September 6, 2016
Member for Maranoa David Littleproud said on Tuesday he strongly supports the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s (ACCC) announcement it will investigate the concept of national roaming.
He said the ACCC’s action could force telecommunications companies to provide better mobile phone coverage in the bush.
“The ACCC is right to look at this because it’s a matter of competition,” Mr Littleproud said.
“We need to examine the current infrastructure because national roaming would mean telcos could use each other’s towers to strengthen the network, which would provide better coverage for rural Australians.”
National roaming would mean Telstra, Optus and Vodafone customers would be provided better coverage through access to other networks for a fee.
“Coverage maps of the three telcos show there area number of regional areas solely covered by Telstra, so the competitive disadvantage to Telstra in dollar terms is low,” Mr Littleproud said.
“The reality is that if the telcos aren’t able to find a reasonable commercial solution to national roaming for regional Australia, then the Government will need to legislate.
“The telcos need to show they’re good corporate citizens and come to the table to find a solution immediately.”
The Maranoa electorate spans more than 40% of Queensland, and Mr Littleproud said poor mobile phone coverage was a major let down for those living in rural towns.
“If my feet are behind a desk, I’m not doing my job so I am out in my electorate and the most common issue I hear is the lack of reliable mobile phone coverage,” he said.
“Mobile coverage is more than communication; out here it’s about safety and it can have a negative impact on local tourism because travellers feel unsafe exploring some areas of the Maranoa which don’t have adequate phone coverage.
“Australians can go overseas now and pay a few extra dollars per month to access other networks.
“So it doesn’t make sense that international roaming can’t be adjusted to suit a domestic market and local infrastructure that taxpayer dollars have contributed to.”
