With disasters seeming to become more frequent and severe in Australia, ensuiring our telecommunications are capable of keeping us connected in a crisis is crucial.
Casey MP and Shadow Assistant Minister for Communications Aaron Violi called for the implementation of Temporary Disaster Roaming (TDR) to be prioritised in a recent column, which would allow phones to connect to another telecommunications provider in the event of an outage.
Mr Violi said past events like Black Saturday, the June 2021 storms and the recent fires in Victoria shows the importance of people being able to call out to get information.
“Disturbingly, we are hearing reports of CFA volunteers and evacuees losing reception, which makes it so important, particularly given bushfires that happen in summer where you’ve got a lot of people that are on holidays and might be travelling,” he said.
“If they’ve come from New South Wales or Queensland and need to drive back through Victoria, they need to be able to access the VicEmergency app or call to get information on what’s happening and whether it’s safe.
“It is vital that we get that Temporary Disaster Roaming up as soon as possible.”
Trials have already been carried out by some of Australia’s major telecommunications companies, with Telstra, TPG Telecom (which operates Vodaphone and other mobile network providers) and Optus and the Australian Government having all been involved in testing since March 2023.
A Vodafone spokesperson said they are progressing the work needed to deliver temporary disaster roaming as soon as it can be safely introduced.
“We are working closely with Optus and Telstra, with some trials already complete and more testing underway,” they said.
“These tests are essential to identify and resolve any technical issues that could affect service reliability.
“The timeline for full implementation will depend on the outcome of these trials.”
Telstra shared in February 2024 that they had run a simulation where a device connected to a mock network lost connectivity and successful roamed to Telstra’s network and connected, though stressed there were still ‘technical, process and financial challenges to overcome’.
A Telstra spokesperson said they remain committed to working with industry and government to implement temporary disaster roaming in Australia.
“We’ve started testing and this follows the successful simulation we ran at our 5G Innovation Centre on the Gold Coast to show that this is possible.”
A TDR functionality would enable mobile roaming between networks within a localised area during natural disasters, for a short, specified duration, in addition to the already built-in ability to call Triple Zero on mobile phones today.
An Optus spokesperson they are actively collaborating with Telstra and TPG to advance Temporary Disaster Roaming, with the first stage of testing in production environments now completed.
“Comprehensive testing across all three networks is essential to ensure the capability operates as intended and does not create unintended impacts for customers or services – particularly during critical times for communities,” they said
“We welcome the outcomes of this testing and remain committed to working closely with Government, Telstra, and TPG to progress Temporary Disaster Roaming and strengthen network resilience for Australians.”
However, an ongoing parliamentary inquiry into the September 2025 Optus outages which led to deaths when calls to Triple Zero could not be connected further highlight the need for urgent change.
A departmental spokesperson said the first phase of testing has already begun for TDR capability and the second phase is expected to begin soon.
“The department is working closely with the mobile network operators on a pathway for a TDR capability to be available in the 2026-27 higher risk weather season,” they said.
“This includes ensuring that surviving networks aren’t degraded due to the potential increased traffic TDR could generate.”
The Australian Government also introduced legislation for a Universal Outdoor Mobile Obligation in November 2025, which will require telcos to provide outdoor voice and text coverage across the continent, in part through low earth orbiting satellite direct-to-device technology.
Mr Violi said the obligation agreement is also important because Australians need and deserve reliable telecommunications every day but particularly during these disaster events and in disaster-prone areas.
“We need to make sure that no matter where you are in the country, you’re able to call and connect with loved ones, call for support and have awareness of what’s going on,” he said.
“Down here in Lilydale and in Casey, we were obviously getting updates off the app about where the fire was going as zones were changing and new information was coming out but if you’re in a black spot, you’re not getting that information.
“As a Coalition, we introduced the STAND (Strengthening Telecommunications Against Natural Disasters) program to make sure that those towers that have closed the black spots can then last longer if we lose power, but then if something goes down, what’s the backup to the backup…because having access to consistent, clear and reliable communications is crucial.”
The STAND program allowed NBN Co to install Sky Muster satellite connections to 1068 rural and country fire service depots and evacuation centres across Australia.
In March 2025, the Australia Government announced additional funding of up to $14 million to extend services at existing locations beyond 2025, as well as expanding to a further 500 sites nationwide, working with state and territory governments to prioritise regions that do not already have a connectivity solution available at evacuation centres and are at higher risk of natural disasters or emergencies.
