The rumour that Oberon was losing at least one public telephone box has been debunked.
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Recently, rumours were triggered by a sighting of men in hi-vis work clothes conducting maintenance on the phone box near the junction of Duckmaloi Road and Tarana Road.
A brief conversation with the workers revealed they were assessing the box to make sure it continued to work and provide service.
With approximately 15,000 Telstra payphones in operation across the nation, including in regional areas like Oberon, they remain an important means of communication.
"Mobile phones are now an important way Australians keep connected. However, the availability of payphones remains an important way people can help keep in touch, especially in emergency situations," a spokesman for Telstra said.
"For vulnerable people like the isolated, homeless or those escaping an unsafe situation or living in remote locations with limited connectivity, the availability of payphones can be a vital lifeline.
"In the past year, about 11 million calls were made across Australia from Telstra payphones with more than 37 million minutes of talk time being used. This included more than 230,000 calls to critical services like Triple Zero and Lifeline."
