About Telstra
Fast Facts
Our company
- Telstra is Australia's leading telecommunications and information services company, with one of the best known brands in the country.
- Telstra offers a full range of products and services to meet the needs of our customers. Our telecommunications services provide vast geographical coverage through both our fixed and mobile network infrastructure ý servicing many millions of Australian customers.
- In 2008-09, sales revenue was $25.4 billion and reported EBITDA was $10.9 billion.
- In 2008-09, Telstra generated $4.4 billion of free cash flow and paid $3.5 billion in dividends to shareholders.
- Telstra has the largest shareholder base in Australia; with 1.4 million shareholders and millions more investing through superannuation funds.
- The Telstra Brand has been named as Australia's most valued brand for nine years in a row, and has been valued at $9.7 billion dollars by Interbrand.
Our service
- In 2008/09, Telstra:
- Handled 4.8 billion local calls, 6.6 billion national long distance minutes, 3.3 billion fixed-to-mobile minutes and 8.9 billion text messages;
- Provided 9 million fixed line and 10.2 million mobile services, including wholesale services;
- Handled more than 60,000 calls in our contact centres each day;
- Operated and maintained more than 11,000 telephone exchanges;
- Our people and contractors, on average, completed around 23,000 customer service jobs (new services and fault repairs) a day;
- Managed more than 95 million bills;
- Supplied products and services at more than 13,000 customer points of presence across Australia, including 124 company-owned Telstra shops, 169 licensed Telstra shops and more than 600 authorised dealers;
- Opened 22 Telstra Business Centres across Australia; and
- Opened or refreshed 79 T[life]™ stores across Australia.
Our technology & innovation
- Telstra's network and systems infrastructure underpins the carriage and termination of the majority of Australia's domestic and international voice and data telephony traffic.
- The Next G™ network is Australia's largest and fastest national mobile broadband network, covering more than 99% of the population.
- We have launched more than 150 devices since the Next G™ network opened, including 80 Next G™ handsets and PDAs, 20 Next G™ data cards and US B modems and 53 Next G™ modules, routers, telemetry devices and embedded laptops.
- The Next IP™ network is one of the largest national IP networks in the world and supports all of Telstra's networks, services and products, including the Next G™, HFC and ADSL networks.
- The Telstra Next IP™ network provides world-class reliability, enhanced security and the IP /MPLS core has unbeatable scale up to 92Tbps per node. It is also 77 times more scalable than the old network, with 99.999% reliability.
- In 2008-09, Telstra invested $96 million to build an additional 234 Next G™ mobile base stations.
- In October 2008, Telstra launched the Sydney-Hawaii submarine cable called The Endeavour. At over 9,000 km, the cable is the longest and largest single-span cable to ever be built out of Australia. It can be scaled to carry up to 1.28Tbps where it interconnects with other cables providing direct access to mainland USA.
- Telstra operates at the forefront of 3G/HSPA device technology:
- Launched the world's first commercial rated mobile device delivering typical customer speeds up to 8Mbps (The Sierra Wireless 306);
- The world's first HS DPA /HSUPA data card delivering typical customer download speeds up to 3Mbps (The Sierra Wireless AC 880); and
- Launched the world's first rated HS DPA handset delivering typical customer download speeds up to 3Mbps (The Samsung A811).
Our broadband
- Telstra has 2.3 million retail fixed broadband customers and more than one million wireless broadband customers.
- Telstra has invested millions upgrading its hybrid fibre coaxial (HFC) cable broadband network in Melbourne to 100Mbps - more than triple the current peak downlink speed.
- Telstra's Next G™ mobile broadband network has more than 6,800 base stations and covers more than 2.1 million square kilometres, providing coverage to more than 99% of the Australian population.
- Telstra expanded the coverage and capability of the Next G™ broadband network by investing $96 million in 234 new Next G™ mobile base stations across Australia.
- Telstra offers a Fibre-To-The-Home (FTTH) Velocity network in greenfield developments around Australia. There are currently more than 100 completed or planned Velocity projects and more than 3,100 homes already connected.
- Telstra, with the Northern Territory Government and Rio Tinto Alcan are Broadbanding the Top End. The $34 million project which enables 10,000 people living in Arnhem Land to access high-speed internet was completed in 2009.
Our corporate responsibility
- Telstra is committed to acting ethically and responsibly in all that we do.
- Telstra places great importance in corporate responsibility, which means taking into account the impact of our activities on our customers, shareholders, employees, the environment, and the communities we serve.
- In 2008-09:
- Telstra's investment in community activities was valued at $65.2 million by the London Benchmarking Group.
- Telstra increased its overall score from 70% to 80% in the 2009 Dow Jones Sustainability Index.
- Telstra's Access for Everyone package provided over $180 million per year in customer benefits, supporting over one million Australians who are on a low income or experiencing financial hardship.
