Telcos will be forced to improve their emergency and triple-zero systems. The recommendations have been made during a review following Optus' national outage which affected millions of people for hours.

Canberra

Optus, a telecommunications company, experienced a significant outage that impacted its customers' ability to connect to the Triple Zero emergency service last year. The 24-hour emergency call service was inaccessible for more than 2,500 Optus customers during this period. A subsequent investigation into the incident revealed that a failure in the automatic shutdown of Optus' 3G network was responsible. This malfunction prevented emergency calls from being redirected to another network provider, leaving them unanswered.

The report on the outage was sharply critical of Optus' response to the crisis, highlighting that the company's communication during the incident was insufficient. This lack of effective communication hindered the swift dissemination of accurate and valuable information to the public. In response to the incident and the findings of the review, the interim CEO of Optus announced that the company has implemented significant changes. Optus has undertaken a thorough review of its systems and made the necessary adjustments to ensure that a similar disruption does not occur in the future.

To prevent such incidents and improve the overall reliability of the Triple Zero service, the review presented 18 recommendations. These suggestions include establishing a new governing body for the Triple Zero system, requiring mandatory real-time updates during any outages, and adopting a standardized method for compensating affected individuals. All of these recommendations are slated for implementation within the next eighteen months, marking a commitment to modernize and enhance regulatory systems related to emergency communications.

The industry has received the review and its recommendations positively, recognizing it as an opportunity to refine regulatory protocols ensuring they meet current needs. However, there has been a call for greater specificity in defining what constitutes a Triple Zero outage, as the criteria directly influence compensation mechanisms. This particular concern was noted as not fully addressed in the review, prompting industry representatives to seek further discussion with the government.



Optus outage review calls for better triple-zero systems

Triple Zero is a 24-hour service, but for more than 2,500 calls made by Optus customers last year, that wasn't the case. The Optus outage was a terrible day. Almost six months on, now we know why it happened. A scathing review finding Optus' 3G network did not automatically shut down. This meant Triple Zero calls could be made, but weren't diverted to another network operator, leaving them unanswered. There are a few responsibilities more important than the Triple Zero service. Responsibilities the Telco's interim CEO says it's since taken steps to fulfil, by reviewing its systems and actioning important changes. Optus has been working very hard to make sure that the very unusual set of circumstances that led to the outage won't be recreated. Communication by Optus during the outage has also been branded inadequate, the report finding it significantly hampered the dissemination of accurate and timely advice to the community. To address these problems, 18 recommendations have been handed down, among them a new body to take charge of the Triple Zero system, mandatory real-time updates during an outage and a standardised approach to compensation. All 18 will be implemented over the next year and a half. It's a real opportunity to update our regulatory systems to ensure that they are fit for purpose. We'll be making sure that the government keeps to its word on that. Industry is broadly welcoming the review and its recommendations, but it's calling for greater clarity over how a Triple Zero outage is defined, as compensation often depends on it. That wasn't really addressed in the report, but we've raised it with government. Lucy Gray for 10 News First.

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