An investigation by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) revealed that TPG took nearly eight hours to inform Telstra about a significant outage that impacted emergency service calls. The incident, which occurred on August 15 between 12.40 am and 2.00 am, rendered most of TPG’s 4G customers unable to make voice calls, including calls to emergency services.
Fortunately, most “triple-zero” calls made during this period were still successful as they connected through alternative networks. The ACMA found that TPG was aware of the outage at 1.22 am but failed to notify Telstra until 9.07 am. This delay constitutes a breach of regulations, which require telecommunications carriers to alert Telstra “as soon as practicable” upon recognising any disruption affecting emergency services.
ACMA member Samantha Yorke emphasised the importance of telecommunications companies having robust systems and processes to swiftly identify and address network outages that could affect Triple Zero services. She also underscored the necessity for timely communication with other critical players in the emergency response framework whenever issues arise.
Fortunately, the investigation concluded that no customers encountered harm due to TPG’s delay in compliance with the rules. In light of this incident, the ACMA issued a formal warning to TPG. The company attributed the breach to human error and stated that it has since provided additional training to its staff.
A TPG spokesperson noted, “TPG Telecom takes its regulatory responsibilities seriously and has put in place improved processes and training to prevent such occurrences in the future.” The ACMA is intensifying its focus on ensuring adherence to protocols regarding emergency call services.