many Australians who are either going through a difficult time themselves or are missing someone they love.
“There are many reasons people might lose contact with friends and family. With financial barriers removed, we’re encouraging anyone who is apart from their loved ones this Christmas to give them a call."
Salvation Army spokesperson Major Paul Hateley said, “We're expecting to support more than 100,000 people this Christmas by providing meals, beds and gifts right around Australia. For many of these people, Christmas is a lonely time as they don't have contact with family, friends and other loved ones for various reasons. So we welcome Telstra's announcement and generosity, which makes it one step easier for people to re-connect this Christmas."
Telstra’s payphone Xmas offer was also welcomed by the St Vincent de Paul Society and the Wesley Mission, with both organisations assisting thousands of needy families and individuals over the Christmas period.