The authority acknowledged that a combination of "seasonal factors", including bushfires, storms, and the trial of a new information technology system, had affected Telstra's performance in the March quarter. During the quarter, Telstra's network was hit by bushfires and storms in NSW, torrential rain from Cyclone Beni in Queensland, and storms in Western Australia. As a result, it declared a total of 35 mass service disruptions, double the number in the same period last year.