SYDNEY, March 30, 2026, 05:11 AEDT
- Optus and TPG are pushing back against Telstra, as the March 31 ACMA ruling on national mobile coverage maps approaches.
- Telstra says the draft plan would mean stripping around 1 million square kilometres from what it currently designates as covered.
- Telstra maintains that each month, 1.5 million customers rely on the service below the suggested threshold—and that includes 57,000 emergency calls a year.
Telstra Group Limited’s long-standing claims about mobile coverage may take a hit, with Optus and TPG both backing stricter mapping standards before an Australian regulator’s decision expected by March 31. The move could see Telstra cut roughly 1 million square kilometres from the coverage footprint it currently advertises.
Timing is key here. The Australian Communications and Media Authority faces a March 31 deadline to lock in its Mobile Network Coverage Maps Standard. Carriers will need to comply with the new system for modelling and labelling 4G and 5G outdoor handheld coverage starting June 30, once the rules kick in.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is throwing its support behind stricter standards, arguing that existing maps are tough to compare and often don’t reflect the real experience for users—meaning customers end up with plans that don’t deliver. That’s significant in a market dominated by Telstra, which holds 41% of mobile subscribers, trailed by Optus at 29%, and TPG on 17%, per the regulator’s 2024-25 market report.
ACMA’s proposal sets the threshold for usable mobile coverage at -115 dBm, excluding areas with weaker signals from official maps. Telstra is pushing to drop that cutoff to -122 dBm. Optus and TPG, on the other hand, want the regulator to stick with the stricter -115 dBm floor.
Telstra’s sales pitch for regional customers has always emphasized its network footprint. The company claims coverage across roughly 3 million square kilometres, reaching 99.7% of Australians, and has warned the regulator that the draft proposal could chop about a third of that land area from its official coverage.
Shailin Sehgal, Telstra’s group executive for global networks and technology, dismissed TPG’s testing as unreflective of what Telstra customers actually experience nationwide, according to remarks published in the Australian Financial Review. In a post on the company’s website earlier this month, he added that “every month more than 1.5 million customers use our coverage below -115 dBm.” Australian Financial Review
According to Telstra, roughly 57,000 emergency calls go through from those weaker-signal regions each year. Daily, they see about 700,000 voice calls and 750,000 texts. The National Audit of Mobile Coverage, run by the government, is among the sources ACMA cites for shaping its draft coverage threshold and advocating for more transparent carrier-to-carrier comparisons.
TPG, the provider behind Vodafone-branded mobile services, insists coverage maps ought to reflect spots where regular phones can actually place calls, not just pick up a weak signal. Optus agrees, telling regulators in its submission that setting the floor at -115 dBm is critical—any lower, and consumers might be misled about where service is truly reliable.
Telstra heads into the fray with its finances on solid footing. Back in February, Reuters noted that first-half profit came in ahead of estimates—boosted by gains in mobile subscribers and pricier plans. The company also ramped up its buyback program, now topping out at A$1.25 billion. eToro analyst Zavier Wong described Telstra as “one of the most defensive names on the ASX.” Reuters
The result isn’t locked in yet—ACMA’s final decision lands March 31. If the agency sticks with its draft, Telstra faces a rush to update its coverage maps ahead of the June 30 implementation. Telstra warns a strict switchover risks confusing regional customers, making it unclear where standard cell service stops and satellite-to-mobile coverage picks up.
No matter how the language lands, the rule would stretch past maps. Telstra could get a new angle in pitching its network edge over Optus and TPG, and smaller resellers leaning on those networks might have to rethink how they show customers where their mobiles will actually connect.
