Vodafone Australia revealed up to 130 positions could be cut from a customer care centre in Hobart, capital city of the island state of Tasmania.

In a statement, the operator said in an increasingly competitive market, it has faced several regulatory obstacles which continue to impact its business, adding it is also preparing for 5G and planning to appoint a new network vendor following government security guidance, all of which “has placed significant financial pressure on our business”.

These pressures, the operator continued, “means we can no longer support the current number of roles in our Hobart contact centre”.

Vodafone, the third-largest operator in Australia with an 18 per cent market share by subscribers, said it started consulting with employees about a restructure and associated reduction in positions.