Customer service, harvest dropouts and tower network sharing were some of the topics to come out of a meeting between Telstra and Walgett leaders on Wednesday 25 February.

Farming and opal mining representatives joined community members and senior council staff for the discussion with Telstra Regional Manager Mike Marrom and Regional Engagement Officer Ian George alongside nbn's engagement officer Erica Tudor.

The telcos attended at the invitation of Parkes MP Jamie Chaffey, to hear first hand the concerns of Walgett region residents and businesses.

NSW Farmers Walgett president Cameron Rowntree, who went to the meeting, said Telstra's current coverage outside of towns is not reaching far enough.

"Unless you've got a Starlink system, you've got no hope," he said.

"The new Telstra systems are simply not up to scratch, not only for business perspectives, but also for emergency services and safety issues.

"The concerns that we have in the north west are similar to the rest of the concerns of regional NSW and, for that matter, regional Australia.

"It was something that they turned up to listen to our concerns."

Walgett Shire Council leader Andrew Brown also took part in the meeting. [IMAGE: River McCrossen]

Farmers brought up congested service during the harvest period, as well as the possibility of Telstra sharing their mobile towers with other services.

Another common gripe was Telstra customer service representatives not understanding community needs and offering services that don't work.

They also flagged spending large sums on network equipment which becomes obsolete within a few years.

"It was worthwhile, but we'll see what comes," Walgett Shire General Manager Andrew Brown said.

"I did feel for the representatives. They were very respectful. They listened, they took it on board, but it's a hard problem to solve.

"Telstra is a private company, so there needs to be a return on investment for them to fund it, or else the funding needs to come from the state and federal government."

It wasn't all bad news.

Attendees heard about Telstra's low earth orbit (LEO) satellite service, which will allow customers to text outside of mobile service areas.

However, technology news site iTnews reported on Wednesday 25 February that the company has paused the rollout until satellite manufacturer Eutelsat can put more craft into service.

Despite a history of blackspot and poorer service than their metro cousins, the Western Plains only accounted for 20 of 4295 complaints lodged with the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) in the last quarter of 2025.

Sarah Thompson from the NSW Farmers Rural Affairs Committee said customers should report their problems.

"I think we need to keep being the proverbial squeaky wheel and keep complaining, but do it in a way that matters, and that’s to the TIO," she said.

"We’re encouraging people who aren’t satisfied with their service or the resolutions from their providers to go to the TIO to try and get a better outcome and make sure the issues are reported on."