Govt boosts connectivity on the peri-urban fringe

The Australian Government is upgrading mobile coverage for communities on the fringe of major urban and regional cities that are prone to natural disasters.

The peri-urban fringe is where the bush meets the suburbs, creating risks of natural disasters for those living and working in those areas. These areas have been historically underserved because of the high cost of deploying infrastructure, difficult terrain, planning challenges and lower population densities; now, through Round 2 of the Peri-Urban Mobile Program (PUMP), $40.9 million in funding has been awarded to mobile carriers and tower companies for 47 projects that will deliver new or upgraded mobile phone infrastructure targeting mobile coverage and reception issues in 17 peri-urban areas.

The government has brought forward funding earmarked for a future round of PUMP to support a larger number of Round 2 projects, and co-contributions of $43 million are also being made towards these projects by the telco industry and the Queensland Government. The projects are expected to provide hundreds of square kilometres of 4G and 5G new improved coverage to communities in Adelaide, Ballarat, Bendigo, Brisbane, Cairns, NSW Central Coast, Darwin, Geelong, Gold Coast/Tweed Heads, Hobart, Melbourne, Newcastle, Perth, Sydney, Toowoomba, Townsville and Wollongong to around 80,000 premises.

Two mobile carriers will share infrastructure at nine sites, improving the coverage and choice for consumers while maximising the benefits of the government’s investment. The remaining 38 projects will be required to offer co-location to interested mobile carriers, where technically feasible, to support potential multi-carrier outcomes at these sites in the future.

“We know these projects are complex and can take the industry years to deliver to people on the ground,” said Minister for Communications Michelle Rowland. “Bringing forward funding under PUMP Round 2 is a real win for communities who will get the investment they need to stay connected sooner.

“It allows industry to get on with the job of delivering these projects and means more communities will benefit from the government’s investment sooner.”

Separately to this, the government has launched a Project Noticeboard to assist communities to identify potential projects or locations to be funded from Round 3 of the Mobile Network Hardening Program (MHNP).

The MNHP aims to reduce the risks of service outages and improve restoration times of mobile telecommunications in communities impacted by natural disasters by co-funding projects with carriers and telco companies that aim to deliver resilience upgrades. This can include portable generators, power backup upgrades and physical mobile tower hardening.

Under Round 3, the government is providing $20 million for projects located in areas impacted by, or at risk of, a natural disaster in regional and remote Australia and — for the first time — on the peri-urban fringe of 19 capital and major regional cities, so that peri-urban areas will have access to resilient mobile communications services during and after natural disasters.

The Project Noticeboard allows local councillors and state, territory and federal parliamentarians to identify potential projects or locations suitable for funding under Round 3 of the MNHP, with telco industry applicants encouraged to review these submissions when preparing their applications.

“Ahead of the next round of applications opening, we want to hear from representatives of local communities in areas at risk of natural disaster to inform how best to target this funding,” Rowland said.

“Importantly, the program has now expanded to include peri-urban locations, as we know that communities on the urban fringes of our major cities face particular risks when it comes to natural disasters.

“I encourage locals to speak with their councillors and federal, state or territory representatives to identify potential projects or locations that would benefit from improved communications resilience, and make their voice heard.”

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