Telstra’s failure to update its contingency handling procedures led to it to breach the rules for handling Triple Zero emergency calls 473 times, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has ruled in handing down a $3 million fine to the “open and apologetic” telco.
For 90 minutes on the morning of 1 March this year, a technical fault at Telstra’s Triple Zero call centre prevented emergency call handlers from transferring calls to emergency service organisations – including police, fire, and ambulance authorities – as they normally would.
The fault – which was caused by what ACMA’s investigation report called a “large spike” in the number of medical alert devices simultaneously reconnecting to Telstra’s mobile network after a reboot – caused the number of concurrent data connections to overwhelm Telstra’s databases.
Outdated
Telstra maintains backup processes to be implemented in the event of such a disruption, with calls normally forwarded to a list of 24 alternate numbers; however, in this case the ACMA found many of those numbers – as well as crucial details about callers’ details and location – were outdated.
Although 346 of 494 calls received during this time were transferred correctly, ACMA found that eight of the backup numbers were no longer correct – requiring 127 of those calls to be handled and followed using manual processes (the remaining 21 calls ultimately didn’t require assistance).
“Telstra, as the emergency call provider [ECP], is at the centre of this critical public safety service,” ACMA member and consumer lead Samantha Yorke said, adding that “in this circumstances its systems and contingency plans failed people in real need.”
ACMA ultimately levied a penalty of $3,004,800 on Telstra, which Yorke said “has been open and apologetic about the outage, communicated effectively to the public and took a variety of immediate actions when problems were identified.”
“These actions go a long way to restoring the community’s trust in this critical service.”
A matter of trust
Trust has been in short supply within Australia’s telecommunications industry in recent years: a recent Roy Morgan survey found Telstra is Australia’s sixth least trusted brand, still better than Optus – which is fighting to restore its reputation after its recent massive data breach and outage.
Optus has had its own issues with emergency services obligations, having been fined $1.5 million by ACMA earlier this year for its “alarming” failure to provide details of nearly 200,000 customers – and another $12 million after its outage left more than 2,000 people unable to make emergency calls.
That outage broke the proverbial camel’s back, with a recent inquiry and report recommending measures such as temporary roaming onto other mobile networks during disasters – and presaging stricter rules with “considerable implications” for telcos needing to respond better during outages.
A win for public safety
Consumer telecommunications industry advocate ACCAN – which at the time called the rules a “win for public safety” – welcomed the fine, with CEO Carol Bennett acknowledging Telstra’s mea culpa while noting that “the fundamental importance of Triple Zero cannot be overstated.”
Government policy changes since the outage were a positive step forward, she said, but “there is more to do to introduce next generation Triple Zero services” (NG000) such as the ability to use “any device, anywhere, any time” to contact Triple Zero – for example, by texting for help.
