Vodafone expands Australian coverage – thanks to Optus (smartphone)

‘Vodafone expands Australian coverage’ is not due to a massive build-up of a massive mobile phone towers. It is a $1.6 billion deal with Optus to access 2,4444 Optus 4G and 1500 5G sites.

At the time, ACCC commissioner Dr Philip Williams said.

“The ACCC carefully considered the arrangement proposed by Optus and TPG/Vodafone, as it represents a structural change to the mobile services landscape. TPG currently has significantly less infrastructure and coverage in regional areas compared to Telstra and, to a lesser extent, Optus. The improvement in TPG’s services during the term of this arrangement is likely to be greater than what TPG could have achieved on its own”.

The deal is for 11 years with a mutual agreement to extend for another five.

In the regional coverage areas, Optus will use certain TPG spectrum to supply mobile services, and Optus will, in turn, provide TPG with network services. TPG will decommission most of its sites in the coverage area, while some will be transferred to Optus.

TPG and Optus will continue to operate their own mobile networks in metropolitan areas, where 81.6% of Australia’s population lives.

It comes after the ACCC denied a similar TPG/Vodafone deal with Telstra as it could create a competition imbalance.

Optus will use some of the cash to increase the 5G roll-out to 2444 towers by the end of 2030.

What this means to CyberShack readers

If you can get an Optus mobile signal now, you should be able to get one on Vodafone. We doubt it will lead to price cuts as TPG/Vodafone needs to recoup the $1.6 billion. That figure is peanuts compared to having to build its infrastructure.

Vodafone expands Australian coverage – state-by-state coverage increase

State/TerritoryNew population coverageNetwork area/coverage increase as %      
NSW/ACT98.4%89%
VIC99.6%129%
QLD98.1%312%
SA99.2%257%
WA97.3%182%
TAS96.4%88%
NT80.4%253%
National98.4%168%
 NSW 
RegionNumber of Vodafone  sitesPrevious population coverageNew population coverage 
Wagga Wagga1587.7%98.9%
South Coast1589.0%95.4%
Griffith – Murrumbidgee (West)988.9%98.8%
Coffs Harbour1386.5%95.3%
Port Macquarie693.8%96.6%

Regional holiday hotspot network coverage increases 

 QLD 
RegionNumber of Vodafone  sitesVoda population coverageExpanded population coverage 
Gladstone988.6%98.0%
Bundaberg1293.5%99.9%
Darling Downs (West) – Maranoa956.1%85.6%
Bowen Basin – North734.5%93.6%
Outback – South00.0%60.4%
  VIC  
RegionNumber of Vodafone  sites Previous population coverage New population coverage 
Grampians 6 69.6%97.5%
Upper Goulburn Valley 3 81.5%93.8%
Murray River – Swan Hill 5 50.9%96.5%
Gippsland – South West 3 67.3%98.1%
Wodonga – Alpine 3 81.0%95.4%
  WA  
RegionNumber of Vodafone  sitesPrevious population coverage New population coverage 
Wheat Belt – North12 49.6%83.6%
Augusta – Margaret River – Busselton11 99.1%99.4%
Wheat Belt – South5 47.1%70.9%
Bunbury20 99.4%99.6%
Albany6 80.1%89.0%
 NT  
RegionNumber of Vodafone  sitesPrevious population coverage New population coverage 
Daly – Tiwi – West Arnhem1 12.3%17.2%
Litchfield10 97.4%98.5%
Alice Springs5 78.4%78.5%
Katherine1 60.1%61.8%
Barkly0 0.0%58.6%
 ACT 
RegionNumber of Vodafone  sitesPrevious population coverageNew population coverage 
Belconnen6100.0%100.0%
Tuggeranong20100.0%100.0%
Canberra East499.9%99.9%
Uriarra – Namadgi2479.4%84.6%
 SA 
RegionNumber of Vodafone  sitesPrevious population coverageNew population coverage 
Murray and Mallee1684.1%98.6%
Eyre Peninsula and South West366.7%96.1%
Limestone Coast1690.1%98.5%
Fleurieu – Kangaroo Island1386.7%98.3%
Lower North459.0%96.7%
  TAS 
RegionNumber of Vodafone  sites Previous population coverageNew population coverage 
North East 650.8%89.8%
Devonport 381.2%98.4%
South East Coast 575.2%97.9%
West Coast 347.3%84.8%
Meander Valley – West Tamar 384.3%93.1%

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