In a statement, the ACMA said the rules, outlined in the Mobile Phone Base Station Deployment Industry Code, were "designed to make sure telcos provide local councils and communities with an opportunity to have their say before setting up mobile phone infrastructure".

ACMA chair Nerida O'Loughlin said: "There is public concern about the rollout of mobile infrastructure, including small cell base stations, in residential areas.

"Telcos must keep affected communities in the loop and consider their feedback when establishing or upgrading mobile phone base stations."

The ACMA said it had carried out an investigation after a complaint was made by a resident and found that Telstra had broken the deployment code in three ways:

• not fully complying with its consultation plan, which required Telstra to contact residents in the immediate vicinity of the base station;
• not sending a letter containing the information to all interested and affected parties; and
• not acknowledging a written complaint within 10 business days of its receipt.

The ACMA statement said Telstra had acted to avoid such problems occurring in future, by carrying out a review of its contractor complaints handling procedures and putting regular training in place.

The agency said this was the second such action in the last six months. "The ACMA’s formal warning puts Telstra on notice to minimise the risk of future breaches and ensure compliance," the statement said.