Regional Development Australia says it’ll work hard to ensure this week’s emergency roaming decision by the ACCC is carried out by the major telco’s.
Telstra, Optus and TPG will now be forced by the competition regulator to share their networks in emergency situations such as fires and floods, which could potentially save lives.
The Ballarat-based chairman of RDA Victoria, Stuart Benjamin, says it’s taken years of work.
“Literally for twenty years and certainly for the last five that we’ve been pushing, the big telco’s have said ‘look, we can’t do it, it’s not possible, it’ll destroy the network,” he said.
“That was until we had an inquiry last year and the ACCC came out last week and said ‘actually, it is technically feasible, it’s not that hard and it’ll save lives.”
In a statement, Telstra’s Regional Australia Executive, Loretta Willaton, said they’ve been having discussions with other providers, the Government and the ACCC since March this year to explore the feasibility of emergency roaming.
She says Telstra intends to conduct a simulation before the end of the year.
