During a time when the words "working from home" have literally become a household term, Toni Searl is being left behind.
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She lives in Mullion Creek and like hundreds of others in the town and surrounding areas like Ophir and Lewis Ponds, mobile phone and data coverage can come and go at the drop of a hat.
Ms Searly is a coordinator for after school care services in Manildra, Blayney, Millthorpe and Mullion Creek.
Her role includes contacting parents to establish the whereabouts of children who don't arrive at the designated spot at 3pm at all the services.
"I also receive late calls from parents who have forgotten to tell me their children will be absent. In order to take or make these calls, I have to walk around the playground at the Mullion school until I find reception," she said.
"I live 10kms from school and I rely on satellite WiFi to get mobile reception and internet. If the electricity is out, which is frequent in our area, my only means of communication is an old landline that we keep for emergencies. Without mobile reception, I would be isolated and without the ability to communicate. I am one of many in this situation in our area."
A petition calling for Telstra to build a mobile tower near the town has already received nearly 400 signatures in just a matter of days.
Ophir woman Learne Spicer has lived there for 21 years and in that time the town has experienced fires, lost children and car accidents.
"Due to the lack of service from Telstra, we find ourselves stressing that we can not use our phones or get mobile reception in an emergency," she said.
"I have to drive 2km to the top of a hill to use a mobile to report power loss or phone issues which is ridiculous in this age of technology. I dread the day we suffer a health issue and have no way to call an ambulance as 000 won't work."
Chris Taylor, regional general manager for Telstra in NSW said Mullion Creek receives its mobile coverage from the base stations located in Orange.
"Telstra encourages local residents to present a copy of the completed petition to their local MP's and council and encourage them to support and nominate their community for consideration in future rounds of the blackspot program," he said.
"In some cases mobile coverage in their home or vehicle can be increased by fitting an external aerial or a phone booster. If local residents wanted to find out more about these options, they should visit the Telstra store in Orange."
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