Telstra has taken the lead as the first carrier to initiate simulated emergency roaming on its mobile network, in line with the recent support from the ACCC for such capabilities during natural disasters.
The company highlighted the increasing frequency and severity of natural disasters, prompting industry and government discussions about overcoming technical and commercial hurdles for the introduction of emergency roaming, as stated in a Telstra blog post.
According to the ACCC, one of the main technical challenges lies in managing the incoming traffic from other carriers’ customers, ensuring it doesn’t overwhelm the destination network.
Telstra plans to commence by simulating roaming on its own network as part of its preparedness for emergency scenarios.Additionally, Telstra introduced various initiatives for natural disaster management.Customers in disaster-affected areas who are on monthly mobile plans will automatically receive an extra 100GB of data for free within 30 days.
Significance of payphones in emergencies
In a bid to enhance communication capabilities in regional and remote areas during natural disasters, Telstra announced plans to add batteries to 1000 payphones. This move aims to prolong the functioning of payphones when faced with power outages.
Steve Tinker, Telstra Response Team Lead, highlighted the significance of payphones in emergencies, emphasizing that they sometimes become the last available infrastructure. The upgraded payphones will be equipped with additional battery backup to ensure they remain functional for longer periods in emergencies.
These upgraded payphones will also offer free WiFi in the affected areas and USB charging ports. Telstra confirmed that the process of upgrading the payphones has commenced and is anticipated to be completed by mid-2025.
