After 100,000 services across the region were disabled when critical equipment in the exchange was damaged, the national telco was stung into action to prevent another  regional outage.

It has copped severe criticism at recent forums about the lack of a back-up network.

Western Victorian Telstra manager Bill Mundy confirmed yesterday work was under way to link most south-west rural communities, including Portland and Hamilton, into the South Melbourne exchange.

“They won’t be parented to the Warrnambool exchange again,”  he said.

“We are using existing transmission pathways for voice lines to link country communities with South Melbourne.

“That work will be completed by the end of January.”

Warrnambool will still be the main exchange for mobile and ADSL internet services.

“The millions of dollars of new equipment we have installed there since the fire has increased mobile capacity and allowed more ADSL2 service,” Mr Mundy said.

“Warrnambool’s exchange will have the capability to handle demands from the expanding residential and industrial sector in the city and surrounds.”

He said Telstra was still awaiting a CFA  report on the cause of the November 22 fire.

That report and information gleaned from community forums around the region would be conveyed to a parliamentary inquiry and Telstra’s own investigation team, Mr Mundy said.

“We expect recommendations will be made that will require implementation locally and potentially across out network nationally,” he said.

“Our audit which found no issues with the exchange three months before the fire will also be handed to the inquiries.”