Govt to strength Triple Zero access in wake of Optus outage

Minister for Communications Michelle Rowland has announced a set of changes to improve industry accountability and strengthen public access to the Triple Zero service, which thousands of Australians found themselves unable to call during the nationwide Optus outage in November 2023.

The government called for a post-incident review of the Optus outage — with a particular focus on the impact on Triple Zero — and has accepted all 18 of the review’s recommendations, four of which will be implemented through these changes to the Triple Zero regulations. The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) will deliver the changes, implemented through a Ministerial Direction, which have been designed to improve industry accountability and reinforce the strength of the critical service.

Rowland has directed the ACMA to amend the enforceable rules to require mobile carriers to take all reasonable steps to ensure emergency calls can be carried on any available network during an outage. This will ensure there is a requirement for carriers to confirm mobile phones are able to call Triple Zero on other mobile networks during outages, addressing the technical fault which affected many Optus customers during the outage. Importantly, providers will now be required to provide improved visibility of future outages for frontline emergency service organisations.

The ACMA will also develop new requirements for industry to report to government after major outages, including a plan to reduce the risk of similar outages occurring in future. Telco providers will also have to identify where an end user’s mobile device is unable to access Triple Zero, to notify those customers, and refrain from supplying carriage services to those devices. This change aims to protect the safety of end users, particularly when the remaining 3G networks are switched off from 28 October and those with affected mobile devices are being routinely contacted by their mobile network operator about the need to upgrade.

The additional obligations on carriers will also ensure handsets are tested to provide assurance that customers can make emergency calls.

“The Optus outage on 8 November 2023 posed a serious risk to public safety, which is why I have issued a direction to the Australian Communications and Media Authority to strengthen the rules on telcos to provide access to Triple Zero,” Rowland said.

“Triple Zero is a critical service that provides access to police, fire and ambulance services. It is imperative that Australians have confidence that they can access these services in an emergency.

“These new requirements include obligations for industry to notify customers as soon as practicable if their mobile device is unable to access the emergency call service. This will save lives.

“The Optus outage review and subsequent consultation has involved close engagement with stakeholders, including industry and consumer groups. I am thankful for the input from stakeholders to date and look forward to further engagement as these new requirements are developed and implemented.”

Image credit: iStock.com/ymgerman