Telstra fined for disruption to emergency call service used by people with hearing, speech impairments
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Telstra has paid an $18,780 penalty for mistakenly disconnecting from the emergency call relay service in July 2024. (AAP: Joel Carrett, file photo)
Telstra has again fallen short of regulator standards and community expectations in providing access to emergency services.
The telco giant has paid a penalty and agreed to launch an independent review after it mistakenly disabled its connection to an emergency call relay service, which is used by people with hearing or speech impairments.
In a life- or property-threatening time-critical emergency situation, Australians should contact triple-0 (000) — or, if they are using a type and listen or teletypewriter (TTY) device, they can dial 106 to be connected to police, fire or ambulance services.
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 July 5 and 6 2024, following a server migration process.
TTY is a text-based communication method for individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech impairments, allowing them to communicate via typed text over a phone line.
A relay officer reads out the text a person types into their TTY device to an emergency operator.
No calls for help missed but Telstra warned on risk of 'very serious harm'
ACMA says it 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," ACMA member and consumer lead Samantha 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.
An analyst has raised concerns about the repeated failure of Australia's largest telecommunications providers to meet basic consumer needs.
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-0 call centre experienced a disruption for 90 minutes.
"We've now had two major emergency service failures from Telstra in under a year," telecommunications consultant Paul Budde said, describing the incidents as "warning signs that core infrastructure is being compromised".
Telstra has given the ACMA a court-enforceable undertaking to improve its relevant change management processes.
It has also engaged an independent reviewer to look at the range of operational arrangements that support reliable delivery of the 106 emergency call service.
"For years, Telstra has tried to position itself as a high-value tech company rather than a reliable utility," Mr Budde said.
"But you can't build a shiny digital future on crumbling foundations.
Telstra has also paid a penalty of $18,780, the maximum the ACMA could impose under the circumstances.
Mr Budde said it was "pocket change" for the telco.
"We need penalties that actually hurt — or better yet, incentives that reward doing the right thing."
Optus was penalised a record $12 million by ACMA in late 2024 for a November 2023 network outage that caused considerable disruption to emergency call services.
Telstra has committed to an independent review of its systems and says it will implement any reasonable recommendations of the review, develop and provide staff training and report regularly to ACMA on its progress implementing these undertakings.
In a written statement, a Telstra spokesperson told the ABC that while no emergency calls failed during the disruption on July 6, 2024, the Telco understands the "critical importance of maintaining reliable emergency call services and the potential consequences of any disruption."
“We fully accept the findings of the ACMA and have committed to an independent review of our change management processes and operational arrangements to ensure such a mistake doesn’t happen again,” the spokesperson said.
Written by David Taylor ABC News.
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