Stuart Benjamin says people in remote areas should be able to use any mobile network to access data and calls in the event of a declared emergency.
A solution to mobile phone coverage issues in emergencies such as bushfires could just be a few steps away, according to a Regional Development Australia committee in Victoria.
"We think it's pretty average that in a country as wealthy as Australia when we have an emergency ... if your provider is down you're completely isolated, even though you might be standing next to another provider's tower," Mr Benjamin said."It already happens overseas, and it already happens when you make a triple-0 call," Mr Benjamin said.
He said the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission had told his organisation the concept was technically possible and would "save a lot of lives".Brimpaen farmer David Grimble, who was a Country Fire Authority group officer and Horsham Rural City Council mayor during the 2014 Grampians fire, supported RDA Victoria's idea.A man who was among the first on scene to a fatal house fire says he had to leave to make a call to triple-0 because there was no phone coverage.
He said details on which authority declared the "emergency" event that would trigger the mobile roaming were yet to be determined."I think there are a lot of protocols that need to be negotiated because things could go wrong very quickly."The real reason hot weather leads to bushfiresMore than 1.
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