Emergency roaming between mobile phone service providers is a step closer after a critical report from the nation's consumer watchdog found that the concept was technically possible.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) handed down a long-awaited report that found that mobile phone roaming in rural areas in times of emergency could be done.
Following the handing down of the report Telstra has announced it plans to conduct trials to test the ability for people to use any available mobile network during natural disasters, if their own provider's network has been impacted or doesn't have coverage.
To do this Telstra will be conducting a simulation within its own network as a first step to show whether the concept is possible.
"We will continue to engage with other network providers and Government on emergency roaming, including how it will operate and be funded, as well as the timing for roll-out," a Telstra spokesperson said.
Regional Development Australia (RDA) welcomed the ACCC findings, saying mobile roaming could save lives in during periods of emergency.
RDA Victoria chair Stuart Benjamin said the ACCC report would be a boost in lobbying the government to enact the necessary regulations to ensure mobile roaming can happen in times of emergency.
"We're going to keep the pressure on the government on this one as mobile phone roaming can mean the difference between life and death in an emergency or natural disaster, like a car accident, bushfire or flood," he said.
For its part, the Federal Government has agreed to investigate the matter further, with the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts (DITRDCA) and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) tasked with working in collaboration with mobile carriers to progress the matter further before reporting back to government by March.
Minister for Communications Michelle Rowland was supportive of the proposal.
"The government will work with industry to scope a new emergency roaming capability so that Australians can stay connected during disasters, regardless of who their carrier might be," she said.
She said the government was prepared to look at a range of options to ensure rural communities had adequate mobile service, especially in the event of emergency.
"Making sure we have the right regulatory settings is also critical to deploy mobile infrastructure in regional communities, including considering infrastructure sharing between carriers".
She said the departments would look into the potential risks of data roaming in emergencies, such as network congestion.
RDA has been conducting a long running campaign on the issue of rural telecommunications, and has said the ACCC report, which found it was logistically a simple matter for the telcos to allow roaming, would help create momentum for change, evidenced by Telstra's willingness to conduct its trial.
Mr Benjamin said telco interests had been put ahead of the safety of regional Australians for too long.
"The highly profitable telecommunications giants have been ignoring the pleas to prioritise the safety of Australians living in rural and regional areas for too long."
"It's sad that it is has taken the intervention of the ACCC to finally tell the telcos to do the right thing.''
However, Mr Benjamin said RDA was disappointed the ACCC findings did not recommend permanent roaming for rural business and families struggling with poor mobile phone reception.
"The report is a great start, but it didn't go far enough, the emergency roaming is the priority for now but at RDA we are also looking into the productivity issues, and it is just ridiculous when you get farmers who have to have different phones or multiple SIMs with different providers just to ensure they have reliable coverage."
"We believe permanent mobile roaming is a key way to help address the massive gap in service availability between metropolitan and rural areas."
He pointed to arrangements internationally where mobile networks are shared between carriers and to an important note in the ACCC report where it found the telcos' claims that allowing mobile roaming would lessen investment in mobile capacity were incorrect.
"That is an important point and it is logical to think if you were to invest in infrastructure if there were more players to use your facilities then you would be more, rather than less likely to make that investment."
He said mandatory mobile roaming would play a key role in ensuring regional areas were not left behind in terms of the economic and social benefits of improved interconnectivity.