Govt plans universal outdoor mobile coverage across Australia

The Australian Government has announced what it describes as a major world-first reform to offer basic universal outdoor mobile coverage across the country, which will require mobile carriers to provide access to mobile voice and SMS almost everywhere in Australia.

The so-called Universal Outdoor Mobile Obligation (UOMO) seeks to ensure up to 5 million km² of new competitive outdoor mobile coverage across Australia, including over 37,000 km on regional roads. So whether it’s in national parks, hiking trails or out on the farm, outdoor coverage should be accessible almost anywhere where Australians can see the sky.

The government said the new reform has been made possible due to global innovations in low-Earth-orbit satellites (LEOSats) as well as the arrival of direct-to-device (D2D) technology, which enables signals from space direct to mobile devices. With global industry expected to launch D2D messaging this year, the government is moving to ensure this technology becomes an addition to a modernised and expanded voice Universal Service Obligation, including maintaining free access to Triple Zero.

The government said it will consult and introduce legislation in 2025 to expand the universal service framework to incorporate mobile coverage for the first time. It plans to work with stakeholders and industry to get the legislation right — including flexibility where warranted by supply, spectrum and other factors — and will also engage with industry and examine incentives and removal of barriers to support public interest objectives and competition outcomes.

The policy has been informed by engagement with the LEOSat working group, advice by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) on radiocommunications spectrum, the findings of the 2024 Regional Telecommunications Review, and extensive feedback from regional and remote stakeholders and consumers about the need for multiple connectivity paths.

Implementation of outdoor SMS and voice will be expected by late 2027, with many Australians likely to obtain access before then; basic mobile data will be considered in the future as technology roadmaps and capacity considerations develop. Further reforms to the longstanding universal services framework will be announced as the government considers recommendations from the Regional Telecommunications Review.

“The Universal Outdoor Mobile Obligation will improve public safety, increase resilience during natural disasters, and provide an extra layer of coverage in areas previously thought too difficult or costly to reach,” said Minister for Communications Michelle Rowland.

“The experience will be different to land mobile networks, but the benefits transformative, particularly for a large continent such as ours.

“Building our mobile future with the latest technology is a vital element of Labor’s plan to make Australia the most connected continent by 2030.”

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