Future of Mobile

Telecommunications is the critical engine of Australia’s modern economy. However, the current regulatory environment is complex and growing. Carriers and infrastructure providers face hundreds of regulations that, in places, impose a disproportionate burden slowing investment, infrastructure deployment and innovation. Inconsistent and restrictive planning frameworks across states and territories create major roadblocks and delay.

There is already consensus that reform is needed with successive national reviews calling for streamlined planning and faster approvals. In addition, prioritising telecommunications reform aligns with the Commonwealth Government’s objective to raise productivity and with commitments from the Productivity Roundtable to work with states and territories to accelerate the delivery of enabling infrastructure.

This report from Deloitte Access Economics assesses these issues and sets out three immediate opportunities and three longer-term reforms to modernise Australia’s telecommunications framework.

Immediate opportunities:

• Establish a Digital Infrastructure Coordinator General
• Create a harmonised planning framework with adoption incentives
• Amend Schedule 3 of the Telecommunications Act to adopt a risk-based approach.

Longer-term reforms:

• Develop a National Spectrum Strategy
• Create planning and land access exemptions for government co-funded sites
• Implement a process for streamlining then Telecommunications Act over time.

Making these changes would deliver tangible benefits to Australians. Indicative benefits include delivering new or upgraded mobile coverage to up to 250,000 Australians sooner, creating $150 million in annual productivity gains through reduced regulatory complexity and increasing telecommunications investment by up to $430 million each year.