Federal Nationals party leader promises ‘clear minimum standards’ for telcos in Alice Springs

Telcos will have to follow ‘clear minimum standards’ in rural Australia – if a coalition government is elected. Find out more.

‘Clear minimum’ internet speeds have been promised for rural Australians by the coalition government ahead of the federal election on May 3. Picture: File

An elected coalition government says it will ensure residents get the “clear minimum” internet speeds in rural Australia.

Making the announcement in Alice Springs on Thursday, Nationals leader David Littleproud said the coalition was “giving a commitment around the real infrastructure that’s on the ground” to make sure “regional Australians know their telecommunication standards will improve”.

“So what we’re announcing today is that the Dutton-Littleproud government within the first 12 months will work on a framework to extend and modernise the existing universal service obligation to ensure minimum standards in terms of the internet, but also in terms of the infrastructure that’s there,” he said.

Shadow Minister for Communications Melissa McIntosh said the coalition’s plan would “support regional families and businesses by setting clear minimum broadband and voice service speeds of at least 25Mbs (megabits per second) for fixed lines and wireless services”.

Federal Nationals party leader David Littleproud in Alice Springs May 1, 2025. Picture: Gera Kazakov

Data from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, published in March this year, shows the base level NBN 25 plan speeds have remained unchanged at 25.8Mbs per second.

NBN 50 had a 50.1Mbs, while NBN 100 had a 100.7 Mbs speed.

At the start of the year, Dutch virtual private network company Surfshark ranked Australia 52nd for internet speeds.

The United Arab Emirates was ranked number one in mobile internet speeds, with citizens able to get 430Mbs while in Australia, users get an average of 159Mbs, according to the company’s research.

Another report by Speed Test global ranked Australia behind countries such as El Salvador, Uzbekistan, and Nicaragua for fixed broadband performance.

Mr Littleproud said the “over 1500 towers built” when the coalition was last in power would be maintained to “our standards” and will also be “meeting minimum standards”.

In January, the Albanese government pledged $3 billion to upgrade the NBN.

Mr Littleproud said the coalition’s announcement would be a priority for the newly minted $20 billion regional Australia future fund in its commitment to improving connectivity in rural and regional Australia.

Originally published as Federal Nationals party leader promises ‘clear minimum standards’ for telcos in Alice Springs