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Mobile Network Hardening Program
- Applications are open until: 17 November 2023
- Grants: up to $15 million
The Australian Government's Mobile Network Hardening Program funds infrastructure upgrades to enhance the resilience of regional mobile telecommunications networks in Australia, including First Nations communities.
The program aims to:
- Prevent outages during natural disasters.
- Strengthen the resilience of telecommunications facilities, enabling them to operate for extended periods during such events.
- Facilitate the rapid restoration of services following an outage.
The program has up to $15 million (excluding GST) available for eligible projects.
Key Requirements
Grant activity timeframe: You are required to finish your project by the date specified in the Grant Agreement and no later than 30 June 2026.
To expand the Program’s impact, applicants are encouraged to seek financial contributions from state, territory, or local governments, local communities, and other third parties.
Applicants are advised to engage in consultations with state, territory, and local governments, as well as local communities, regarding the potential locations for resilience upgrades.
What is eligible for funding?
Possible projects may involve extending backup power durations, implementing emergency power solutions to expedite service restoration, enlarging protection zones around telecommunications sites, providing redundant backhaul, or implementing other physical hardening measures.
What companies are eligible for funding?
To be eligible, an applicant must belong to one of three categories: Mobile Network Operator (MNO), Mobile Network Infrastructure Provider (MNIP), or Network Management Provider (NMP).
- An MNO is a company, distinct from a Mobile Network Infrastructure Provider, that provides a public mobile telecommunications service under the Telecommunications Act 1997. Moreover, they possess either an apparatus or spectrum license, or both, for supplying public mobile telecommunications services under the Radiocommunications Act 1992.
- A MNIP refers to a company, separate from an MNO, engaged in providing communication infrastructure in Australia or overseas. This includes the installation and operation of infrastructure intended for use by one or more MNOs in delivering public mobile telecommunications services.
- An NMP denotes a company contracted by an MNO to aid in the management and upkeep of its network.
Is this grant competitive or entitlement-based?
Competitive. Your application will be assessed among other applications by a judging panel.
How can I increase my chances of winning this grant?
By engaging an accredited government grants consultant, such as Avant Group.
Competitive grants often require significant business case development and project analysis to support the application, this may include detailed presentations supporting the project’s merit, projected sales, cost-benefit analysis and more.
As part of your engagement with Avant Group, your account manager will assess the required documents and will provide the following as needed to support your grant submission.
Grant application writeup including a detailed presentation illustrating how the grant funding will contribute to your project, how the funding will contribute to the project’s budget, a project milestone plan, delivery timeline, impact on employment if applicable and a breakdown of the management and leadership team for the project
- Industry analysis presentation
- Competitor Analysis Presentation
- Marketing and Sales Analysis Presentation
- 3-5 year Cashflow Forecast
- 3-5 year Balance Sheet Forecast
- Cost-Benefit Analysis of Grant Funding
- End-to-end grant application including information collating, analysis and application writing
- CAPEX (Capital Expenditure) cost-benefit analysis
- Stakeholder relations and Risk Mitigation Plans
- Any other relevant forecasting that will support your application
How can I get help with my application? Or know if I’m likely to win funding?
Avant Group offers a no-obligation assessment of your eligibility for funding and will assess your likelihood of a successful grant application.