The round will provide grants to mobile carriers and tower companies to support upgrades that extend battery back‑up power and install Automatic Transfer Switches to keep services running in the event the main power fails.
These upgrades will help ensure local residents and visitors to the area can continue to access mobile services during power outages and natural disasters.
This investment is particularly important for the Perth Hills, which has faced significant bushfires in recent years, including the 2021 Wooroloo fires that destroyed more than 80 homes.
The Mobile Network Hardening Program (MNHP) is a government initiative to strengthen the resilience of mobile network infrastructure in regional, remote and peri-urban Australia, reducing the risk of service outages and improving restoration times during and after a natural disaster.
Applications for grants under the Perth Hills Round are now open, with Grant Opportunity Guidelines available on GrantConnect. Applications close at 5PM AEST Wednesday, 10 June 2026.
The program is part of the $1.1 billion Better Connectivity Plan for Regional and Rural Australia. Three rounds of the MNHP are funding over 1,650 projects, with over 960 already complete.
