Fires damage infrastructure

Not only have the Victorian bushfires destroyed entire towns and communities, but problems have occurred from damaged telecommunications infrastructure. In a speech to the Committee for Economic Development of Australia yesterday, Telstra chief executive Sol Trujillo says the rebuilding effort will cost millions and require a large taskforce to get the job done.

The bushfires and the floods will require a massive multi-million dollar Telstra recovery effort to rebuild our networks,” he said.

Optus has also suffered infrastructure setbacks, with a number of its mobile phone towers destroyed. Many family members are now unable to contact others after the fires, as any telecommunications infrastructure has been wiped out.

But the recovery may take some time. Telstra Country Wide executive director Grant Wiltshire told ZDNet.com.au that as the fires are still raging, no repairs are able to begin until the areas are declared safe.