Optus customers left angry after more failed triple-0 calls | 7.30

Key Concepts

• Triple0 (000): Australia's national emergency telephone number for police, fire, and ambulance services.
• Camping On: A legally mandated process where, if a Triple0 call cannot connect through the user's primary network due to a failure, it is automatically redirected to another available network.
• ACMA (Australian Communications and Media Authority): The independent statutory authority responsible for regulating broadcasting, internet, radio communications, and telecommunications in Australia.
• MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator): A wireless communications services provider that does not own the wireless network infrastructure over which it provides services to its customers, instead using the network of a mobile network operator (e.g., Southern Phone, Amasim, Mason using Optus).
• Network Outage: A period when a computer network or part of it is unavailable, typically due to a fault or planned maintenance.
• Sternum: The breastbone, a flat bone located in the central part of the chest.

Overview of Optus Triple0 Call Failures

The report details a series of critical failures in Optus's network that prevented customers from connecting to Triple0, Australia's emergency services number. These incidents have raised significant concerns about public safety and the reliability of telecommunications infrastructure. Optus has experienced three Triple0 failures in two years, with recent events causing widespread alarm.

• Initial Major Outage (September): A "bungled network upgrade" in the previous month led to a 13-hour outage, causing "hundreds of calls to Triple0 failing" and being "linked to three deaths." This incident highlighted a systemic problem within the Optus network.
• Subsequent Incidents: Just ten days after the major outage, another incident occurred where a mobile tower in New South Wales went down, resulting in more emergency calls failing. Optus attributed this specific failure to its equipment supplier, Ericsson.

Personal Accounts of Failed Emergency Calls

Several individuals shared their harrowing experiences of being unable to reach Triple0 during emergencies, despite being on the Optus network or an MVNO using it.

• Paula Gumpertz's Heart Attack Incident: In August, retired nurse Paula Gumpertz, a Southern Phone customer (using the Optus network), experienced symptoms of a heart attack ("somebody was pressing hard against my chest, my sternum") during a golf competition. Upon returning home, she attempted to dial Triple0 twice, a minute apart, but heard "nothing" on both occasions. Her call log confirmed these two failed attempts. Desperate, she messaged her daughter, Tori, who successfully called an ambulance from her own mobile. Paula, 78, was rushed to Frankston Hospital with a serious heart condition, exacerbated by stress. She expressed shock and a profound loss of trust in the network's ability to connect to emergency services, stating, "I was shocked. I literally I thought, what do I do?"
• Yugo Tini's Back Injury Emergency: In June, Yugo Tini, an Amasim customer (owned by Optus, using its network), suffered a "crippling back injury" and woke up in "unbearable pain" (rated "11 out of 10"). His wife, Jenny, attempted to call Triple0 11 times on her Optus mobile, but her phone's call log showed no record of these attempts, only displaying "O" and their address before the call "didn't go anywhere." Jenny then tried on Yugo's Amasim phone, which logged seven failed calls over 16 minutes, consistently showing "Triple O, nothing." Unable to connect, Yugo was forced to shuffle in agony to their car so Jenny could drive him to the hospital. Yugo stated he has lost faith in the system, humorously suggesting he'd have "more faith in Uber." He concluded, "It's just crap. I think it should be a bigger investigation."
• John Chapel's Witnessed Incident: Days before the September 18 outage, Sydney man John Chapel, an Amasim customer, attempted to call Triple0 eight times after witnessing an assault in the Sydney CBD. His calls failed to connect, preventing him from alerting the police.

Technical Explanations and Regulatory Framework

The report delves into the technical and regulatory aspects surrounding Triple0 call connectivity.

• The "Camping On" Process: Telco providers are legally obligated to ensure emergency calls connect during an outage through a process called "camping on." This means if a Triple0 call cannot connect via the user's primary network due to a failure, it should be automatically redirected to another available network. The expectation is that automated monitoring should detect such failures quickly and trigger remedial action.
• Potential Reasons for Call Failures: Luke Coleman, representing Australia's telecommunication providers (including Optus), acknowledged that while "camping on" is designed to work, some calls might still fail for other reasons. These include:
  • Location/Signal Strength: Poor reception between the phone and the tower.
  • User Error: Users hanging up too quickly. When a phone scans for alternative networks during a primary network failure, it can take up to 30 seconds (or longer). A user might perceive this delay as a failed connection, hang up, and retry, restarting the process.
  • Device Fault: An issue with the mobile device itself.
• Role of ACMA: The industry regulator, ACMA, has investigated incidents and possesses the power to issue fines to telcos for non-compliance with regulatory obligations concerning Triple0. Optus informed ACMA it had no record of the attempted calls from Yugo and Jenny Tini's phones, suggesting "poor reception" as the likely cause. However, Yugo Tini refutes this, noting he and his wife successfully made other calls that same night.

Arguments, Blame, and Proposed Solutions

The incidents have sparked debate regarding accountability and necessary reforms.

• Optus's Response and Blame: Optus stated, "What has happened is completely unacceptable. We have let you down." While it blamed its equipment supplier, Ericsson, for one specific incident, for the cases of Paula Gumpertz, Yugo Tini, and John Chapel, Optus claimed there was "no network fault or outage" at the time of their attempted calls, suggesting other factors like poor reception. Optus has committed to further investigation and has introduced "24/7 monitoring of emergency call volumes."
• Customer Concerns and Loss of Faith: Customers like Paula Gumpertz and Yugo Tini express a profound loss of trust in Optus and the reliability of Triple0 access. They question if the emergency call crisis is more widespread and ongoing, with Paula stating, "It must be an ongoing thing. This is appalling." Yugo's sentiment, "I don't really have that faith anymore... I think I'd have more faith in Uber," underscores the severity of this trust erosion.
• Expert Call for Government Action: Mark Gregory, an expert, argues that the problem stems from a "lack of monitoring and logging of the faults that are occurring in the network." He advocates for the federal government to "rework the legislation and to put performance standards in the legislation to rework the the regulations." He believes that without such governmental intervention, telcos cannot be expected to improve beyond their current standards, despite ACMA being a "tough cop on the beat."

Conclusion: Main Takeaways

The series of Optus network failures impacting Triple0 calls highlights a critical public safety issue in Australia. Despite legal requirements like "camping on" and regulatory oversight by ACMA, customers have experienced life-threatening situations due to an inability to connect to emergency services. While Optus acknowledges some failures and has introduced 24/7 monitoring, it attributes specific customer issues to factors like poor reception or user error, which customers dispute. Experts argue for stronger government legislation, performance standards, and improved fault monitoring to ensure reliable emergency call access, emphasizing that Triple0 availability is "fundamental" regardless of provider or location. The incidents have severely eroded customer trust in telecommunication providers' ability to deliver essential emergency services.