From 30 June, all Australian mobile providers will be required to follow a new standard for displaying mobile coverage. As a result, our coverage maps — and those of other providers — will look different.
This is only a change to how we display coverage on our maps. There's no change to the real-world coverage you experience.
As with our previous coverage map, the new map uses software modelling, largely based on signal strength, to predict where outdoor coverage is likely to be available under typical conditions. What's different is that the new standard uses different signal strength thresholds to predict where you can expect to get coverage.
Under the new standard, coverage must be shown using four categories, Good, Moderate, Basic and No coverage, based on defined signal strength thresholds. The descriptions, as defined by the standard, are:
Actual experience, regardless of category, can and will still vary depending on things such as terrain, buildings, weather, how the network is being used by others and how you're using it.
No. While the colours and shapes will change, what matters most hasn't: the strength and reach of our network remains the same.
Under the new national standard set by the telecommunications industry regulator (ACMA), a more conservative signal strength threshold is used to determine what can be shown as predicted coverage on maps. If predicted signal strength falls below this threshold, it must be labelled "no coverage."
You may still have access to services in "no coverage" areas, but that signal strength is predicted to be below the level required to be classified as usable coverage under the standard, and the standard provides that connectivity would be limited and inconsistent.
Our data shows that around 1.5 million customers have used our network each month in areas now shown as "no coverage", to make and receive calls, send SMSs and access data.
These changes have no impact on your ability to call Triple Zero. In fact, in coverage areas marked "no coverage", our historical network data shows as many as 57,000 emergency calls successfully made within a single year.
It's also important to remember that your phone will connect to any available mobile network to make a Triple Zero call, even if coverage with your usual provider isn't available.
Telstra Satellite Messaging works differently to the mobile network. Instead of connecting to nearby mobile towers, a compatible device can connect directly to satellites, enabling messaging in areas beyond the reach of the mobile network.
That means it can be available even in very remote parts of the country, or potentially during outages when local mobile towers are offline. Where a compatible device and eligible plan are in place, and when used outdoors with a clear view of the sky, a satellite connection may be possible. When connected, your device will indicate that you're using satellite.
Because of this, there isn't a map to check beforehand. Telstra Satellite Messaging is designed as an additional connectivity option, supporting messaging in situations where a mobile network connection isn't available.
Devices will always try to connect to the mobile network first. Telstra Satellite services are only used when no mobile signal can be detected. This means there may be a gap between what you see on a coverage map and when satellite becomes available. In some cases there will be mobile signal in areas shown as "no coverage" on the map, and your device may continue to preference the mobile network rather than switching to satellite.
Not all mobile phones are created equal. Some, for example, are more sensitive to mobile signal than others, which means they may be able to pick up a signal where others don't.
If you live or travel in regional areas, a Telstra Blue Tick device has been thoroughly tested and is expected to perform better in weaker signal conditions. In practical terms, that means it's more likely to hold a call or maintain a connection at the edges of coverage compared to other devices.
No. The new coverage maps are designed to show outdoor mobile coverage only. Indoor coverage can vary a lot depending on things like building materials, location within a building, and even surrounding trees or terrain. These factors can make a big difference to how signal reaches indoors.
The standard aims to ensure maps can provide a consistent measure of where mobile coverage is predicted to be available outdoors under typical conditions.
