Cobba
In a lot of places they share towers so one out all out.
The sale of mobile towers by Australia’s three mobile network operators to large specialist tower companies has changed the structure of the mobile telecommunications industry and made the regulatory regime for tower access no longer fit for purpose, the ACCC’s
Regional Mobile Infrastructure Inquiry final report
has found. The ACCC was asked by the Australian Government to inquire into access to towers and other infrastructure used in the supply of mobile services in regional areas. The inquiry looked at many factors that affect the mobile network operators’ (Telstra, Optus and TPG Telecom) incentives to invest in providing greater or improved mobile coverage.The final report has 20 findings on issues relating to access to mobile towers, the regulatory framework, consumer experiences and the feasibility of temporary mobile roaming during natural disasters.It explains that greater mobile coverage usually requires a mobile network operator to build a new tower or mount mobile equipment on an existing tower owned by another party, known as co-locating. Co-location is typically cheaper for mobile network operators than building new towers.While having tower companies independent from mobile network operators should generally create incentives for tower operators to increase their revenue through increased co-location, pre-existing commercial arrangements appear to be limiting this.“Telstra, Optus and TPG Telecom still drive communications investment decisions in regional, rural and remote Australia as the tower companies only build new towers when they have commitments from the network operators to use them,” ACCC Commissioner Anna Brakey said.
