We're working on it...............

[Paul Edwards]

The arrangements for our monthly teleconference are made through the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia (PCFA).

 

At present the monthly teleconference can only be accessed from a landline phone.  It's not possible to ring the monthly teleconference from a mobile phone.

 

An increasing number of members no longer have a landline and can't access the monthly teleconference.  We're aware of the problems that this is causing.  We're continuing to discuss with the PCFA possible arrangements to enable members to access the monthly teleconference from a mobile phone.

 

In the meantime we have the ludicrous situation where one of our members goes down the street to the local payphone and commandeers it to phone into the the monthly teleconference.

 

In the recent survey members told us that they liked reading the minutes from the teleconference if they were unable to call in.  We're very conscious of the delay in circulating the minutes of recent monthly teleconferences and are working to get rid of this backlog.   

[Paul Edwards]

Members in most capital cities are now able to access the monthly teleconference from a mobile phone by dialing a special number in their capital city.  This was successfully introduced for last month's teleconference.

 

Unfortunately there is no joy yet for regional members who want to ring in to the teleconference using a mobile phone.

 

It is likely that regional members will be able to ring in to the teleconference using a mobile phone, once telephone companies make calling an 1800 number in Australia from a mobile phone free of charge. When this happens, PCFA is likely to switch to a 1800 number.

 

 

The Australian Communications and Media Authority has directed all telephone companies to make calling an 1800 number in Australia from a mobile phone free of charge.  ACMA suggested a deadline of 1 January 2015 for this change.

 

Last month Telstra became the first company to comply with the directive when it removed call charges to 1800 numbers from Telstra mobiles.