US EditionTelstra’s Mobile Map Cut Under New Rules
The Australian Communications and Media Authority mandates a -115 dBm cutoff for mobile signal strength, causing Telstra to remove about 1 million square kilometers from coverage maps.
- On Tuesday, Communications Minister Anika Wells announced new Australian Communications and Media Authority rules requiring mobile carriers to publish standardized coverage maps by June 30 using uniform signal-strength thresholds for 4G and 5G networks.
- Following allegations from Vodafone that Telstra misled customers for more than 15 years, the regulator moved to standardize mapping after Telstra's claim of 3 million square kilometres coverage failed to disclose external antenna requirements.
- Under the new standard, signals below-115 dBm will be labeled 'no coverage,' a threshold Telstra argued would strip about 1 million square kilometres from its maps and affect 1.5 million customers monthly.
- Telstra, Optus, and TPG Telecom must categorize coverage into four tiers—good, moderate, basic, or no coverage—with maps updated quarterly, facing enforceable undertakings and financial penalties for non-compliance.
- Separately, the government is conducting a national audit with consulting firm Accenture and Australia Post, testing signal strength at up to 77 locations and collecting crowdsourced data from 160,000 users to verify coverage accuracy.
11 Articles
11 Articles
Telstra forced to slash network claims under new coverage map rules
Telstra has three months to remove one million square kilometres – an area larger than NSW – from its mobile coverage maps, after Australia’s communications watchdog forced the telco to exclude regions with extremely weak and unreliable signal strength. Communications Minister Anika Wells announced the new industry standard on Tuesday, to be enforced by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA). The changes force Australia’s three…
Telcos To Standardise Maps
March 31, 2026 Mobile phone users will be able to better compare network coverage under rules introduced this week by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA). Mobile providers must publish clear maps by June 30 which show 4G and 5G mobile coverage across Australia in one of four categories: good, moderate, basic or no coverage. ACMA Chair Nerida O’Loughlin said the introduction of the standardised maps would help consumers make …
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