Telcos now able to activate mobile roaming during disasters

After years of testing, Australia's three major telcos are ready to switch on a system that would give customers access to a rival network if their own goes down during a weather emergency.

Known as temporary disaster roaming (TDR), Telstra, Optus and TPG will work together to decide when to activate it in regional areas where a mobile service has been disrupted by severe weather.

"You'll continue to be able to make phone calls, send text messages, and you'll have limited capacity data services," the chief executive of Australian Telecommunications Alliance, Luke Coleman, said.

"You can't expect to have your full usual high-speed data, but you will still have enough data to send a WhatsApp or an iMessage, maybe even to check an emergency service website like Fires Near Me, for example."

For TDR to work, there must be another network available in that area that mobile users can roam onto.

That means it will not work in large parts of regional Australia, which are only serviced by one provider.

Regional Independent MP Helen Haines has long been advocating for such a service, which she described as a "game changer".

"When disaster knocks in regional communities and pulls out a mobile network, people shouldn't have to wait for their own provider to restore that service before they can reconnect," she said.

"This is existential in times of disaster."

Telcos in charge

TDR is already available in some form, either mandated or agreed to by industry, in several countries including the United States and Japan.

In 2023, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission found that TDR was technically feasible, and in 2024 the Regional Telecommunications Review recommended that it be mandated "at the earliest possible opportunity".

It was something Ms Haines previously tried to have legislated with a private members' bill and amendments, but it did not have the support of the government.

"I'll keep pushing to make sure that the telecommunications companies ensure that there's enough network capacity to facilitate temporary disaster roaming, that the telecommunication companies ensure that there's power backup to our mobile network," she said.

Mr Coleman said the telcos were best placed to be the custodians of the initiative as they "have full visibility of the network's capacity" and could make sure the "surviving network continues to operate".

He said telcos would monitor its progress but did not specify any benchmarks or framework to measure success.

"The telcos are being good corporate citizens here and this is part of rebuilding trust with Australians to show that there is no additional charge for this,"

Mr Coleman said.

"If you're a consumer, your phone will just automatically start using another available network where it is safe to do so."

Under the terms of the agreement, the service will only be made available outside of major cities and will only be implemented in up to three different disaster areas at any one time.

There can only be up to 15 towers within each area, and those areas must be at least 400 kilometres apart.

When asked how a decision would be made in a situation where multiple areas in the same region might be affected, Mr Coleman said telcos were best placed to make a choice.

"Those areas do need to be spaced a certain distance apart because there is a risk otherwise of the network being overloaded," he said.

Communications Minister Anika Wells was not available for interview.

A statement quoting a ministerial spokesperson did not answer questions posed by the ABC, including whether there would be any accountability around the initiative.

"The government will continue to engage closely with industry to make sure TDR is working as intended to keep communities safer," the statement said.

No change to Triple Zero

Mobile roaming is different to an existing permanent provision known as "camp on" that allows mobile users to call Triple Zero (000) no matter what network they are subscribed to, as long as there is at least one network available.

For TDR, Mr Coleman said "most modern smartphones" would have settings to enable VoLTE technology, which would allow them to roam when activated.

He would not confirm if there would be subsidies for anyone needing to upgrade their phone, but encouraged people to approach their telco for advice.

TDR is also different from domestic roaming, which the ACCC is currently reviewing to see if it should be mandated on a permanent and more widespread basis.