Could domestic roaming improve mobile coverage? ACCC launches new inquiry
Key takeaways
- The ACCC has launched a 12-month inquiry into whether mobile providers should share access to their networks to improve coverage in regional and rural Australia.
- One option is "domestic roaming", which would allow your phone to connect to another provider's network when your own provider has no coverage.
- What's next: The ACCC will first release a discussion paper and then hold public forums in the coming months.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has launched a year-long inquiry into Australia's regional mobile coverage.
It could eventually mean customers can connect to another provider's network when their own telco has no coverage.
The inquiry could have major implications for Australia's biggest mobile networks, particularly in regional and rural areas.
What is the ACCC inquiry into mobile services all about?
A key focus will be whether mobile providers should offer domestic roaming, allowing your phone to connect to another provider's network when your own telco has no coverage.
This could help improve mobile access in areas where one network has reception but another doesn't.
For example, if you're with Optus and can't make a call because there's no service, your phone could automatically connect to another network, like Telstra or Vodafone, if they have coverage in that area.
The review will also look at other ways to improve mobile services, including new technologies like satellite services that can beam a signal directly to your phone.
"The telecommunications sector is changing rapidly, with new technologies creating opportunities and challenges for mobile coverage and competition," ACCC Commissioner Anna Brakey said.
These are complex and evolving issues. Consumers expect and need affordable, reliable and high-quality services. Businesses and investors need confidence to make efficient investments. We consider that now is the right time to examine these issues, recognising there are a range of views on the best way forward and that these matters warrant careful, considered assessment.
What happens next?
The inquiry is still in its early stages, and no changes have been decided yet.
The ACCC will release a discussion paper and hold public forums before deciding whether any changes are needed.
"We look forward to consulting widely across the sector and have not formed a view on whether any mobile access service should be declared," Brakey said.
This isn't the ACCC's first mobile coverage inquiry
Back in 2017, the ACCC looked at domestic roaming and concluded that introducing it could reduce telcos' incentives to invest in their networks.
Telstra opposed mandated domestic roaming in the previous inquiry and said its position has not changed.
"We will cooperate with the inquiry and review the discussion paper when it is released, which is expected in September," a Telstra spokesperson said.
"[However,] our position on mandated roaming has not changed since the ACCC reviewed it last time and found it would not be in the best interest of Australians.
The telco said changes since then, including Optus and TPG's network sharing deal, satellite-to-mobile technology and Temporary Disaster Roaming, mean mandated roaming is less necessary.
What about Optus and Vodafone?
Both Optus and TPG, Vodafone's parent company, have welcomed the ACCC's inquiry.
Optus said the review was a chance to look at how Australia can improve mobile connectivity while keeping networks reliable and competitive.
TPG said the inquiry could help deliver better coverage and more choice for customers, especially in regional and remote areas.
The telco pointed to its existing network sharing deal with Optus, which it says has helped expand its coverage to 99% of Australians.
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