FSG's largest allocation under round 5a of the mobile black spot program is $3.66 million for regional Australia's first neutral host trial. This project is intended to make it cheaper for telcos to provide mobile service to rural, regional and remote areas, and to improve customers' chance of being within a service area.

"Gone are the days of driving past a tower and having zero coverage because the tower belongs to the wrong carrier," said FSG CEO Andrew Roberts.

"This model is the only sensible way to deliver more services in more places for the same investment."

The trial will be deployed on the Queensland's Adventure Way between Cunnamulla and Thargomindah, and will be ready to accommodate Public Safety Mobile Broadband traffic.

"The current service coverage gaps pose significant safety challenges for travellers on this popular route. Our planned neutral host network will enable all MNOs to service the route without needing to invest in any infrastructure," said Roberts.

FSG's Regional Australia Network will be Australia's fourth mobile operator, and will be joined by Optus in the neutral host trial. Negotiations are underway to involve a third carrier, but the company did not reveal whether that was Telstra or TPG Telecom (Vodafone).

"As a strong and long-time supporter of the Government's Mobile Black Spot Program it is fantastic to see more funding going into this important initiative and in particular, support for these innovative trials," said Optus vice president of regulatory and public affairs Andrew Sheridan.

"These trials offer an exciting opportunity, in collaboration with industry partners, to look at new, cost-effective ways to deploy reliable network coverage in regional – which is something that we believe all Australians should have access to – and we look forward to working with Field Solutions Group to bring this significant trial to life."

A further $3.19 million has been allocated to FSG towards the cost of constructing 15 towers in New South Wales, Western Australia and Queensland.

"FSG was the first non-tier 1 telecommunications provider to be awarded funding in last years' Round 5," said Roberts.

"In this year's Round 5a, FSG secured a tenfold increase in funding".

FSG's network will deliver residential, business and enterprise internet access and associated value-added services via its retail brands, including 4G, 5G and IoT services.

The towers will be neutral host ready, so the arrangement furthers the relationship between FSG and Optus.

"FSG and Optus see immense value in sharing infrastructure in regional Australia to deliver more services .... The partnership delivers maximum value for both the Federal Government's investment and the connectivity solutions delivered to underserviced communities in rural, regional, and remote Australia," said Roberts.

Sheridan said "As a strong and long-time supporter of the Government's Mobile Black Spot Program it is fantastic to see more funding being allocated to alternate deployment models. These new sites will deliver a significant benefit for Optus customers in the region.

"This is another way that, in collaboration with industry partners, we can look at new, cost-effective ways to deploy reliable network coverage in regional Australia - which is something that we believe all Australians should have access to. We look forward to working with Field Solutions Group to deliver these Optus services including 5G in Talbot, Western Australia."

Finally, FSG has been awarded $0.9M for a trial of domestic roaming with Optus.

The trial will run at sites in New South Wales and Queensland, and will allow FSG and Optus to test the ability of their respective customers to roam across each other's networks.

Comprehensive roaming will make FSG's place-based network truly national thanks to Optus' network, while FSG delivers connectivity and network capability in rural, regional, and remote Australia.

"FSG's Regional Australia Network will deliver true broadband and 4G, 5G and IoT mobile services", said Roberts.

"Our business model is significantly community led. We are proud to work with regional communities and businesses to guide the rollout of telecommunications infrastructure where it is needed," he added.

"Now adding 4G and 5G mobile services delivers the final piece of the puzzle."

Sheridan said "As a strong and long-time supporter of the Government's Mobile Black Spot Program it is fantastic to see more funding going into this important initiative and in particular, support for these innovative trials.

"These trials offer an exciting opportunity, in collaboration with industry partners, to look at new, cost-effective ways to deploy reliable network coverage in regional– and we look forward to working with Field Solutions Group to bring this significant trial to life."

The domestic roaming trial will commence in August 2021. Commercial service is expected later this financial year.