The 12 sites that Vodafone will complete by July 2016 are spread throughout regional New South Wales, Queensland and Tasmania.

Vodafone’s Chief Strategy Officer, Dan Lloyd, said Vodafone is a big supporter of the Federal Government’s Mobile Black Spot Programme. “We believe the Mobile Black Spot Programme is a great way to encourage competition and choice of mobile provider, which is something many Australians in regional and rural areas have never experienced,” he said.

“We successfully bid for 70 sites throughout Australia as part of the programme and these sites, along with other considerable network investments, have put us in a position to offer a serious alternative for regional mobile customers,” he added.

Mr Lloyd also noted that a recent study by the Centre of Independent Economics shows that Australians are paying billions of dollars every year due to a lack of competition in the telco industry.

“An independent report recently found Australians are paying a $3.1 billion premium every year for telco services due to a lack of choice and competition. The brunt of this is being borne by regional Australia, which is simply not fair.”

Vodafone is investing heavily in regional communities, including launching a partnership with the National Farmers’ Federation , opening new stores and expanding network coverage.

The 12 Vodafone sites that will be completed by July are: