THE massive number of tourists flocking to the East Coast this summer has overloaded the region's Telstra network.
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Holidaymakers are being forced to leave Scamander and Binalong Bay in search for better mobile phone and internet coverage, after the network became stressed over Christmas.
Last week, Telstra area general manager Michael Patterson said the network in holiday hotspots was sometimes unable to cope with the influx of Telstra users each summer.
``At any time where a large number of people gather, there are times when the increased demand, particularly for data services, can stress the network,'' he said.
``In Tasmania during holiday periods we can see this occur in popular holiday hotspots that can include Scamander, St Helens and Binalong Bay. The Telstra Mobile network has been designed to manage the normal day-to-day demands in a particular area.''
Scamander business owner Randall Trethewie said virtually all of his customers from interstate have had to relocate, or go without Telstra coverage since Christmas.
``It's like a third world country,'' he said.
``There are thousands of people down here who can't communicate. Some people are trying to work while they are holidaying down here, but they have to go up to places like Launceston to get service.''
Mr Patterson said Telstra was working to fix the issue and improvements to the service had been made in recent years.