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TPG Telecom triple-0 tragedy: Another death linked to Samsung phones not being able to access triple-0

The Nightly

2 Min Read

1 hour ago

Updated

54 mins ago

TPG customer dies after triple-0 outage. Credit: DARREN ENGLAND/AAPIMAGE

Another person may have died after their Samsung phone couldn’t link to the triple-0 network, the boss of TPG Telecom, which operates the Vodafone network, has flagged with a Senate committee.

TPG’s chief executive Iñaki Berroeta told a hearing on Tuesday that the company had just learned of the death, which happened on September 24 at Wentworth Falls in NSW.

“We have also provided information to the ACMA in respect of another customer who was reported to us could not make triple-0 calls in September this year. That customer was able to contact emergency services via an alternative option after five minutes,” he said.

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“Yesterday, we were told that the call might have been made in connection to someone that has passed away. We have sought to clarify the circumstances, but the relevant agency has not verified this.”

Mr Berroeta said in the lead up to the 3G shutdown the telco had undertaken extensive communication campaigns urging customers to update their device’s settings or software, or to purchase new devices so they could make 4G emergency calls.

The company, which has 5.5 million mobile customers, had also blocked about 13,000 outdated phones that did not accept the software update.

In November, TPG revealed a separate case where a Sydney-based customer, who was using a Lebara service on a Samsung device, passed away on November 13.

TPG said at the time of the attempted contact with the triple-0 service, the mobile network was operational and no outages were occurring.

An early investigation conducted by the telco suggests that the failed calls were due to the customer’s Samsung device operating on outdated software that was not compatible with making triple-0 calls on the network.

In a statement issued in November, Mr Berroeta urged customers with outdated software to replace or “update their devices without delay” to ensure they could reach triple-0.