Access to reliable telecommunications services is more critical than ever for regional communities. Given regional population growth and economic diversification, as well as the increasing risk of bushfires and the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for further investment is crucial.
An evolving approach to the investment mix, investment criteria, partnerships and decisions is needed. The Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications, as well as state and territory planning and transport departments, should continue to work with local government and the telecommunications industry to identify priority communities, highways and high-risk areas that require extra coverage.
Remaining candidate areas will become increasingly challenging to fund, so incremental funding, more contributing partners or other alternatives to a traditional funding model are required.
Additionally, it is currently difficult to establish which remote communities have especially poor access to mobile services. Creating a national infrastructure model that tracks the availability of coverage would enable governments, regulators, network operators and non-government organisations to track and better prioritise community investment.
The model should match infrastructure capability to community demographics, identifying and addressing growing service gaps. This approach should focus on isolated settlements, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and areas at high risk of natural disaster.