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.
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 funded sites are available to view on the National Map.
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.
You can view the funded sites via the National Map. The rollout of PUMP Round 1 funded solutions has commenced.
Additional information and resources
- PUMP Round 1 Guidelines
- PUMP Round 2 Guidelines
- A map of the funded PUMP locations is available on the National Map