DOZENS of Ballarat businesses and hundreds of telecommunications customers have been left without internet and phone connection since telecommunications wholesaler iBoss, its sister business One Telecom and the pair’s parent company AsiaPac Communications went into court-ordered receivership on Friday.
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Media outlets are reporting a bitter corporate legal battle between management at iBoss and AsiaPac Communications parent company Conec2 has resulted in the closure of the companies.
Independent Ballarat internet and phone service provider Montimedia has been scrambling to transfer their 3000 national customers to a new carrier after its telecommunications provider iBoss entered liquidation.
Montimedia director Richard Monty said services had been cut to 99 per cent of his customers.
“My business is seriously at risk, you know we are not mucking around here,” Mr Monty said.
“Something of this scale has not affected Ballarat before.”
"Something of this scale has not affected Ballarat before"
- Montimedia director Richard Monty
Montimedia’s serves more than 400 customers and dozens of businesses in Ballarat and Daylesford including Waller Real Estate agents, petroleum companies, community houses, law firms and retail businesses.
Mr Monty said his company would begin rolling out phone and internet connection to customers with a new carrier on Tuesday, and expected the rollout to be complete in three days.
Ballarat-based firm The Printer Wizards has also been left in limbo after the telecommunications providers entered liquidation.
Printer Wizards director Derek Raine said customers needed to be aware his business was still operating after incoming and outgoing calls have been cut off since Saturday.
“Today our sales were ridiculously low, I even had an email from a customer questioning whether we were still operating,” Mr Raine said.
Mr Raine, who recently bought the printing business, said the issue had severely affected the business operations.
“We would have lost at least three-quarters of our customers today,” he said.
“Conec2 sent through an email today and said the company was still working through the issue but without any resolution date set.
“We are currently transferring phone lines to Telstra and they are working hard to connect us as soon as possible.”
david.jeans@fairfaxmedia.com.au