Tesla coverage shrinks 29% under new ACMA rules, outages register mandatory
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The news: Telstra’s total mobile coverage by area will fall by about 29% under telco regulator ACMA’s new standards, intended to ensure telcos use like-for-like metrics, that come into effect on Tuesday.
A second industry standard requiring telecommunications carriers to publish standardised information about outages on a public register has also come into effect.
The numbers: The new standards set a minimum signal strength requirement for telcos to claim they have good mobile coverage. This has reduced Telstra’s coverage area from 3 million square kilometres, as of mid-2025, to 2.14 million square kilometres.
This is smaller than the potential one million square kilometer reduction flagged by Telstra in a consultation submission in March 2026.
TPG Telecom-owned Vodafone’s total coverage area has increased from about 1.1 million square kilometres to about 1.2 million square kilometres while Optus’ coverage area has roughly remained around 1.2 million square kilometres.
The context: Under the new standard, coverage maps must only include zones where a standard phone can reliably make calls, send texts and use data.
In technical terms, ACMA has taken this to be the -115 decibel level, in line with a government commissioned national audit of mobile coverage led by Accenture but higher than the level Telstra has previously used.
Telstra is seeking to reassure its customers that there have been no technical changes to its network services which is backed by “at least 2,000 more mobile sites than any other provider”.
They flagged that every month about 1.5 million customers use Telstra services that are now classified as “no coverage” zones under the new standard.
What they said: “While we didn’t agree with the approach ACMA ultimately took, once in place, the new maps will still show what our customers already know and why more regional Australians choose us: Telstra’s coverage footprint is vastly larger than any other mobile network,” a Telstra spokesperson said.
A TPG Telecom spokesperson said: “These changes effectively reset how mobile coverage is marketed in Australia. They’re a big win for consumers because they finally deliver apples-for-apples comparison and bring much-needed transparency to mobile coverage maps.”
“People rely on these maps assuming their phone will work, especially in regional areas, so it’s critical they reflect real-world performance not edge-of-network signal that often doesn’t connect without additional equipment,” the TPG spokesperson said.
An Optus spokesperson said: “We welcome the introduction of a consistent, industry-wide standard for mobile coverage maps. This is an important step in improving transparency and giving customers greater confidence when comparing services across providers.”
Communications Minister Anika Wells said: “Our priority is keeping all Australians safe and informed. These standards will improve transparency about coverage and empower choice.”
The source: Anika Wells media release
