Temporary Disaster Roaming (TDR)

Australia’s three mobile network operators are ready to activate Temporary Disaster Roaming (TDR) from today to help keep regional and remote Australians safe, informed, and connected should natural disasters cause mobile network outages.

TDR is designed for specific disaster scenarios and may be activated in designated areas where another mobile network is available and has sufficient capacity to safely support additional customers. The priority is to help communities stay connected to essential communications and information without putting the network services that people rely on at risk during an emergency.

“Temporary Disaster Roaming has been developed by telcos to provide another way for regional and remote Australians to stay connected during natural disasters,” said ATA CEO Luke Coleman.

Where the conditions for activating TDR are met, it may allow people whose usual mobile network is unavailable to make calls, send texts, and access basic data via another available network. It is an additional emergency capability rather than a solution for every outage, and it will only be activated when and where it can be done safely.

“If your usual mobile network is impacted by a natural disaster, TDR will enable you to make calls, send texts, and use basic data via another mobile network where there’s one available,” Mr Coleman said. “There is no additional cost to use it, and for most customers, connection will occur automatically once TDR has been activated and is available.”

“Australians have always been able to use any available mobile network to call Triple Zero – even when their usual network is impacted by an outage or out of coverage. TDR takes this even further. When it is activated and available, it is designed to allow customers to stay in touch with family and friends via voice calls and texts, and access basic data to use emergency service apps, WhatsApp, and iMessage.”

Activation of TDR will be managed directly between mobile network operators through their Network Operations Centres (NOC) which are operational 24/7. Where one operator identifies that its network has been disrupted by a natural disaster, it can contact the operator of the surviving network to assess whether that network has the coverage and capacity to safely support TDR in the affected area.

To ensure the capability is ready ahead of the high-risk weather season, mobile network operators have developed the technical solution, completed rigorous testing and regional field trials, and agreed operational protocols for activating and deactivating TDR during eligible disasters.

TDR forms part of a broader industry effort to strengthen network resilience. Australia’s mobile network operators have established a mutual assistance framework enabling them to request and provide support during natural disasters and major network incidents. The arrangement supports the sharing of operational information, expertise and recovery resources to help restore services more quickly and keep Australians connected when they need it most.

TDR will also work alongside existing ‘camp-on’ arrangements for Triple Zero calling. Camp-on enables emergency calls to connect via an alternative mobile network when a customer’s usual network is unavailable, and this is available regardless of whether TDR has been activated.

A core principle of TDR is that activating it must not put the network that is still operating, or the customers relying on it, at risk. Before it is activated, the surviving mobile network must have sufficient coverage and capacity to accommodate additional customers without putting existing services, including access to Triple Zero, at risk. Network conditions will continue to be monitored while TDR is active, and the service may be adjusted or deactivated if conditions change.

There will be circumstances where TDR cannot be activated. It requires another participating network to have coverage and sufficient capacity in the affected area, and customers need a compatible device that supports ‘Voice over LTE’ (VoLTE) roaming. There may also be situations where multiple networks are affected, including by widespread power outages, and TDR is not available.

More information on TDR is available on the ATA’s website.