Telco Infrastructure Planning Reform Hot On The Agenda: Mobile Carriers Forum Roadshow Sold Out In Brisbane

The inaugural leg of the 2026 Mobile Carriers Forum (MCF) Mobile Deployment Roadshow, convened by the Australian Telecommunications Alliance (ATA) and held today at Optus’ Brisbane campus, reached its maximum capacity weeks in advance – with subsequent events in five other capital cities selling out fast.

The ATA is expecting around 500 delegates in total to attend the national roadshow by the time it hosts the final event in Sydney on 11 September 2026 – a record number of attendees.

This year’s MCF Roadshow is focussed on tackling regulatory roadblocks affecting network deployments, with the content aimed specifically at engineers, site acquisition specialists, design and compliance officers and project managers responsible for delivering mobile network upgrades.

The MCF Roadshow is set against a backdrop of mobile infrastructure taking 211 days, on average, to obtain planning approvals – despite taking just a week or two to build.

The ATA points to the discrepancy between a regulatory framework that looks reasonable on paper, and one that needs to be applied and replicated hundreds, or thousands, of times across any network rollout or upgrade program. The MCF Roadshow provides a two-way exchange of information, with the ATA’s advocacy based on the experience of the people that engage with the telco industry’s regulatory frameworks and systems on a daily basis.

ATA CEO Luke Coleman described participants at the MCF Roadshow as the people that get mobile infrastructure planned, designed, approved, built, and operating safely and reliably.

“It is the people in this room, and at similar events that will take place in capital cities across the country over the coming weeks, that turn spectrum, capital, and policy into operating mobile networks that consistently and reliably keep Australians connected across our nation every day,” he said.

“Telecommunications networks underpin productivity, all digital services and, increasingly, Australia’s ambitions for sovereign leadership on AI.”

“We need to make it easier to build digital infrastructure in Australia,” he said.

In an increasingly digital and mobile-first Australia, the ATA and telcos are calling on all levels of government to reduce red tape and help expedite the roll out the 5G, fibre, and satellite networks.

“Replicated across thousands of individual deployments, inefficient red tape adds real costs, real delays, and diverts investment away from network development when Australians are crying out for better connectivity,” Mr Coleman said.

“We are arguing for regulation that is proportionate, consistent, risk-based and, most importantly, workable in practice.”

Available places for members to attend MCF Roadshows in Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, and Sydney are filling quickly, so the ATA advises members to register now.