Parliament passes Universal Outdoor Mobile Obligation, starting 1 December 2027
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.
Parliament has passed the Universal Outdoor Mobile Obligation (UOMO), which will require Telstra, Optus and TPG Telecom to provide SMS and voice coverage almost everywhere a person can see the sky. The law is due to start on 1 December 2027, subject to market developments. Light Reading reported that only around a third of the Australian landmass currently has terrestrial mobile coverage.
The coverage is expected to come from existing land-based towers combined with low-Earth-orbit satellite technology that connects directly to handsets. According to Critical Comms, the bill cleared the Senate with Coalition amendments included, while amendments from the Greens and the Jacqui Lambie Network were voted down.
The law lets the Minister for Communications set standards, benchmarks and rules that mobile operators must meet. According to Light Reading, the minister can adjust or defer requirements until 2030 depending on market and technology readiness, and has discretion over coverage areas, costs, funding, Triple Zero capabilities, timing and fault rectification. Communications Minister Anika Wells said the law "makes sure our laws better reflect the way Australians communicate today". She said it also lets the government set minimum performance and reliability standards.
The Coalition says it secured three changes. They legislate temporary disaster roaming during eligible emergencies, require minimum network performance and reliability standards informed by an ACCC inquiry, and require the minister to ask the ACCC to consider domestic mobile roaming. Coalition MP Dan Tehan said "Temporary disaster roaming is a sensible safeguard, but it is not a substitute for investment in mobile infrastructure."
Australian Telecommunications Alliance chief executive Luke Coleman raised concerns that the spectrum needed for satellite services has not been allocated and the technology still has to be integrated into networks. He said telcos would have to negotiate commercial agreements because Australia has no plan for a sovereign LEO satellite capability. Coleman said "We are talking about services in areas that are by definition not commercially viable," adding that funding them sustainably is a real challenge.
ACCAN chief executive Carol Bennett called the law a vital safety net but said it leaves missed opportunities. She said "Until roaming and enforceable reliability standards are in place, Australians have no guarantee they can connect when it matters most," and that reliability standards could be implemented once the ACCC concludes its inquiry in 12 months. NSW Farmers also said the bill could have introduced mandatory domestic roaming.
Parliament also passed the Telecommunications Amendment (Enhancing Consumer Safeguards) Bill 2025, which raises penalties about 40 times, to more than $10 million in some cases, and makes registered industry codes directly enforceable by the ACMA.