The government intends to legislate a requirement for mobile telcos to provide outdoor voice and SMS coverage to all of the country using LEOsat-based direct-to-device technology.
Communications minister Michelle Rowland said that a “universal outdoor mobile obligation” or UOMO would be introduced via legislation sometime in 2025.
It appears all cellular network operators would need to offer direct-to-device – also known as direct-to-handset – based services, with Rowland stating the provision of outdoor mobile coverage would be “competitive”.
The objectives of the policy are to improve Triple Zero access, as well as the “ availability of mobile signals during disasters and power outages”.
If legislation is introduced and passed, the government said it expects outdoor SMS and voice coverage to be in place “by late 2027”, although it suggested that services could be available “before then”.
It will also give consideration to “basic mobile data” services being provided on the same basis in the future “as technology roadmaps and capacity considerations develop.”
“With global industry expected to launch direct to device 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,” Rowland said in a statement.
“To ensure consumers are informed about device compatibility and experience, the government will work with industry and the University of Technology Sydney to expand handset testing.”
Industry would be consulted on the wording of the proposed legislation.
It appears unlikely that any legislation could be introduced before the federal election, which is tipped for early April.
Both Telstra and Optus have made some early moves to embrace LEOsat-based technology, albeit with mixed results. Optus recently quietly delayed plans to commercially offer a mobile-to-satellite service.
The government’s LEOsat working group has previously backed the technology as a way to expand access to basic mobile services across Australia.
“The promise of LEOs is that they could ultimately help support higher quality fixed and mobile telecommunications services in more remote areas that have traditionally been extremely high cost to serve,” the group wrote in a report last year. [pdf]
The government said the UOMO would not substitute existing programs that fund the construction of towers and antennas in mobile blackspots.
Rowland foreshadowed additional reforms to universal services once the government finalises its position on the 2024 regional telecommunications review findings.
The review had also recommended use of LEOsat technology to expand mobile coverage, among other findings.