Joint media release
Shadow Minister for Communications and Digital Safety, Senator the Hon Sarah Henderson
Shadow Minister for Regional Communications, Dr Anne Webster MP
The Coalition welcomes the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission’s (ACCC) announcement of an inquiry today into regional mobile coverage across Australia including whether domestic mobile roaming should be mandated.
In what is a big win for regional Australians, the ACCC will consider the case to regulate wholesale mobile services to ensure improved outcomes for customers in the regions.
The ACCC will examine whether to mandate access to mobile infrastructure and domestic mobile roaming, which would allow customers with no mobile connectivity to ‘roam’ onto another carrier’s network.
In doing so, the competition regulator will consider if it should determine the regulated price and non-price terms between mobile network operators (MNOs) for such access, should those operators not be able to reach a commercial agreement.
Recognising the growing calls to intervene to regulate wholesale mobile services particularly in the regions, the ACCC’s inquiry will run for 12 months with a strong focus on the importance of mobile coverage, provider choice and network reliability, particularly for people living, working and travelling in regional areas.
Other matters to be investigated include:
- • how mobile coverage and consumer needs are changing, particularly in regional and remote areas;
- • the current state of competition in the supply of mobile services and how the proposals may affect competition;
- • whether consumers have meaningful choice between mobile providers;
- • how regulation could affect investment in mobile networks; and
- • the role of new direct-to-device low earth orbit satellite services and their potential impact on investment, competition and consumer outcomes in the Australian mobiles market.
On 1 June 2026, Shadow Minister for Communications and Digital Safety, Sarah Henderson, addressed a CommsDay summit, calling for “a serious re-examination of the ACCC decision in 2017 that mandatory mobile roaming would stifle investment in regional communities.” Senator Henderson argued much evidence has emerged in recent years that MNOs are not investing in regional communications as they should.
“In the face of Labor’s savage cuts to regional connectivity programs, I am delighted the ACCC will take a fresh look at the need for affordable and reliable mobile communications in the regions,” Senator Henderson said.
“For more than a decade, I have strongly advocated for mandatory domestic mobile roaming as an immediate and practical solution to improve connectivity for regional Australians.”
“Anika Wells and the Albanese government have turned their back on regional communities, taking an axe to vital programs such as the Mobile Black Spots Program.
“We’ve seen no action from the government on mobile roaming and the minister has even failed to legislate temporary disaster roaming which allows Australians to roam onto another carrier’s network in times of disaster or emergency.”
“Mobile communications is a critical service, not a luxury. I am particularly concerned about Telstra’s underhand campaign to oppose mobile roaming which is all about serving their own commercial interests and not the national interest,” Senator Henderson said.
Shadow Minister for Regional Communications, Anne Webster, said she too had personally advocated for mandatory domestic roaming for rural, regional, and remote Australians.
“Regional Australians have put up with substandard telecommunications for far too long. They know, as they face natural disasters and the tyranny of distance getting to health services, mandatory domestic roaming is needed as part of our critical telecommunications infrastructure. Instead, Labor has left us high and dry,” Dr Webster said.
“The Albanese Labor government’s half-baked Universal Outdoor Mobile Connectivity bill provides no certainty on when, or what, connectivity guarantees will apply. Mandatory domestic roaming’s time has come, and presents a more immediate and appropriate solution for regional Australians.”
“Connectivity is not only lifesaving but essential to regional Australia’s productivity, and becoming ever more so by the day. Mandatory domestic roaming is a big step towards updating the Universal Service Obligation that regional, rural and remote Australians deserve,” Dr Webster said.
See the ACCC’s media release here.