Australians are being told to expect more honest mobile coverage maps as strict new standards push telcos to stop exaggerating where phones actually work.
Telstra resisted the changes and stripped more than 800,000 square metres from its advertised coverage areas.
Regulators now link the tension between safety, reliability and marketing after years of complaints that the old system was confusing and dangerous.
Under the new rules, telcos must meet specific benchmarks that define where a regular mobile phone should reasonably receive reception.
The standard applies to how coverage is shown on maps, not to the physical towers or infrastructure in the ground.
Telstra argues that nothing has changed about real-world coverage, only how it is drawn and presented to consumers.
Regulators say that how coverage is represented still shapes expectations and decisions.
Regulatory pressure escalates as the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission, already pursuing Amazon and Microsoft over alleged unfair and misleading conduct, turns its focus to mobile coverage claims.
The commission warns telcos that their network marketing must now line up precisely with the updated maps consumers see.
Officials emphasise that claims should reflect where users can reasonably expect a reliable service, not just where a faint signal might technically exist.
That distinction is set to become the new line in the sand for coverage advertising across the industry.
