Telstra's Coverage Map Shrinks as Regulator Changes Measurement Standards

Australia's communications regulator redefined how it measures mobile signal coverage, formally cutting Telstra's official footprint by roughly one million square kilometres. The carrier relies on reliability claims to justify its $74 monthly premium—$16 above competitors. That loss of mapped coverage, plus a 2025 fine for speed claims and a July 2026 outage, undermines the dependability argument that supports its pricing.