The weekday briefing on Australian telecommunications, data centres and AI infrastructure.
Today's briefing
Friday 23 October 2026
Parliament has passed the Universal Outdoor Mobile Obligation, requiring Telstra, Optus and TPG Telecom to deliver outdoor voice and SMS coverage almost everywhere from 1 December 2027 using satellite direct-to-device services.
NEXTDC cut its FY27 outlook by about $140m after Jemena delayed power works at M3 Melbourne, and its shares closed down about 42 per cent on 21 October 2026.
Data centre proposals worth billions also advanced in New South Wales.
Telstra, Optus and TPG Telecom will have to provide outdoor voice and SMS coverage almost everywhere under the new law, using satellite direct-to-device services. The Coalition secured amendments on disaster roaming and reliability standards, while ACCAN says the law leaves gaps.
NEXTDC has filed a $1.79 billion State Significant Development application for Phase 2 of its S4 campus at Horsley Park, covering two buildings designed for 180 megawatts. The site adjoins a Phase 1 approval granted in December 2025.
NEXTDC lowered its FY27 revenue and earnings forecasts after Jemena paused power line works feeding its West Footscray campus, and its shares ended the day down about 42 per cent on 21 October 2026.
Canberra Data Centres wants to build a $15 billion, 1.4-gigawatt campus beside the Gregadoo tip near Wagga Wagga. Council has agreed to negotiate a land sale on a split vote, while residents say they were caught off guard and IREN has floated a second project in the suburb.
A $3.7 billion, 550.5 MW data centre planned for part of the old Hydro Aluminium site in the Hunter is on public exhibition as a state significant development, with submissions open until 11 November 2026.
Modelling by FTI Consulting for ACCAN puts the economy-wide cost of Telstra's 8 July mobile outage at $552 million in value-added terms, which it calls a lower bound. ACCAN says the telco did not carry the cost and wants enforceable reliability standards.
TPG Telecom, Vodafone's owner, says more than 24 million scam calls over a year reached its customers through Symbio, a wholesale carrier owned by Aussie Broadband. Aussie Broadband says it is working on the problem, and the ACMA said it found no non-compliance by an Australian telco in one campaign.
The Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman recorded a 6.5 per cent fall in complaints over the year, but mobile dropout complaints rose 22.6 per cent. ACCAN says the fall reflects consumers giving up rather than better service.
Telstra, Optus and TPG have made Temporary Disaster Roaming available in disaster-hit parts of the country, letting phones join another carrier's network when their own fails. It carries no extra charge but works only under tight conditions.
Optus has reached 1,000 upgraded regional 5G sites, having nearly doubled the number in 18 months, and says it plans 1,500 by the end of 2028 and almost 2,500 by 2030.
Latrobe Valley operator Rural Fibre Co intends to bring 25G-PON to its Gippsland network in February 2027, with symmetrical speeds of up to 21 gigabits per second. The company describes the service as an Australian first.
Firmus withdrew its ASX listing on 9 October 2026, two weeks before trading was due to start, after investors balked at a valuation of up to $43.7bn. ASIC says it is making inquiries, and Maas Group, a Firmus investor and supplier, has lost 44 per cent of its value since 6 October.
In written answers to a parliamentary committee, Anthropic said building models in Australia would bring more lasting investment than serving them here, but it offered no figures, sites or power needs. The committee reports by 30 November 2026.
ACT independent senator David Pocock wants a 5 per cent levy on AI data centre revenue, which he says the Parliamentary Budget Office has costed at more than $500 million by the end of 2030. No bill has been introduced, and industry is already pushing back.
Gingerah Energy has referred Project Meridien, a 1 GW data centre campus in the Kimberley powered by up to 6.7 GW of wind, solar and gas, to the federal EPBC process. The company says costs could exceed $40 billion and it is still seeking partners and an anchor tenant.