Mobile Coverage Project

The objectives of the Active Sharing Partnership are to:

• establish fit-for-purpose commercial and delivery models for active sharing mobile solutions
• investigate the application of different technical and deployment scenarios for active sharing mobile solutions
• deliver new and improved mobile coverage to locations in regional NSW using active sharing mobile solutions
• reduce the network set-up and asset costs to individual telecommunications providers
• increase competition and consumer choice
• enable adoption of new technologies, such as 5G; and
• deliver an improved mobile phone service that can maintain coverage through the harsher elements of the Australian climate, like fire and floods.

The Active Sharing Partnership is being delivered in two phases:

Phase one (design) – completed:

A tender process sought submissions from telecommunications providers to participate in a 15-week collaborative process to design active sharing solutions for implementation in regional NSW.

Eight organisations were selected to participate in phase one of the Active Sharing Partnership, including: BAI Communications, Field Solutions Group, Infrastructure Logic, Optus, NEC, Pivotel Mobile, Telstra and TPG Telecom. 

Phase one of the Active Sharing Partnership concluded in early August 2022.

Phase two (grant opportunity) – underway:

A targeted competitive grant program offering funding for the implementation and ongoing operation of active sharing mobile solutions in regional NSW.

Successful recipients from the grant opportunity are expected to be announced in early 2023.

Request for Proposal was released to the market seeking Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) and Mobile network infrastructure providers (MNIPs) to form a paid partnership with government to design active sharing solutions. The tender closed in February 2022.

For more information see: NSW Government tender encourages Telco partnerships to improve regional mobile coverage

Following the Request for Proposal, eight organisations were announced as the successful participants for Active Sharing Partnership program. They included: Optus, Telstra, TPG Telecom, BAI Communications, Field Solutions Group, Infrastructure Logic, NEC and Pivotel Mobile.

For more information see: Active Sharing Partnership set to transform regional mobile coverage

Over 15-weeks, the eight organisations in the Active Sharing Partnership collaborated to design new active sharing mobile solutions across four network categories, and their underpinning commercial arrangements. 

The 15-week design trials tested commercial sharing arrangements to determine the most suitable rural and regional locations where active sharing solutions could be explored in the future, to provide new and improved coverage outcomes for communities.

The $30 million Active Sharing Partnership grant opportunity opened for applications on 28 September 2022. The grant opportunity proposed to provide funding for the construction of active sharing mobile solutions that would provide new or overlapping 4G and 5G mobile voice and data services to eligible regional NSW locations and would be ready for service by December 2025.

For more information see: Funding boost for regional mobile coverage

The $30 million Active Sharing Partnership grant opportunity closed on 14 November 2022.  A range of applications were received and assessed by a panel.  The applications sought to implement and operate active sharing mobile solutions in regional NSW.

The successful recipients from the grant opportunity are expected to be announced in from early 2023.

The first active sharing grant recipient was announced Friday 24 February 2023.

The far-west communities of Brewarrina and Wilcannia are set to benefit from improved mobile coverage thanks to a $5.5 million agreement between the NSW Government, OneWiFi and Pivotel.

The agreement will provide coverage to 1350 square kilometres, benefiting more than 800 premises in Brewarrina and Wilcannia, with two mobile towers offering new 4G and 5G voice and data services.

For more information see: Mobile boost for Brewarrina and Wilcannia