Regional mobile phone customers are nervously awaiting the competition watchdog's draft decision on whether telecommunications companies should be forced to provide roaming services for all Australians.

Key points: ACCC to decide if Telstra, Optus should be forced to give smaller operators access to their regional phone towers and infrastructure

ACCC to decide if Telstra, Optus should be forced to give smaller operators access to their regional phone towers and infrastructure Many regional areas struggle to get a signal, with smaller providers unable to offer coverage in the bush

Many regional areas struggle to get a signal, with smaller providers unable to offer coverage in the bush But Telstra says opening up its network will discourage further investment in the regions

Telstra, and to a lesser extent Optus, have built an extensive system of towers and transmitters across remote and regional Australia, and Vodafone wants affordable access to those networks.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's (ACCC) inquiry into roaming services is trying to determine if increased competition between the telcos could deliver better coverage to people in the country.

Telstra and Optus are fiercely against the proposed changes, while Vodafone has called for urgent regulatory intervention to address Telstra's regional network dominance — and people in rural areas just want better coverage.

Mary North runs a small country store in the town of Redmond in WA's Great Southern. She sells fuel, newspapers, groceries and runs a post office agency.

The Redmond Shop is a hub for the tiny community, which is just 30 kilometres from Albany.

It is a place for locals to meet and collect their mail and the milk, and on Friday nights buy fish and chips.

Ms North loves the peaceful and largely stress-free life, but ask her about mobile phone coverage and her blood pressure rises.

"I can't run a business with no mobile range, it makes it extremely difficult," she said.

Ms North has a new internet-dependent cash register, which is vital for her business given most customers these days want to pay by card.

But the 3G signal at the shop is extremely unreliable and to make things worse she has been told the Redmond phone exchange is unable to connect her landline to broadband.

"I lose a lot of business. Most people come in with cards and I can't serve them because I can't use my EFTPOS," she said.

Like thousands of other Australians in regional and rural areas Mary North has few choices.

"Something has to be done because we have really, really bad mobile range out here," she said.

Vodafone's chief operating officer, Dan Lloyd, says having a wholesale domestic roaming service will provide more choice.

"The most tried and tested way internationally ... in the USA, in Canada, in New Zealand, in Spain, France is through regulated roaming, which is why we've asked the question, 'Why can't we have it here in Australia?'"

Network traffic, lack of investment concerns

But Telstra and Optus are concerned other telcos will not invest in new infrastructure in the regions if they are given cheap access to existing towers and transmitters.

Telcos like Vodafone want cheap access to existing mobile phone infrastructure. ( ABC News: Isabel Dayman )

"Tell me what the net benefit is? Who is going to dip into their back pocket and build a site where there is no coverage now, to extend the footprint when the other carriers can jump on?" Telstra's area general manager Boyd Brown asked.

More than 140 groups have made written submissions to the ACCC, with some fearing Telstra may curtail further spending if Vodafone gains access to its network.

Others are worried Vodafone roaming users will overload the smaller capacity country towers, leading to congestion, and compromising safety during emergencies.

Elyce Donaghy is the secretary for the Isolated Children's Parents' Association in Western Australia.

"So the footprint is our major concern, getting mobile on every highway in every town, and by using what is already there it is not going to increase it at all," she said.

WA Farmers Federation policy executive Grady Powell has accused Vodafone of hypocrisy.

"When domestic roaming was being introduced into the United Kingdom, Vodafone were very staunchly against that," he said.

"So, I think it's hypocritical in some sense that they were going to protect their asset in UK, and push domestic roaming away for new players, that's exactly the scenario that we have in Australia."

The ACCC will release its draft report by the end of the month.