Telstra, Optus and TPG introduced temporary disaster roaming on 1 October 2026, allowing compatible phones to use another available mobile network during eligible regional and rural natural disasters. Telstra says the arrangement supports calls, texts and basic data when a customer’s own network is disrupted. Its usefulness depends on another network surviving with enough capacity to help.
The service gives affected communities an additional communications option before the summer bushfire season. It does not create coverage where no operational mobile network exists, and it is not a permanent right to choose whichever carrier has the strongest signal. Major metropolitan areas fall outside the arrangement.
Activation decisions sit with the participating carriers’ network teams. The industry guide explains that operators assess the incident and the surviving network’s capacity before enabling access. Customers cannot switch the scheme on themselves. A working tower also needs enough capacity to accommodate additional users without undermining service for people already connected.
Phone compatibility depends on support for voice-over-LTE roaming, commonly called VoLTE roaming. Telstra’s detailed guidance says all handsets it launched from 2022 support the feature; that is not a guarantee covering every phone sold elsewhere since that year. Most compatible smartphones should connect automatically. Some older models may need data roaming enabled for internet access, so checking the exact model with the provider is more useful than relying on its purchase date.
The initial arrangement also limits the scale of simultaneous activations. Telstra lists up to three disaster areas at once, each covering up to 15 mobile sites, with areas at least 400 kilometres apart. Activation normally runs for 24 hours and can be extended if conditions permit. There is no additional disaster-roaming surcharge, although customers’ existing plan charges continue.
Basic connectivity should be treated as a limited shared resource. Essential messages and information checks are the intended uses, rather than assuming normal streaming speeds. Telstra also warns that legacy Emergency Alert SMS messages are not delivered while a customer is connected through temporary disaster roaming; AusAlert operates separately. The scheme is intended for compatible smartphones, not a general guarantee for medical alarms, payment terminals or other connected equipment.
The launch also leaves questions about how performance will be assessed. ABC reporting found that neither government nor industry had outlined accountability measures for activation decisions. That makes actual incident outcomes important: the availability of the framework and the experience of a particular community are different measures.
Emergency calling already has a separate arrangement for using available networks. In its seasonal preparedness advice, Optus explains that Triple Zero can use another available mobile network, but no mobile call can connect without coverage. Households should therefore check phone compatibility and prepare backup power and other ways of receiving emergency information. Disaster roaming can help when a network survives; it cannot replace a communications plan for an area where every network fails.
Loss of service can also have causes unrelated to a disaster. ACMA’s action against Amaysim concerns unauthorised number transfers and the identity checks intended to prevent them, a separate issue from temporary access to another network.
