Govt begins voice trials, seeks and releases public feedback

The Australian Government has recruited PwC spin-off Scyne Advisory to conduct a trial of fixed voice services and consider the performance of low-Earth-orbit satellites (LEOSats) to inform the government’s work to improve mobile connectivity for more Australians.

Scyne Advisory will independently deliver the fixed voice service trials, with work already underway to progressively set up trial sites across 50 regional and remote locations across Australia. The trials will track the reliability and quality of voice calls, and test impacts of weather conditions on services.

Data from the trial will help the government to better understand how LEOSat services perform to support voice services across a representative range of regions across Australia, including over the northern Australia wet season. Existing NBN Co fixed wireless and satellite services will also be trialled in parallel to provide a comparison. Data collected will be made publicly available next month.

The government has also released a summary of feedback received from stakeholders through its recent public consultation on modernising delivery and funding of universal telecommunications service arrangements. Overall, the public consultation process demonstrated there is support for change to universal service arrangements to better reflect evolving consumer needs and the emergence of new alternative technologies.

Stakeholders suggested that a more flexible and technology-neutral approach would be preferable, including adopting modern networks and services that are best suited to each premises, as well as futureproofing. There was also general agreement that simpler funding arrangements would better reflect the market and enable greater efficiency and sustainability.

Feedback received from stakeholders will be considered alongside the trial data to help inform future decisions on a more modern and fit-for-purpose framework, said Minister for Communications Michelle Rowland.

“The Albanese government is committed to modernising telco services in the interest of all Australians, particularly those living in rural and regional Australia, and I look forward to data from the trials helping us to consider and deliver a more modern and effective universal service framework,” Rowland said.

“The government’s focus is that universal service arrangements continue to deliver for consumers, can be more flexible to accommodate changes, and that we have related funding arrangements for baseline services that are efficient and sustainable.”

Finally, in a separate consultation, the government has released a proposals paper on a new prominence framework for radio. This consultation is seeking views from stakeholders on the need for, and form of, a prominence framework for radio services on internet-connected, voice-activated smart speakers.

Close to a third of Australian households currently own smart speakers that act as ‘gateway devices’, actively mediating the way content is delivered to listeners. Radio services that are made available in response to a voice command can be heavily dependent on the platform — in contrast to a traditional radio device, or even a website or an app.

The government is now seeking consultation to ensure that local radio services are not disadvantaged compared to other services, as part of its broader program of media reform to enhance the ability of the Australian media to keep Australians informed and ensure access to services. Written submissions can be made here until 5 pm AEDT on Monday, 11 November 2024.

“Following on from our television prominence reforms, the government is seeking to progress an aligned approach for radio services to help ensure that free local broadcast services remain easily accessible to all audiences,” Rowland said.

“Interested stakeholders are encouraged to have their say to support the government to design a radio prominence framework that best addresses the needs of both audiences and providers.”

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