Portfolio — 6 August 2026

The Minister for Communications used a single media release to welcome the ACCC's decision to inquire into regional mobile coverage and wholesale access regulation [TA-260805-infras-851119e81bd3]. The release links the inquiry directly to the Universal Outdoor Mobile Obligation rollout and maintains a distinction from the industry-led Temporary Disaster Roaming initiative [TA-260805-infras-851119e81bd3].

**ACCC regional mobile coverage inquiry**

The Minister welcomed the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's decision to conduct an inquiry into regional mobile coverage and the potential regulation of wholesale access [TA-260805-infras-851119e81bd3]. The inquiry will examine how mobile coverage and consumer needs are changing in regional and remote areas, the current state of competition in mobile services, and the impact of new direct-to-device low earth orbit satellite services [TA-260805-infras-851119e81bd3].

**Linkage to the Universal Outdoor Mobile Obligation**

The Minister stated that the ACCC's work will complement the implementation of the Universal Outdoor Mobile Obligation, which requires Telstra, Optus and TPG to provide reasonable outdoor access to SMS and voice calls throughout Australia [TA-260805-infras-851119e81bd3]. The portfolio treats the inquiry as a mechanism to inform the rollout of the Universal Outdoor Mobile Obligation while maintaining a distinction from the industry-led Temporary Disaster Roaming initiative [TA-260805-infras-851119e81bd3].

**Synthesis**

The release positions the ACCC inquiry as an evidence-gathering instrument feeding into the UOMO's operational design, rather than as a standalone regulatory action. The inquiry's broad scope — competition, consumer needs in remote areas, and satellite technology — spans both market structure and emerging technology. The explicit naming of Telstra, Optus and TPG as UOMO-obligated carriers anchors the regulatory context in which the inquiry will operate.

The distinction drawn between the inquiry and the Temporary Disaster Roaming initiative keeps industry-led emergency measures separate from the ACCC's market-wide assessment.