Telcos forced to provide real-time updates of triple-0 outages following deadly Optus failure

Telecommunications companies will be forced to provide real-time updates of Triple Zero outages from next month as the government moves to restore confidence in the emergency call network follow the most recent deadly Optus failures.

In August last year former communications minister Michelle Rowland first flagged the sweeping measures when she tasked the regulator to amend emergency call service legislation after an Optus outage in November 2023.

Now following last month’s disastrous Optus failure which has been linked to three deaths, new Minister Annika Wells has promised to “fast track” legislation to install a Triple Zero guardian by the end of this month.

“Australians are rightly shocked and angry at Optus’ recent outage which saw more than 600 Triple Zero calls fail to connect,” the Communications Minister writes in Friday’s Australian Financial Review.

Minister Wells has confirmed that telcos will be required to “share real time network information detailing outages” with emergency services, the Australian Communications and Media Authority and the government from November 1.

“The law in Australia is clear - if an outage occurs, telcos must make sure that Triple Zero calls still connect by being redirected to alternate mobile towers.”

During a visit to Perth Opposition Leader Sussan Ley said the response from the Minister “was not good enough” and demanded she apologise to Australians for recent failures across government.

“What we need to see from this minister is a plan that holds to account everyone everywhere; telcos, regulator, her own government, inside the 000 ecosystem, finds out what went wrong”.

“I’m waiting for an apology from the communications minister, certainly an explanation about why the 2023 review recommendations have not been implemented,” Ms Ley said while standing next to WA Opposition Leader Basil Zempilas.

Earlier this week Ms Wells, who took over the Communications portfolio after Labor’s May election win, defended her response to the latest Optus saga telling reporters she was “still a new minister to the industry”.

“I’m listening to everybody at the moment, and I would say we are fast-tracking our Triple Zero guardian legislation that will give confidence to Australians about the specific role that Triple Zero plays for us in our country with disaster season ahead, and I’ll be doing that as quickly as I can”.

Last week Optus hired former investment banker and NBAN Co director Kerry Schott to investigate the causes of the deadly September 18 outage, while the regulator ACMA is also conducting a review.