Labor has announced a new telecommunications policy that will provide Australians with access to outdoor mobile voice calls and SMS almost everywhere across Australia.
The new Universal Outdoor Mobile Obligation (UOMO) requires mobile carriers to work with low-Earth orbit satellite (LEOSat) providers to implement the Direct to Device (D2D) technology within Australia.
D2D is an evolving technology that currently provides mobile voice and SMS capabilities using LEOSat. The next generation of LEOSat that should be introduced in coming years will provide mobiles with broadband connectivity as well as mobile voice and SMS capabilities.
The Albanese government’s policy objectives that will form the basis for UOMO include:
- expanding Triple Zero access for Australians almost everywhere across the nation
- expanding outdoor mobile voice and SMS coverage into existing mobile black spots
- improving the availability of mobile during disasters and power outages
The government will consult industry, consumer advocacy groups and regulatory bodies prior to introducing legislation and associated regulations this year. Mobile carriers will have until late 2027 to comply with the new legislation, and it is likely that many Australians will be utilising the new technologies before then.
The legislation and regulations will stipulate the spectrum usage, competitive arrangements and how roaming and the Triple Zero service will operate over LEOSat connected mobiles.
The public interest objectives and competition outcomes that will be enshrined in UOMO will enhance the telecommunications market by building upon and complimenting the Universal Service Obligation (USO) and Statutory Infrastructure Provider (SIP) regimes.
UOMO will put in place a major piece of the telecommunications access puzzle, one that the nation’s farmers, miners and people living in regional and remote areas have been wanting for decades.
In the media release, the Minister for Communications Michelle Rowland is quoted as saying “Labor governments have a proven record of expanding universal access to essential services, and the Albanese government is forging another step forward.”
The next step will be the introduction of minimum performance standards, and it is likely that UOMO will need to include clear guidance on performance and how the mobile carriers and LEOSat providers are to implement the mobile voice and SMS services, particularly during emergencies and natural disasters.
Australians depend on telecommunications during emergencies and natural disasters; it is therefore vital that the government errs on the side of safety and consumers when this legislation is written. D2D mobile ad-hoc networking, and domestic mobile roaming capabilities must be made available in areas affected by emergencies and natural disasters.
Questions remain, particularly how UOMO will affect competition and if it will finally end the argument about who has the biggest mobile network. All mobile providers should be treated equally, openly and fairly under UOMO and the modernised and expanded USO.
The introduction of D2D technology should enable mobile carriers to offer mobile voice, SMS and access to the Triple Zero service almost everywhere across the nation. In coming years the D2D technology will evolve to include broadband.
A question that I get asked quite often is whether this means the USO can be reduced in scope, or possibly focused on using mobile to provide the majority of USO related services.
This would be a blunder.
Mobile and wireless access networks are more susceptible to congestion, high latency, and degraded performance than fixed networks. Where mobile and wireless networks combined with LEOSats shine is during emergencies and natural disasters and locations that are uneconomic for terrestrial mobile network infrastructure to be rolled out.
There is also a significant opportunity for the USO to be expanded to include Internet of Things devices, such as medical and safety devices.
It is therefore important that there is an informed discussion occur before UOMO legislation is introduced. This step will lead naturally to the next which is the modernising and expansion of the USO legislation.
In the media release, the minister is also quoted as saying “Building our mobile future with the latest technology is a vital element of Labor’s plan to make Australia the most connected continent by 2030.”
The Albanese government’s policy is a major win for regional and remote Australians, and those affected by emergencies and natural disasters.
Mark Gregory is an Associate Professor in the School of Engineering at RMIT University
Do you know more? Contact James Riley via Email.