In what should be seen as a huge boost to competition in the mobile market across regional Australia, TPG Telecom, the owners of the Vodafone network, have today switched on a huge expansion of its coverage, lifting from 95.4 per cent of the population to 98.4 per cent.

The change comes thanks to a partnership between TPG Telecom and Optus which sees the smaller of the two benefit from the vastly increased number of mobile “tower” sites across Australia.

For Optus, the deal gives it access to TPG’s valuable mobile spectrum which will offer faster speeds and better network reliability across the country.

Originally, TPG had hoped to do this deal with Telstra but that was knocked back by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.

The new partnership coming into effect has the opportunity to save regional Australians hundreds of dollars, thanks to a boost in competition for the millions of people living outside of our metropolitan centres.

In raw numbers, Vodafone’s coverage area is 2.7 times bigger today than before this deal.

In Queensland, that number is 4.1 times the coverage.

Across Australia, Vodafone customers now have access to more than 2500 extra mobile sites, boosting their connectivity across the nation, and offering valuable alternatives at lower costs for their monthly mobile plan.

Vodafone will offer extensive discount deals with $10 off most plans, while other telcos on the Vodafone network, such as Kogan Mobile, will also take advantage of the network changes for their customers.

They can now offer a viable low-cost option not seen before in many areas.

I travelled about 400km into regional NSW yesterday and observed a vast improvement in network availability.

I was able to make a phone call from an area which previously offered me no coverage at all on the Vodafone network.

Optus customers too will see improvements, with speed on both 4G and 5G lifting across the Optus regional network.

Vodafone’s Kieren Cooney says: “With Vodafone expanding across Australia, the days of having limited mobile choice in regional Australia are over.

“We believe this is the biggest boost to mobile competition in 30 years and will make a huge difference to how Vodafone customers connect, work, travel and play right across the country.”

Australia has just three mobile networks – Telstra, Optus and Vodafone – but even with the two challenger brands joining forces, Telstra’s coverage remains unrivalled, though many argue their lead is in the most outback and remote areas, not the heavier populated towns and cities across Australia.

Time will tell if this change really can sway the minds of complacent and loyal consumers.