Across Australia, Telstra mobile and mobile data customers have been dealing with widespread outages this morning, from cities to the regions, including the Northern Rivers.

Leader of The Nationals David Littleproud is calling for Universal Service Obligation (USO) reform, as a mobile phone outage in the Western Downs of Queensland continues to 'cause havoc'.

National telco NBN says it has ‘escalated’ issues raised by Byron Shire customers who spoke to The Echo last week.

Two Byron Shire residents have spoken out publicly about what they say is rotten service from national telco Telstra.

Last week the world had a taste of the kind of chaos which was predicted, but failed to eventuate, 24 years ago. This time the millennium bug couldn't be blamed. Instead, a tiny human coding error temporarily paralysed banks, airports, media outlets and other organisations around the planet, connected by the cloud of data that binds us all.

Plenty of housing has been built in the Ballina Shire in recent years but Cumbalum residents are still waiting for services including childcare, groceries, dog parks and decent reception.

As Alan Joyce runs for cover, with the Australian public baying for blood, it's a good time to remember that the underlying problem goes well beyond Mr Joyce or indeed Qantas. For decades, thanks to privatisation, once-loved Australian institutions have been hollowed out by international profit-making entities, while still pretending to have national interests at heart. Now we're all paying for the consequences.

Telstra says last night's fire at the mobile site in Mullumbimby appears to have been deliberately lit. There is currently no mobile coverage into Greater Mullumbimby.

NSW Police say they are investigating a fire at the Telstra tower on River Terrace at Mullumbimby overnight.

Telstra says they are ‘making progress reconnecting communities in southeast Queensland and northern New South Wales following severe storms during the week’.