Australia’s peak communications consumer body, ACCAN, welcomes the government’s announcement that requirements will be placed upon major mobile carriers to significantly expand mobile coverage across the country.

The Universal Outdoor Mobile Obligation (UOMO), announced today, is an important response from the Minister for Communications to the review of the Universal Service Obligation (USO) – which ACCAN, consumers and many in the telco industry regard as outdated and not reflective of modern consumer needs.

ACCAN CEO Carol Bennett said, “we welcome this announcement by Communications Minister Michelle Rowland to significantly expand Australian’s access to the mobile services they rely on for their health, wellbeing, work and safety.

“ACCAN has been calling for an expanded and modern USO that takes into account new technology and the increasingly volatile climate that is impacting connectivity in times of extreme weather events. Challenging times call for workable and accessible solutions. This initiative will improve access, choice and reliability to essential telco connectivity,” Ms Bennett said.

The development of Low Earth Orbit satellite (LEOSat) connectivity has made a major difference to many Australian consumers, particularly in regional, rural and remote areas. This technology has provided access to internet speed and low latency that was not possible through previous technologies. Until now, LEOSat connectivity has been limited to the internet. With trials of Direct-to-Handset connectivity well underway and a commercial rollout pending – now is the time to act on all of the reviews and consultations on telco services.

“While this initiative recognises next generation technology, it hasn’t ignored the importance of continued investment in existing terrestrial networks to underpin continued certainty especially in our regional, rural and remote regions where it is needed to guarantee continued productivity and safety,” Ms Bennett concluded.