Complaints in public forums about inadequate internet access at Beachport have drawn a response from Telstra.

Among the complainants have been individuals and the Beachport District Development Association.

Telstra South Australian regional manager Michael Patterson said every year demand for mobile data increases by about 30% on its mobile network.

Mr Patterson said his company was continually upgrading it sites across Australia to keep up demand.

“This demand spikes further in holiday spots like Beachport in January, and the result is that as more people try to use the network, the speeds slow down,” Mr Patterson said.

“However, once the holiday seasons pass and the population returns to normal, data speeds increase again.

“In fact, demand was even higher this summer just past, as with the floods in the Riverland area, more people chose South East destinations such as Beachport to take a break and our network in those areas got busier than usual.

“We have two base stations that service the Beachport area and we are aware of the capacity issues over summer, and are looking into options to help resolve that for future holiday seasons.

“In the interim, for local residents that have a wi-fi service at home, we encourage them to use wi-fi when using data on their mobile devices.

“For traders at Beachport with EFTPOS machines, we encourage them to talk to their bank about having a device that can also be connected via wi-fi or landline to improve connectivity in busy periods.”