By Luke Royes, ABC
Mobile phones with older software haven’t been able to make emergency calls in Australia.
Photo: ABC/Dannielle Maguire
TPG Telecom says a Sydney customer died, after outdated software blocked a Samsung phone from making Triple Zero (000) calls.
The telco said it was informed of the incident involving a person using a Lebara service on a Samsung device on 13 November by NSW Ambulance.
TPG Telecom said its mobile network was operational and no outages had occurred.
“Early investigations indicate that the failed calls were due to the customer’s Samsung device operating on software that was not compatible with making Triple Zero calls on the network,” the company said.
“Samsung recently identified that certain, older devices required a software update to enable Triple Zero functionality on TPG Telecom’s mobile network.”
The telco said, when it became aware of issues with these handsets on its network, it told customers “to urgently update affected devices”.
“Handsets not updated are blocked after a period of 28-35 days from the first contact to the customer, as required under new regulations,” the company said.
“The most recent communications to customers with impacted devices was sent on 7 November.”
Samsung said it continued to work closely with its carrier partners to ensure all devices operated reliably in emergencies.
“We strongly encourage customers to keep their mobile devices updated with the latest software, as this is critical to maintaining the highest standards of safety, security and performance.”
Samsung said customers with devices requiring updates or replacements had been notified by their mobile carrier with instructions, following the incident.
On its website, the company lists dozens of devices that need to be updated or replaced to ensure users can make Triple Zero calls. Newer model phones were not affected.
Three people, including an eight-week-old baby, died in September, after a technical failure on the Optus network meant Triple Zero calls were unable to go through.
Last month, Telstra testing revealed some Samsung mobile phone users may be unable to call Triple Zero in an emergency, with more than 70 models found not to be connecting correctly.
The issue affected 11 older model Samsung Galaxy phones, which users would need to replace with newer devices, and about 60 models that required system updates, Telstra said.
TPG Telecom managing director and chief executive Inaki Berroeta said customer safety was the company’s “highest priority”, and urged users of affected devices to update their software or replace them.
“This is a tragic incident, and our condolences and thoughts are with the individual’s family and loved ones,” he said. “Access to emergency services is critical.
“We urge all customers with outdated software to replace or update their devices without delay to ensure they can reach Triple Zero in an emergency.”
TPG Telecom said the communications minister, NSW government, Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), Triple Zero Custodian, and other relevant government and regulatory bodies had been notified of the incident.
Investigation into Triple Zero compliance underway
Communications Minister Anika Wells said the “tragic situation” would be investigated.
“TPG’s compliance with the Emergency Call Service Determination will be rigorously assessed by ACMA,” she said.
ACMA said it would investigate whether there had been any non-compliance with the Triple Zero rules and enforcement action taken, if any was found.
“Under rules introduced in 2024, telecommunications providers must notify their customers where the provider identifies that the customer’s device may not be able to connect to triple zero and then take action to block those devices from their networks,” it said.
Opposition communications spokesperson Melissa McIntosh said she was “really saddened” to learn of the death.
She said the warnings around connectivity issues with the Triple Zero network have been “loud and clear” for a month.
“We found out that there would be a number of Samsung handset devices that would not be compatible and this goes all the way back to the botched-up, failed 3G network shutdown by the Albanese government,” she said.
– ABC
