The Peri-Urban Mobile Program (PUMP) is a grants program that provides funding to improve mobile connectivity in bushfire and other natural disaster-prone areas along the edges of Australia's major cities.
The Program
The program targets long standing mobile coverage and reception issues in the peri-urban fringes of Australia's major cities, including on the underserved fringes of large regional cities like Geelong, the Gold Coast, and Newcastle.
The peri-urban fringe is where the bush meets the edges of the suburbs, creating natural disaster risks for those living and working in those areas. These areas have been historically underserved because of the high cost of deploying infrastructure, difficult terrain, planning challenges and lower population densities.
PUMP complements the Mobile Black Spot Program, providing grant funding to mobile network operators and infrastructure providers to deploy new mobile phone infrastructure to address mobile reception and coverage issues in peri-urban areas.
Under Rounds 1 and 2 of PUMP, the Australian Government has committed $69.1 million (GST inclusive) towards mobile coverage solutions at 97 sites in the peri-urban fringe of Australia's major cities.
Mapping tool
Our interactive mapping tool lets you search for projects funded under the PUMP in your area.
Information on the map is updated quarterly and as the program reaches major milestones, such as new funding outcomes.
Round 2 Outcomes
On 3 October 2024, the Minister for Communications, the Hon Michelle Rowland MP, announced the outcomes of Round 2 with $40.9 million (GST inclusive) in funding awarded to 47 new mobile solutions across Australia. These mobile solutions attracted more than $43 million (GST inclusive) in co-contributions from the telco industry and the Queensland Government.
These solutions will deliver new or upgraded mobile phone infrastructure that will provide new improved mobile coverage to communities in Adelaide, Ballarat, Bendigo, Brisbane, Cairns, Central Coast (NSW), Darwin, Geelong, Gold Coast/Tweed Heads, Hobart, Melbourne, Newcastle, Perth, Sydney, Toowoomba, Townsville and Wollongong. Two mobile carriers will share the tower infrastructure at 9 of these sites, improving both coverage and choice for consumers, and maximising the benefits of the Commonwealth's investment. The remaining 38 sites will be required to offer co-location to interested mobile carriers, where technically feasible, to support potential multi-carrier outcomes at these sites in the future.
As a result of the number of high-quality proposals submitted by industry, which fully met the round's assessment criteria and represented value with relevant money to the Commonwealth, the department recommended that funding earmarked for a future round be brought forward to support a larger number of mobile solutions under Round 2. The government accepted this recommendation which increased the number of solutions announced under the round and means more communities will benefit from these projects sooner.
The round used a competitive, merit-based grants process to award funding, in accordance with the public Grant Opportunity Guidelines published on the GrantConnect website.
The rollout schedule will be published on the grantees' websites once the contracts have been executed.
Round 1 outcomes
PUMP Round 1 is providing $28.2 million (GST inclusive) in funding to Optus, Telstra and TPG to deliver 66 4G and 5G mobile base stations at 50 sites on the peri-urban fringe of Australia's major cities (Adelaide, Brisbane, Hobart, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney).
These base stations will improve mobile connectivity for people living and working in areas of natural disaster risk, allowing communities to receive vital information during emergencies, seek help if needed and stay in touch with loved ones.
The rollout of PUMP Round 1 funded solutions has commenced.
Additional information and resources
Frequently Asked Questions
Under Rounds 1 and 2 of PUMP, up to 97 mobile base stations have been funded and are being deployed across the country to improve mobile coverage in the peri-urban fringe of Australia's major cities. The indicative locations of these base stations can be viewed on the PUMP Mapping Tool.
Information about the expected timing of the rollout of mobile base stations funded under the PUMP is available on the relevant mobile network operator (MNO) or mobile network infrastructure provider (MNIP) website.
The rollout sequence is being determined by the MNOs and MNIPs based on various factors, including obtaining local government planning approval, landowner agreement where necessary, and access to existing infrastructure such as power and backhaul.
These rollout schedules are regularly updated as the rollout progresses and subject to change.
Base station deployment is a complex process that typically takes between 24 and 36 months to complete. A number of separate phases are involved including site inspection, detailed design, planning approvals, site acquisition, construction and final activation.
As well as the mobile network operator building the base station, a number of external parties are directly and indirectly involved in the deployment process. These other parties include land owners, local communities, local councils, state government departments, power authorities, other mobile network operators, equipment manufacturers and infrastructure providers.
Planning approvals and site acquisition in particular are subject to external processes that are typically outside of the direct control of the mobile network operators. In some instances, these external factors may impact the delivery timeframe for a base station. For example, additional fauna or flora surveys may be required before local planning approval is granted, or negotiations with land owners may take longer than anticipated.
The mobile network operators are committed to working through issues as they arise. The PUMP remains focused in delivering new coverage as soon as possible.
Reasons why a base station cannot be built vary, but can include difficulty in obtaining planning approval for a base station at the original scheduled location, difficulty reaching agreement with the land owner/s to use the site, as well as unforeseen technical issues with integrating the base station into the existing mobile network.
Before declaring that a base station cannot be built at its scheduled location, the mobile network operator will explore all options to provide new and improved coverage to the location, including investigating alternative sites.
In some cases, the carrier has been able to enhance another base station in the area to meet the coverage requirements of the originally planned base station. If the mobile network operator has exhausted all options and a planned base station cannot be built at its original scheduled location, then the base station is removed from the program.
The following base stations cannot be built under the program due to unforeseen technical, site acquisition or planning approval issues:
- Banjup East, WA (A)
- Banjup East, WA (B)
- Leda West, WA (A)
- Leda West, WA (B)
- Molendinar North, QLD
- Orelia, VIC
- Oxenford North, QLD
- Rye South, VIC (A)
- Rye South, VIC (B)