Telcos switch on temporary disaster roaming for regional outages

Australia’s three mobile network operators are ready to activate temporary disaster roaming from 1 October, under an industry arrangement designed to keep regional and remote customers connected when natural disasters disrupt mobile networks.

The Australian Telecommunications Alliance said on 1 October that Telstra, Optus and TPG had developed and tested the capability and agreed operational protocols for switching it on and off during eligible disasters. The primary industry material said temporary disaster roaming, or TDR, may allow customers whose usual mobile network is unavailable to make calls, send texts and access basic data through another available network, where there is sufficient capacity to do so safely.

The arrangement applies to specific disaster scenarios rather than every outage. The ATA said activation will be managed directly between mobile network operators through their 24-hour network operations centres. If one operator identifies that its network has been disrupted by a natural disaster, it can contact the operator of a surviving network to assess coverage and capacity in the affected area.

Telstra said in its own 1 October material that TDR could apply during extreme weather events such as bushfires, floods or cyclones. It said customers may be able to connect to another participating carrier’s mobile network where available, and that Optus and TPG customers may also be able to connect through Telstra’s network in areas where Telstra is the only operating network, where safe to do so.

The ATA said there would be no additional cost to use TDR and that, for most customers, connection would occur automatically once the capability had been activated and was available. Telstra said TDR was intended to provide essential calls, texts and basic data where possible, and would only be switched on where it could be done safely and without affecting emergency communications.

ABC News reported on 1 October, citing ATA chief executive Luke Coleman, that users should not expect full usual high-speed data, but should have enough data for services such as messaging or checking an emergency service website. ABC also reported that the arrangement would be available only outside major cities and would be implemented in up to three different disaster areas at any one time, with limits of up to 15 towers in each area and at least 400 kilometres between those areas.

TDR is separate from the existing ability to call Triple Zero from any available mobile network. Telstra and the ATA said Australians can already call Triple Zero when their own mobile network is unavailable, provided another mobile network is available, through existing “camp-on” functionality built into mobile phones.

ABC reported that the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission found TDR technically feasible in 2023, and that the 2024 Regional Telecommunications Review recommended mandating it at the earliest possible opportunity. ABC also reported that Regional Independent MP Helen Haines had previously sought legislation for the service, but did not receive government support.

Accountability arrangements remain unclear from the supplied evidence. ABC reported that neither industry nor government had outlined accountability measures, and that a statement attributed to a ministerial spokesperson said the government would continue to engage with industry to make sure TDR was working as intended.