Now lawTech & Online Introduced in the House of Representatives, 27 Nov 2025

Outdoor mobile calls and texts are now the law

Only about a third of Australia's land has mobile coverage. The Minister's new rule-making powers started on 27 October 2026. The outdoor phone duty starts on 1 December 2027. It can be delayed up to three times, by a year each time. Satellites are expected to supply most of it.

Official name: Telecommunications Legislation Amendment (Universal Outdoor Mobile Obligation) Bill 2026

Who it affects

• People who live, work or travel in the bush: From the start date they should be able to text and call outdoors in places with no phone tower today.
• Customers of the big three phone companies: Each company must cover the whole country on its own. So you can expect coverage from the company you chose.
• Telstra, Optus and Vodafone's owner: They have a new legal duty from December 2027. They could face rules on price, how well the service works and fixing faults.
• Customers of smaller mobile companies: The outdoor duty does not apply to these companies. The Minister's quality rules, such as call quality and fault repair, can apply to them.
• People on Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands: They are part of the coverage area, like the states and mainland territories.

Why it exists

Mobile phones are now how most Australians make calls. The media and phone watchdog says landline use fell. In 2017, 54% of adults used one. In 2024 it was 15%. But phone towers only cover about a third of Australia's land. That is mostly where people live.

That leaves big gaps on country roads and in remote areas. Say you break down or get hurt out there. A normal phone often cannot reach Triple Zero, the emergency number (000). Building towers in empty country does not make money. So phone companies have not done it.

For many years there has been a rule called the Universal Service Obligation. It makes Telstra offer landline phones and payphones to everyone in Australia. Several reviews found it is out of date. In February 2025 the government said it would add mobile phones to these rules for everyone.

The law creates a new duty called the Universal Outdoor Mobile Obligation. The government expects phone companies to use today's towers. They would add satellites that link straight to a normal phone. These satellites fly low, between 500 and 2,000 km up. The technology is called direct to device.

The new duty on the big three

The main rule says mobile coverage must be "reasonably available" outdoors. It must reach all people in Australia on "equal terms". Reasonably available means a company must make a fair effort to give you coverage. It does not promise a signal at every spot. Equal terms means bush and city people should get the same kind of service.

The rule covers two services, voice calls and texts. The Minister can add more later, such as data.

Telstra, Optus and Vodafone are the starting phone companies. A third company runs Vodafone. Each one must cover the whole country on its own. This is so even where another company covers the spot. So you can expect coverage from the company you chose.

The area is all of Australia, including Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands. One area is left out, the Australian Radio Quiet Zone near Murchison in Western Australia. Radio signals there are limited so a big telescope site can work.

Say you drive a truck from Port Augusta to Alice Springs. For hours there is no tower. From the start date, your phone should work for texts and calls outdoors.

The rule only covers outdoors. The government's notes say phones inside buildings or cars may not work. Satellite signals struggle there.

The promise has limits, because no phone service can work everywhere. The Minister can list cases where it is not fair to expect coverage. The government's notes give three examples. One is a thick forest. Another is a network under repair. The third is a customer without a phone or plan that works with the service. The government plans to make this list before December 2027.

The law does not mention Triple Zero. An older rule already says mobile phone companies must carry Triple Zero calls. The government's notes say that rule will apply to voice calls under the new duty. So the government expects Triple Zero to work whether a call goes by tower or satellite.

Start date for the duty

The law took effect on 27 October 2026, the day after it was signed. That included the Minister's power to set quality rules for all mobile companies. The outdoor duty starts later, on 1 December 2027. The powers tied to that duty start then too.

The Minister for Communications can push the start back by 12 months, up to three times. So the latest possible start is 1 December 2030. Calls and texts could start at different times. They could also start at different times for different companies.

Before changing the date, the Minister must ask the companies if they are ready. The Minister must also think about the market where phone companies buy services from each other. Technical issues and what customers need count too.

Adding or changing providers

The Minister can name other phone companies to take on the duty in future. The Minister can also give each company its own area. Every point in Australia must always have at least one company responsible for coverage there.

Say a phone company expects it will stop meeting the duty in an area. It must tell the watchdog and the Minister in writing. Step one is 12 months' warning, if it can give that. Step two, if it cannot, is to tell them as soon as it can. That must be within 10 working days after it stops.

The watchdog can then order it to write to its customers. The letter tells them which other companies they could switch to. Customers keep their service unless the company stops.

Quality rules for the outdoor service

The Minister can make standards and rules the three companies must follow. These can cover price and other terms of sale. They can cover how well the service keeps working. Call quality and how well texts get through count too.

They can also cover how fast faults must be fixed. They can cover what a company must do when the network jams from too many users. And they can cover what customers must be told.

Some rules can set a minimum level. One example is fixing a fault within a set number of days. The government says the standards could ensure a cheap option for people on low incomes.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority makes the companies follow these rules. It is the media and phone watchdog. The Minister can hand some powers to the watchdog. The Minister can also hand some to senior staff. They work in the government department that looks after communications.

Quality rules for all mobile services

Part 2 of the law gives the Minister power to set standards and rules. They cover every company that runs a mobile network or sells mobile services. That includes the smaller ones. The power started on 27 October 2026.

These rules can cover how well the service keeps working. Call quality and how well texts get through count too. They can cover how fast faults are fixed, jammed networks and what customers are told.

The government says these rules are not meant to cover the price of ordinary mobile plans. It says the power is a back-up in case the market lets customers down.

This part was not in the first draft. It was added after groups for phone users asked for quality rules to start sooner.

Money and smaller changes

The government can use a fund that already exists. It is called the Public Interest Telecommunications Services Special Account. The fund pays for deals and grants that help the new duty work. A grant is money given for a set job.

The fund holds money from the budget. It also holds money from a charge on phone companies. So phone companies help pay. It already pays for the landline rule and the National Relay Service. That service helps deaf people, and people who find it hard to speak, make calls.

The head of the department can sign these deals and grants. The fund can also pay for testing outdoor coverage, writing standards and giving people facts. Other small changes add the new duty to two laws. One is the competition and consumer law. The other is the main phone law. They also fix a wrong reference.

Law since October 2026

A bill is a plan for a new law. The government brought this bill into the House of Representatives on 27 November 2025. The House passed it on 9 September 2026. It added one change from Helen Haines. She is a member of the House (an MP) outside the big parties. The bill went to the Senate, Parliament's second house, on 14 September 2026.

On 15 October 2026 the Senate passed the bill. It agreed to 3 changes. They came from the Liberal and National parties, the main group not in government. The House agreed to those changes the same day. So the bill had passed both houses on 15 October. The papers we used do not say what these changes do.

The Governor-General signed the bill into law on 26 October 2026. That is the King's representative in Australia. It is now Act No. 100 of 2026. The outdoor duty starts on 1 December 2027 unless the Minister moves the date.

How they voted

Its journey through Parliament

Official sources

• Bill page on aph.gov.au
• Text of the bill
• Explanatory memorandum
• Bills Digest

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