Australia’s Telstra, Optus and TPG ready to launch emergency roaming — ABC News Australia
In Australia, the three largest mobile operators — Telstra, Optus and TPG — are ready to launch a temporary emergency roaming system in regions where networks stop operating due to extreme weather events. As ABC News Australia reports, subscribers will be able to temporarily connect to another operator’s network if their own network is unavailable.
The Temporary Disaster Roaming, or TDR, mechanism will make it possible to place calls, send SMS messages and use limited data services. Australian Telecommunications Alliance chief executive Luke Coleman said that full high-speed internet access is not guaranteed, but there should be enough data, including for messages via WhatsApp or iMessage and checking emergency services websites.
Activation conditions
The decision to activate emergency roaming will be made by the operators themselves. For the system to work in an affected area, another provider’s network must be available. Therefore, the service will not operate in a significant part of regional Australia, where mobile coverage is provided by only one operator.
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According to Coleman, no additional fee will be charged for using TDR. A subscriber’s phone will automatically use another available network when it is safe to do so. He also said that most modern smartphones have settings to enable VoLTE technology, which makes it possible to use roaming after it is activated.
Network limitations
Under the terms of the agreement, TDR will be used only outside major cities. It may be introduced simultaneously in no more than three disaster areas, each covering up to 15 mobile phone towers. Such areas must be located at least 400 kilometres apart so as not to overload the network that remains operational.
Independent MP Helen Haines, who represents a regional electorate and had previously sought to enshrine such a mechanism in legislation, called it important for communities during disasters. Temporary emergency roaming differs from the existing camp on function, which allows calls to the Triple Zero service at 000 through any available network.
