Stating that patient safety was at risk, a district health board has ditched Telecom's problem-plagued XT mobile network.

Since December, that network has failed four times after operating less than a year.

Hospital is now reconsidering its contract worth $1 million with Telecom and about 49 staff members at Hutt Valley DHB have XT phones.

According to Michael Hundleby, DHB acting chief executive, the network is too unreliable. Clinical staff with XT has to remain on call for emergencies for which network is needed at all times.

Hundleby informed that an older telecom network was now resorted to and the board was considering other options.

After customers were left without mobile services, the Telecom's new XT network this year have cost the company $15 million in compensation due to three major disruptions.

Auckland and Tairawhiti district health boards said they already held contracts with Vodafone.

A Vodafone spokesman said, "The company could not provide figures of how many new customers it had gained since the XT failures on February 17 and 22. It's been phenomenal though. We've had to fly extra salespeople in, to the South Island in particular."