In a huge win for regional Australia, Vodafone is boosting its mobile network to more than one million square kilometres, bringing new competition, choice and its award[1]winning mobile plans to the bush for the first time.
The expansion of its mobile network is expected to be switched on in early 2025 after the ACCC today cleared Vodafone’s ground-breaking regional network sharing deal with Optus to increase its network coverage to 98.4 per cent of the Australian population.
When the network is switched on, Vodafone will more than double the size of its mobile network – from around 400,000 square kilometres to around 1,000,000 square kilometres – across Australia, bringing its mobile services to popular holiday destinations and regional hotspots it has never been before.
“This is a huge win for customers and regional Australia, with our award-winning mobile services soon to be available in thousands of holiday destinations and regional communities across the country,” said Kieren Cooney, Vodafone Group Executive, Consumer.
“This will be a game-changer for the millions of Australians in our cities and regions who want great value and mobile coverage when travelling to all the places we love to visit.
“With this network expansion we will break the mobile duopoly that has limited customer choice in regional Australia for too long. We’ve listened to our customers and are excited to say Vodafone’s coming to town.”
The new national Vodafone network means tourists and regional communities will have more choice when it comes to seeking great value mobile deals, with thousands of places set to be served by the Vodafone network.
Places like Cloncurry and Thursday Island in Queensland; Lachlan in Tasmania and Wattle Flat in New South Wales will have 4G and later, 5G connectivity on the Vodafone network for this first time. Destinations including Cobar and Lightning Ridge in New South Wales; Coober Pedy, and Tumby Bay in South Australia; and Coral Bay and Cape Range National Park in Western Australia will go from 3G to 4G.
Vodafone’s millions of retail customers will benefit from access to the additional regional 4G coverage when it is expected to be switched on in early 2025. The national network will also deliver 5G services to Vodafone’s regional customers where available, as the cutting-edge mobile technology continues to be rolled out across Australia.