News that the ACCC is launching a 12-month inquiry into regional mobile coverage will be welcomed across the New England, where communities have spent years unable to get reliable phone service, in some cases leaving residents unable to call Triple Zero in an emergency.
The ACCC announced on Wednesday, 5 August that it is examining regional mobile coverage across Australia, and whether regulating wholesale access to some mobile services could improve outcomes for consumers. The inquiry will consider whether the ACCC should declare one or more wholesale mobile services, including domestic roaming, which would let consumers use another provider’s network when they are outside their own provider’s coverage area, and a radio access network service, which could allow providers to share mobile infrastructure such as towers while continuing to manage their own customers.
“The ACCC recognises the importance of mobile coverage, provider choice and network reliability, particularly for people living, working and travelling in regional areas,” ACCC Commissioner Anna Brakey said.
“The telecommunications sector is changing rapidly, with new technologies creating opportunities and challenges for mobile coverage and competition. At the same time there are growing calls for the ACCC to intervene to regulate wholesale mobile services, particularly in regional areas.”
The ACCC will release a discussion paper shortly and hold forums in regional and remote Australia in the coming months to hear directly from communities about their experiences with coverage.
In Torrington, the issue has already proven life-threatening. Di Blessing and her husband Keith were stabbed during a home invasion at their property on 4 June, with Mr Blessing shooting their attacker to defend the couple. In a letter to her MPs, Ms Blessing revealed that had they fled rather than fought, they could not have called for help.
“We have a signal booster which amplifies the tiny phone signal available. It only works around the immediate vicinity of the house,” she wrote.
“So if we had chosen ‘flight’ beyond the house we would not have been able to phone for help.”
Tenterfield Mayor Bronwyn Petrie said official coverage figures do not reflect what residents actually experience on the ground.
“When they say 85 per cent of Australia is covered with connectivity, it’s absolute crap,” Mayor Petrie said.
Torrington is now mapping the blackspots itself, with Tenterfield Shire Council coordinating a community exercise to record where coverage fails.
The National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) has also welcomed the inquiry, but says the Government should mandate roaming now and let the ACCC focus on how to implement this important policy.
Domestic mobile roaming would enable phones to automatically switch to another mobile network where their own network provider has no coverage – helping keep all Australians connected no matter where they live or work.
NFF CEO Mike Guerin said it was beyond time to take regional Australians’ connection concerns seriously.
“Domestic mobile roaming would be another vital step toward ending the connectivity divide for rural Australians,” Mr Guerin said.
“We’ve heard reports of farmers using two separate SIM cards for different sides of town, just to stay connected – this should not be happening in Australia in 2026.”
But Mr Guerin urged the Government to act now, and not delay implementation while waiting for the ACCC’s support.
“The Government should mandate roaming immediately and let the ACCC look at the implementation of domestic mobile roaming, rather than limiting its review to broad competition concerns,” Mr Guerin said.
“The Universal Outdoor Mobile Obligation and temporary, disaster-specific roaming are both in the pipeline, but they’re not silver bullets for rural connectivity.”
The Member for Tamworth, Kevin Anderson, has been pushing the NSW Government to reinstate the Connecting Country Communities Mobile Black Spot Program, which he says delivered 10 new base stations before it was cut after the last state election.
“Reliable connectivity shouldn’t depend on your postcode, but far too many people across our region are left frustrated, angry, and climbing the nearest hill just to send an email,” Mr Anderson said.
Whether the ACCC’s inquiry can deliver the fix that community pressure and MP advocacy have not remains to be seen. But it is a chance for New England communities to finally have their case heard.
“Reliable phone service is not a luxury, it is essential for safety, business, and everyday life,” Mayor Galvin said.
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