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Aussie telco TPG Telecom failed to make a proper notification of a 4G outage lasting more than an hour in August 2024.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) issued a formal warning to TPG Telecom Limited after an investigation found that it had failed to notify Telstra of an outage lasting one hour and 20 minutes in August of 2023.
TPG’s network outage left 4G customers unable to make calls, including Triple Zero calls.
Any provider unable to provide access to the emergency call service must contact Telstra, which manages the Triple Zero emergency all service, as soon as possible. According to the ACMA’s investigation, the TPG outage lasted from 12:40am to 2am on 15 August 2024. Despite becoming aware of the outage at 1:22am, TPG only contacted Telstra at 9:07am.
“It’s crucial that all telcos have their systems and processes in place to ensure any network outages impacting Triple Zero are identified and addressed as soon as possible,” ACMA member Samantha Yorke said in a 30 June statement.
“They must also take timely action to alert other key stakeholders in the Triple Zero ecosystem where a problem is being experienced.”
Thankfully, no TPG customers experienced any harm as a result of the outage, and the majority of emergency calls made at the time were able to “camp-on” to other networks.
TPG has said the outage was caused by human error and that training has been provided to the relevant staff regarding emergency call service management. Refresher training will happen on a yearly basis for all staff.
“TPG Telecom takes its regulatory responsibilities seriously and has implemented improved processes and training to prevent this [from] happening again,” a TPG Telecom spokesperson told Cyber Daily.
Both Telstra and Optus have copped fines for breaches of the emergency call service rules. Optus was fined $12 million over its November 2023 network outage, while Telstra was fined $3 million after an ACMA investigation found it had breached the rules 473 times during a 90-minute outage of its Triple Zero call centre in December 2024.
David Hollingworth has been writing about technology for over 20 years, and has worked for a range of print and online titles in his career. He is enjoying getting to grips with cyber security, especially when it lets him talk about Lego.
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