Govt funds mobile coverage boost for regional Vic, NSW

The Australian Government is continuing its efforts to improve mobile coverage on our regional roads and highways, with the $50 million Regional Roads Australia Mobile Program (RRAMP) allocating funding to two more states.

The RRAMP is supporting pilot programs across Australia to improve road safety, strengthen economic growth, improve social connectivity and support regional development. The initiative follows the inaugural Regional Connectivity Ministers Roundtable, held in August 2023, where states and territories agreed to partner with the government to deliver improved mobile coverage across regional Australia. Outcomes from the RRAMP will inform the design of a national program to be announced in 2025.

On 6 November, the government announced $8 million to support pilot projects covering parts of the Great Alpine Road, Great Ocean Road and Monaro Highway in regional Victoria, with a focus on boosting resilience and connectivity during emergencies and natural disasters. The Victorian Government will design and deliver the pilot through a competitive grants program, with applications planned to open in 2025.

Nine days later, RRAMP funding was announced for regional and remote NSW in the form of $9 million for the NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development and a further $1 million for the NSW Telco Authority. The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development is meanwhile contributing up to $38 million of its own funds to the program, for a joint total of up to $48 million.

The work being undertaken in NSW will test practical solutions to improve connectivity and includes projects like addressing coverage gaps on key transport corridors by investing in new infrastructure such as small cell sites, macro cell towers and ‘cell on wheels’ solutions. The funding will:

• provide coverage in remote roadside rest areas;
• provide new mobile connectivity along roads linking First Nations communities to their closest town to access essential services;
• improve blackspot coverage on significant transport corridors; and
• provide continuous coverage along key tourist routes.
   

The program will strongly encourage multi-carrier solutions, including operators using the same mobile towers to avoid duplication of infrastructure. The NSW Government is now seeking expressions of interest from industry partners to deliver the program.

Image credit: iStock.com/Alexwise