A new parliamentary inquiry will focus on mobile infrastructure services across regional Australia.
The House Communications and the Arts Committee will receive testimony on co-investment in regional mobile carrier infrastructure.
Committee Chair, Mr Brian Mitchell MP says a regional telecommunications company may use co-investment to improve services by investing in and share ‘multi-carrier’ mobile tower infrastructure and equipment with other companies.
Majority of mobile infrastructure is not co-located, especially in regional areas.
The rates of co-location for Australia’s major mobile providers dramatically decline as you move from urban to regional and remote areas, to as low as 4.8 per cent in very remote areas.
According to Mr Mitchell connectivity and infrastructure are vital elements in regional development.
“It is critical that we hear directly from our rural, regional, and remote communities about their perceptions of telecommunications infrastructure in order to connect and stay connected.’ says Mitchell.
Commpete chair, Michelle Lim says where new alternative service model regimes are brought to the forefront, there is an opportunity to ensure objectives of competition and consider open access regime.
“Bridging the gap between regional and metropolitan Australia is a game changer, and even more so where choice, value and flexibility is afforded more broadly at a national level.’ says Lim.
