Albanese Government seeks public input on mobile coverage audit

The Albanese Government has today released the next phase of the audit of mobile coverage with the release of a new Request for Information (RFI) and draft Request for Tender.

Following the tender for a technical adviser released earlier in the year, the RFI – issued by the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts – seeks comment on a broad range of parameters for the audit including the technologies to be audited, proposed geographic scope and timeframes, measurement methodologies, the treatment and presentation of data, and the proposed role of Australia Post.

The views of the telecommunications industry, consumers, local government and communities – including comment on the roads and towns proposed for auditing – will be considered through this process to fine-tune the future competitive procurement process for the Audit.

The tender is expected to open later in 2023, but the timing and process will be considered in light of responses to the RFI.

The Audit is part of the Government’s Better Connectivity Plan for Regional and Rural Australia and a 2022 federal election commitment.

The aim of the Audit is to better identify mobile coverage black spots and areas of poor mobile performance to help target future investment, and to assess the accuracy of carrier coverage maps.  

Details of the RFI are available at Current ATM View - 10029646: AusTender (tenders.gov.au) (ATM ID 10026946). Respondents can to provide their comments to the RFI by 2 pm AEST on Monday 31 July 2023.

Quotes attributable to Minister for Communications, the Hon Michelle Rowland MP:

“The Albanese Government is committed to boosting mobile coverage and capacity right around Australia. The Department’s mobile coverage audit will help identify mobile black spots and capacity issues where local experience doesn’t reflect predictive maps.

“The Department is very focused on getting the audit right and ensuring the best value for money possible through extensive consultation on the key parameters.

“The RFI is an important step in this process. I encourage all who are interested to look at the documents on AusTender and have their say.”