- $3 million in grants was provided to help children and young people stay safe online through the Telstra Foundations Spotlight on Cyber Safety program.
- Over $3.5 million in grants was provided through the Telstra Foundation, including 625 Telstra's Kids Fund grants, to help community organisations connect children and young people to their communities.
- The Telstra Beach to Bush program reached 30,000 primary school children in over 300 regional schools through Telstra's partnership with Surf Life Saving Australia.
Our disaster relief
- In times of crisis including natural disasters, Telstra partners with Australia's emergency services and government agencies to protect the community and assist emergency efforts.
- Telstra has an ongoing commitment to assisting communities in times of natural and civil disaster. We offer relief packages, using our products and services, to affected customers.
- The Next G™ network was used during the Victorian bushfires to assist the Country Fire Authority with their staging area management work with the network's speeds giving them quicker access to more accurate information than before, allowing for more detailed and quicker responses.
- After the bushfires in Victoria in February 2009, TCW staff assisted affected communities with:
- more than 1,000 Next G™ mobile phones;
- 1,400 disaster relief packages;
- customer diversions;
- thousands of mobile phone chargers,
- prepaid recharges; and
- payphones that were switched to free calls in the affected areas.
- Since the bushfires in February 2009, Telstra has invested more than $15 million to repair and upgrade its networks in affected areas, including establishing four new exchanges in Marysville, Narbethong, Kinglake and Kinglake West, and to build new mobile network base stations to provide permanent and improved mobile coverage to areas such as Strathewen, St Andrews and Arthurs Creek.
Our people
- Telstra employs more than 43,000 people around the world.
- In 2008-09:
- Telstra invested more than $104 million in learning and development representing an investment of around $2,800 per employee.
- Increased the number of executive women by 4.6%.
- Increased Indigenous employment opportunities by 29%.
- Telstra is part of local communities throughout Australia. Our people live and work in virtually every local community in the country keeping Australia connected.
- Telstra Country Wide operates out of 52 locations across Australia.
- With the ubiquitous nature of our business, our people are part of each local community, serving on local community groups, contributing to local economies and participating in local activities.
Telstra international
- Telstra aims to be the partner of choice in the Asia Pacific region; we are the second largest full service provider in New Zealand and the leading mobile operator in Hong Kong.
- Telstra International has more than 120 network partners in more than 45 countries, and 8 data global centres connecting to all of Telstra's 25 international cables capable of carrying 926Gbps.
- REACH, a 50/50 Joint Venture owned by Telstra and PCC W, has offices in 18 more locations throughout Australia, the Asia Pacific region, Europe and the US . The REACH network stretches over 364,000 km around the globe, with nearly half of our traffic terminating at our major hubs in Hong Kong and Australia.
- New World was Hong Kong's first mobile operator and now, with 2.5 million customers, it is the biggest mobile carrier in one of the world's most competitive mobile markets.
- TelstraClear serves 38 of Telstra's top 50 customers via Trans Tasman services.
- In 2008-09, our international businesses generated more than $2 billion in revenue.
Telstra and the environment
- Energy, water and waste management programs form the centrepiece of our environmental strategy.
- Telstra identifies ways in which our customers and businesses can use telecommunications products and services to reduce their own greenhouse gas emissions.
- In November 2009, it was announced that Telstra would reduce its carbon emissions intensity by at least 10% by 2015.
- In 2008-09, Telstra emitted 1.52 million tonnes of CO 2 equivalent or 64 tonnes per million dollars of domestic revenue. The emissions target requires Telstra to reduce this to at least 58 tonnes per million dollars of domestic revenue by 2015.
- Telstra is one of Australia's largest users of solar power, with 10,314 solar-powered sites.
- Our commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions saw savings in 2008-09 of 24,186 tonnes CO 2 - enough energy to power 1,728 Australian homes for a year.
- In 2008-09 the consumption of office paper was reduced by 14% from 2007-08 and reduced the use of transport fuel by 12%.
- During 2008-09, Telstra recycled 62% of all solid and liquid waste across the business.
Building assets for the future
- Telstra is one of Australia's largest publishers and broadcasters.
- Our media network includes Australia's number one ISP, BigPond, which adds to media diversity by providing Australians with online and mobile news and sport, as well as movies, music and games.
- BigPond is ranked the third most visited Australian internet portal. A Nielsen Online ratings survey demonstrated growing audience for BigPond's network of websites, with
3.818 million unique visitors during April 2009.
- In 2008-09, internet advertising revenue was more than $500 million.
- Telstra is the main provider of Australia's directory information services through our wholly owned subsidiary, Sensis. Sensis provides Australians with print, voice and online telephone directories as well as household brands like WhereIs® and CitySearch®.
- Sensis® is Australia's leading information source: more than 12 million Australians use a
Sensis® service every month.
- Telstra owns half of FOXTEL, Australia's premier pay-TV company with more than 100 channels.
