There are growing calls for mandatory domestic roaming in Australia, with supporters saying it would help give mobile users better access and more competitive prices.
A report from the Australian Consumer Advocacy Network (ACCAN) released today shows 73 per cent of Australians support a change that would allow customers to use their phones on a different network when they are outside their provider’s coverage area.
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“International tourists coming to Australia don’t face this problem because they can actually navigate on a mobile phone, whereas Australians can’t often do that,” ACCAN CEO Carol Bennett said.
“The Australian community thinks it’s a no-brainer.”
Carol Bennett says introducing compulsory domestic roaming is a “no-brainer”. (ABC News: Abu Bakr Sajid)
The idea has been welcomed by some residents of the Hume Highway town of Gundagai, which is currently bracing for eight days of planned rolling blackouts while Telstra upgrades a nearby tower.
“A lot of the customers here are travelers,” said cafe co-owner Matt Lucas.
“So if they’re in the city and they can’t have Telstra mobile service while they’re here, it’s just going to impact their ability to spend money in the city.”
Gundagai Cafe co-owner Matt Lucas says the mobile network is critical to his business. (ABC News)
At the local pub, opinion was divided between those who would welcome the relief of constant connection and those who relied on it.
“In a country the size of Australia, it would make sense for domestic roaming service to be available to everyone,” said electrician Grant Bambling.
Electrician Grant Bambling says domestic roaming “makes sense” in Australia. (ABC News: Lauren Peset)
Changes in terms and conditions
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) last considered the issue in 2017 and ruled against it because it believed it would reduce incentives for telecoms companies to invest in the network and would not lead to lower prices.
Optus and TPG have since signed a deal until 2024 to share their network and spectrum in regional Australia after the ACCC blocked an earlier Telstra-TPG proposal.
Also in 2024, the Regional Telecommunications Review recommended the use of temporary disaster roaming during emergencies, which the government and telecom companies are working to implement by the 2026–2027 emergency season.
The review also recommended that the government commission a new investigation into domestic roaming by the ACCC, or the competition regulator could conduct the investigation at its discretion.
Consumer advocates and economists say regional regions are still being left behind as the world becomes more reliant on digital technology. (ABC News: Lauren Peset)
In a statement, Federal Communications Minister Anika Wells said the government would use the review findings to inform new policies such as the Universal Outdoor Mobile Obligation (UOMO), but did not respond to questions regarding domestic roaming.
The ACCC declined to be interviewed, but in a statement a spokesman said it was “understandable” that there had been an increase in calls to mandate roaming.
It said “significant technological changes” since 2017 include the switching off of 2G and 3G, the introduction of 5G, increasing dependence on mobile services, the decline in landlines, the emergence of satellite and mobile phone technology and UOMO.
“We can assure consumers that we are carefully considering the impact of these developments on the mobile market and whether regulatory intervention is warranted,”
the ACCC said in a statement.
New standard for mobile coverage maps
All three telecom companies declined interviews and instead provided statements.
Telstra said the same competition and investment issues identified in the 2017 investigation still apply and that roaming would not have helped customers during the nationwide outage that affected millions of people last week.
“Mobile networks are built around the needs of the customers they serve every day,” a company spokesperson said.
“The sudden addition of millions of additional users could put extreme strain on remaining networks, potentially leading to them going offline.”
An Optus spokesperson acknowledged that domestic roaming “can provide opportunities to improve consumer network choice and achieve better competitive results, particularly in regional and remote Australia.”
“While there are issues that need to be addressed, many of which have been identified by government and industry in the past, examining its suitability in the current networked environment merits renewed consideration.”
TPG, which owns Vodafone, said it supported compulsory roaming when the ACCC last considered it and that the discussion was “a decade late”.
“Domestic roaming is most relevant in regional and remote areas,” the spokesperson said.
“In dense urban areas, network demand is already very high and available spectrum is limited.”
Paul Budde says roaming is just one of the things needed to improve network resilience. (ABC News)
Independent telecoms analyst Paul Budde said Australia’s network needed to be more resilient and that roaming could be part of that.
“We have to start looking at better infrastructure to link networks together so that if something happens on one network, you automatically move to another network,” he said.
“It will mean investment; this will mean reviewing policies and regulations.
“It’s doable, but somebody’s going to have to bite the bullet and start looking at it.”
Plans are ahead of inflation
In its 2026 Australian Economic Outlook, the OECD noted high mobile phone prices in Australia. due to “lack of competitive pressure”.
He pointed to countries like Canada, where he said domestic roaming has made a difference.
“Roaming and tower sharing obligations in Canada have contributed to the survival of smaller regional operators by increasing coverage and lowering consumer prices,” the study said.
Price increases among network operators tend to outpace inflation and, according to the ACCC’s latest Communications Market Report, the “persistent increase” is having a “significant impact on consumers”.
“We must demand that telecoms companies do the same as other countries around the world,” said ACCAN CEO Carol Bennett.
“It will create more competition, and more competition will lead to lower prices.”
Regional Australia hardest hit
The latest regional telecommunications review found that using mobile communications has become particularly difficult for people in rural and remote areas, especially as legacy infrastructure such as landlines becomes less accessible.
Ladysmith in the NSW Riverina was one of the first to receive a 4G tower under the government-funded Mobile Black Spot program 10 years ago, but it only has Telstra coverage.
Sophie Heynjus says a lack of mobile network capabilities in Ladysmith is forcing residents to opt for more expensive data plans. (ABC News: Lauren Peset)
Resident Sophie Heinhues said a lack of options is forcing locals to opt for expensive plans and holding the town back from growing in today’s economy.
“Beauticians and hairdressers, when their clients leave the Optus office, cannot use their phones,” she said.
“Traders who go out often find that they cannot use their phones here either.
“A lot of people came here to support PSSA (representative school event) across the country and we had a P&C canteen and people couldn’t even pay.”
Sacha Lennon says digital connectivity is a key issue for the regional communities he works with. (ABC News: Lucas Hill)
Economist Sacha Lennon said the growing reliance on digital technology is a huge barrier for communities where there are gaps.
“It’s really disruptive to businesses that operate in the bush or in regional and rural Australia that simply can’t connect with the rest of the world like we do in the city and often take it for granted.”
– he said.
“People aren’t going to move to regional centers if there aren’t services there for them, and in some places we’re seeing people actually leaving regional centers because they don’t have the full range of services that people expect to just get by on a day-to-day basis.”
Ms Heynews said people just want something done.
“If people could use their Optus or other telco phones here and just use the Telstra tower, that would solve the problem completely,” she said.