Australia has entered an era of climate instability, where communications during bushfires and extreme weather must perform under increasingly severe conditions.
Digital services such as the VicEmergency app and mobile fire alerts have become central to how people receive bushfire warnings. They work well in everyday conditions, but rely on mobile phone coverage and household electricity.
However, the communications networks that support these essential services have not been adequately strengthened. And older technologies, such as the copper landline network, have been removed or altered without their essential emergency function being fully replaced.
As a result, regional bushfire prone communities are more exposed when communications are critical. During last week’s Ravenswood fire, which devastated Harcourt and threatened neighbouring Castlemaine, this is exactly what happened.
An SES member using their phone in the township of Harcourt following the catastrophic fire day.
James Ross/AAP
Regional communications have been weakened
Two key changes in communications technology have altered how landline and mobile services can function during emergencies.
The National Broadband Network is replacing the old copper landline network. During a power outage, copper landlines still worked because electricity was supplied through the phone line itself. Of course, if a copper line was damaged by fire, the service would fail. But if lines remained intact, regional households could make calls during power blackouts.
In contrast, the NBN network relies entirely on mains electricity. Successive governments have chosen not to require universal battery backup for NBN connections. As a result, fixed line communication fails when electricity is lost, unless households have installed backup power at their own expense.
The shutdown of the 3G network in October 2024 has also reduced mobile coverage in some regional areas.
Retiring 3G services freed radio spectrum up for faster 4G and 5G networks. However, in practice, reports have identified growing mobile blackspots in locations that previously had coverage.
Significantly, warnings about these risks were raised before the shutdown. This included concerns that regional communities could be left without reliable communication during emergencies.
Fires on a hillside nearby Harcourt, near Castlemaine, on January 10, 2026.
James Ross/AAP
When the warnings went silent
The Ravenswood fire, which devastated Harcourt and threatened neighbouring Castlemaine, exemplifies this communications vulnerability in practice.
In Castlemaine on the afternoon of Friday January 9 2026, a power outage meant wifi routers and NBN connection devices stopped operating. This shifted residents onto mobile networks for calls, messages and internet access. For some, this overloaded the local mobile network, causing calls to fail and messages to delay.
As the fire progressed east, it destroyed the major telecommunications tower at Mount Alexander, temporarily interrupting emergency FM broadcasting across the wider region.
For a brief but critical period, some residents were left without access to official warnings, emergency apps or broadcast guidance. Those who had battery-powered radios as a backup,