The National Audit of Mobile Coverage aims to better identify mobile coverage black spots across Australia to help target future investment, and to provide an independent resource that better reflects on ground experiences of mobile coverage provided commercially by mobile providers.
The Audit is a component of the Government's Better Connectivity Plan for Regional and Rural Australia.
The Audit will run until 30 June 2027. Accenture Australia has been contracted to undertake the Audit on behalf of the Government.
The Audit commenced in May 2024 with a pilot, covering 3 roads and 3 locations in each state and territory.
The main Audit is currently underway, and involves drive testing around 180,000 km of regional and rural roads every year for 3 years. Drive-testing is being conducted by Accenture and Australia Post. Devices will also be placed in up to 77 locations, mostly post offices, across all states and territories to conduct testing over an extended period over the 3 years. This will assist in identifying seasonal variations in mobile coverage.
The Audit will measure coverage and performance across Optus, Telstra and TPG, and also cover 3G (while it is available), 4G and 5G services.
Audit data from drive and static testing is complemented by crowd-sourced data collected by Accenture. Crowd-sourced data can provide information on mobile coverage and network performance. Importantly, it reflects coverage where people actually use their mobiles.
Crowd-sourced data and data collected from drive testing and static locations are updated regularly and available to the public via the Mobile Audit Visualisation Tool. The data and coverage maps presented are compiled through community input and field testing, capturing real-world user experiences at given moments in time. Learn more about the methodology for collecting data.
Crowd-sourced data is collected via the Accenture Crowdsourcing platform and draws upon about 160,000 active users in Australia at any one time contributing to 3.5 billion samples annually.
Mobile Audit Visualisation Tool
Map of Audit Roads and Locations
The map displays roads and locations proposed to be audited, and may be subject to change.
Queries related to the National Audit of Mobile Coverage can be sent to mobileaudit@infrastructure.gov.au.
Further information
- The Hon Michelle Rowland MP, Minister for Communications media release: Australian posties helping assess regional mobile coverage
- The Hon Michelle Rowland MP, Minister for Communications media release: Government kicks off national audit of mobile coverage.
- The Hon Michelle Rowland MP, Minister for Communications media release: Tender opens for the National Audit of Mobile Coverage.
- The Hon Michelle Rowland MP, Minister for Communications media release: Albanese Government seeks public input on mobile coverage audit.