Australia’s consumer watchdog the ACCC has opted not to investigate claims that Telstra dramatically overstated its mobile coverage for years – instead giving mobile network operators notice that they will be closely watched as new standards tighten rules about network coverage claims.

The new industry standard for mobile network coverage maps, which was introduced by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) in March but came into effect on 30 June, has forced Telstra, Optus, and TPG Telecom to publish updated maps detailing their relative 4G and 5G coverage.

Prescriptive standards require each map to include a legend with the labels ‘good’, ‘moderate’, ‘basic’, and ‘no coverage’, and forbid carriers from publishing any other maps making assertions about their network.

Telcos must update the maps quarterly and whenever network changes alter coverage, and must also make the maps available to resellers of their mobile services to ensure consumers have access to the same data when choosing a provider.

Telcos must also publish the maps’ underlying geospatial data in a way that lets emergency services organisations, regulators, and other administrators use it “for analytical purposes”.

“Improved coverage maps make it easier to understand what coverage people can expect in their location, and where they should be able to make a Triple Zero call if needed,” Minister for Communications Anika Wells said – alluding to recent Triple Zero coverage fails.

“These changes mean consumers will be able to more easily compare coverage and performance between providers and choose the service that works for them.”

Telstra pushes back against coverage allegations

The new mapping rules are a blow to Telstra, which previously said its network covered over 3 million square kilometres – a claim its rivals contested, saying Telstra had “lied” by including areas where signals were too faint to be used by typical mobile devices.

Under the new standard, Telstra’s predicted coverage footprint has shrunk to 2.14 million square kilometres, a drop of 860,000 square kilometres that roughly equals the combined areas of New South Wales and Tasmania.

The “more conservative signal strength threshold” of the new standard, Telstra said, means that in many areas where it previously claimed coverage, consumers would get “limited and inconsistent” service because the signal is now “below the level required to be classified as usable coverage.”

Despite rivals’ claims that Telstra misrepresented its coverage for years, the ACCC announced Wednesday that it won’t pursue the telco “based on the technical complexity and evidentiary challenges in establishing that these claims were false or misleading.”

These complexities, the ACCC said, stemmed from the fact Telstra’s claims of geographical coverage “were made at a time when there was no consistent way to assess mobile coverage”.

Telstra noted that Optus and Vodafone’s networks cover 1.2 million square kilometres “by their own numbers”, and claimed 1.5 million customers use its network monthly in areas now classified as having no coverage.

Telcos will be taken at their word for now – at least until the government’s National Audit of Mobile Coverage delivers real-world data from drivers carrying specialised equipment over a three-year process that’s set to finish on 30 June 2027.

'Setting a consistent standard'

With a coverage mapping standard now in place, the ACCC said “setting a consistent standard” will assist in its "consideration of future complaints about false or misleading coverage claims.”

Yet “it’s important to remember that coverage maps are a guide,” the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) recently noted, warning that “other factors like buildings, weather, landscape and device type can affect your coverage, no matter who your telco is.”

The TIO received 781 complaints about poor mobile coverage during the first quarter of 2026 – up from 673 in the previous quarter – with regional and rural centres registering the most complaints.

The ACCC remains “concerned about ongoing coverage issues”, deputy chair Catriona Lowe said.

“We continue to receive a significant number of complaints from consumers, including about patchy service and the accuracy of coverage maps,” she said, “and we will continue to consider providers’ claims about coverage and take enforcement action where appropriate.”

Coverage transparency isn’t the only new obligation for telcos; as of 30 June, they must also maintain network outage registers that ACMA said will contain details about “every major outage and significant local outage” from 31 March.

The registers “are designed to provide greater transparency about telecommunications outages for a wide range of stakeholders,” ACMA chair Nerida O’Loughlin said, noting the data must be provided in consistent formats to boost transparency and facilitate analysis.

That change “will ensure customers have clear visibility of network outages and will help them make informed decisions about the telecommunications services they use,” Wells said of the outage registers.

Telco regulators will have their hands full in coming months, with the newly enacted Scams Prevention Framework also in its first days as telcos, banks, and digital platforms are urged to tighten consumer protections amidst a surge in scams.