Telstra says right phone needed in southern Tasmania
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Telstra says specific mobile phones are needed in rural areas
Telstra says Next G mobile phones designed for rural areas have been found to work in seas off the Tasman Peninsula.
Recreational fisherman, Len Pullen, was unable to use his Next G mobile phone to call for help last week when an artery in his arm was punctured in an accident.
Telstra sent technicians to the same section of water yesterday to assess coverage in the area.
Noel Hunt from Telstra has told ABC Local Radio that Mr Pullen would have been able to call if he'd had a phone that was specifically for rural areas.
"We tested out CDMA in that location and there was no coverage at all.
"We tested out the Next G phone - the type that Len had - and that didn't work either,
"But the Telstra country phone, Next G country phone, which is a Blue Tick phone worked very well in the spot."
Telstra plans to scrap its CDMA mobile network at the end of the month, leaving only its Next G network.
