Telstra has committed to an independent review after it mistakenly disabled the connection to the emergency call relay service used by people with hearing and speech impairments.
An Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) investigation found the 106 emergency call service number was inadvertently made unavailable for 12 hours and 46 minutes between 5 and 6 July 2024 following a server migration process.
ACMA member and consumer lead Samantha Yorke said that the ACMA takes any disruption to an emergency call service very seriously given there could be devastating consequences for members of the public.
“This mistake could have contributed to very serious harm if someone who relies on this service had needed emergency assistance but was unable to get through,” Ms Yorke said.
“Fortunately, the records show no one attempted to use the 106 service for an emergency during the time the service was disabled.”
Under emergency call service rules, carriers must maintain the proper and effective functioning of their networks and facilities that are used to carry emergency calls.
Telstra has given the ACMA a court-enforceable undertaking to improve its relevant change management processes and engage an independent reviewer to look at the range of operational arrangements that support reliable delivery of the 106 emergency call service.
Telstra will implement any reasonable recommendations of the review, develop and provide staff training, and report regulatory to the ACMA on its progress implementing these undertakings.
Telstra has also paid a penalty of $18,780, the maximum the ACMA could impose under the circumstances.
Telco compliance with emergency call rules and the safeguarding of emergency call services is one of the ACMA’s 2024–25 compliance priorities.
In December 2024 the ACMA imposed a $3 million penalty on Telstra after an investigation found 473 breaches of emergency call rules when Telstra’s Triple Zero call centre experienced a disruption for 90 minutes.
Optus was penalised a record $12 million by the ACMA in November 2024 for its November 2023 network outage, which caused considerable disruption to emergency call services.
MR 14/2025