General News
25 April, 2026
Support call as bush communities face next wave of mobile change
FARMERS and regional residents are being urged to seek help early as Australia prepares for another major shift in mobile technology, with industry leaders warning that better coverage alone won’t fix the bush’s connectivity challenges.
The National Farmers’ Federation says many people across rural and remote Australia are already struggling to keep up with changes such as the 3G shutdown, with further disruption expected as new systems are rolled out.
At the centre of the shift is the Federal Government’s proposed Universal Outdoor Mobile Obligation, which aims to ensure Australians can make calls and send texts from almost anywhere outdoors — provided they have a compatible device — by late 2027.
While the move promises to improve safety and accessibility, particularly for those working in isolated areas, the NFF says the transition risks leaving some people behind without the right support.
NFF chief executive Mike Guerin said the Regional Tech Hub would play a key role in helping people understand what the changes mean in practice.
“The Regional Tech Hub is critical to a successful UOMO implementation,” he said.
“With technology options becoming increasingly complex, and with more changes on the horizon, independent support is more important than ever for rural, regional and remote Australians trying to stay connected.”
Run by the NFF and funded by the Federal Government, the Regional Tech Hub provides free and independent advice to people navigating phone and internet services, from basic troubleshooting through to more complex connectivity decisions.
Demand for that help is already strong, with more than 28,000 regional Australians accessing direct support through the service last year, alongside hundreds of thousands of website visits and thousands of calls to its helpdesk.
Mr Guerin said the service had already helped communities through recent disruptions, including the phase-out of older mobile networks and outages affecting emergency calls.
“There is no other service like it. We need the Regional Tech Hub now more than ever,” he said.