Mobile infrastructure services will be the focus of a new parliamentary inquiry. The House Communications and the Arts Committee will hear evidence on co-investment in regional mobile carrier infrastructure.
Committee Chair, Mr Brian Mitchell MP, said ‘co-investment is a tool which would allow multiple telecommunications providers to invest in and share ‘multi-carrier’ mobile towers and related infrastructure.’
Mr Mitchell added, ‘mobile phone accessibility is an important component for all Australians and communities, particularly in regional areas. This inquiry will investigate opportunities and challenges for mobile infrastructure across the nation.’
The Committee will receive evidence on community views of mobile infrastructure, the cost and feasibility of single-carrier versus multi-carrier mobile infrastructure, and how existing examples of multi-carrier providers might be applied in the Australian context.
‘The 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, from 92.9 per cent in major cities to as low as 4.8 per cent in very remote areas’, said Mr Mitchell.
The Committee is particularly interested in hearing from businesses, organisations and individuals living in our communities located in regional, rural, and remote areas of Australia.
The terms of reference are available from the inquiry webpage. Submissions can also be made through the webpage, or by email to communications.reps@aph.gov.au until 10 November 2022.
Information about the Committee may be found on the Committee’s webpage.
Media inquiries
Office of Mr Brian Mitchell MP: (03) 6263 3721
For background information on the inquiry process
Committee Secretariat
02 6277 4386
communications.reps@aph.gov.au
