TPG Telecom and Optus Sign Network Sharing Agreement to Expand Coverage in Regional Australia

Australia’s TPG Telecom and Singtel’s Optus Mobile (Optus) have announced the signing of a network-sharing agreement to strengthen the regional mobile network and enhance coverage for customers across regional Australia. Under the regional Multi-Operator Core Network (MOCN) agreement, Optus will provide TPG Telecom with access to its regional radio access network, and they will share spectrum in regional Australia, Optus said on Monday.

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Also Read: TPG Telecom Migrates Data Services to Cloud-Native 5G Core Network

Benefits of the Network Sharing Agreement

TPG Telecom will gain access to 2,444 Optus mobile network sites in regional Australia, increasing its current national 4G coverage from around 400,000 square kilometres to around 1,000,000 square kilometres and 98.4 per cent of the population.

For its part, Optus will license some of TPG’s spectrum for use in the MOCN, delivering enhanced capacity, speed, and service quality to TPG and Optus customers in regional Australia.

Accelerating 5G Rollout in Regional Areas

Optus said customers and communities will also benefit from its accelerated 5G rollout in the regions, fastening the deployment of 5G sites in the regional MOCN to 1,500 by 2028 and 2,444 by the end of 2030.

Once implemented, TPG Telecom’s retail and wholesale customers (including Vodafone, TPG, iiNet, Lebara, and felix customers) will use Optus’ 4G and 5G regional network on an equivalent basis to Optus customers.

Operational Independence and Enhanced Service

According to the official release, Optus and TPG will operate their own core networks, allowing them to maintain network control, enabling differentiation of service for customers, and independent control of security and resiliency. Both operators will also continue to operate their own 4G and 5G radio access networks in metropolitan areas.