ACMA approves new rules to strengthen Triple Zero

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has formally approved the registration of new rules to further strengthen Australia’s Triple Zero ecosystem.

This includes a new Emergency Calling – Network and Mobile Phone Testing Industry Code. This Code requires carriers to provide network equipment and support testing arrangements which the Australian Government is facilitating through the University of Technology Sydney’s (UTS) National Telecom Resilience Centre.

UTS will undertake testing of the behaviour of mobile networks and a range of mobile phones in various scenarios, including network wilting and camp-on. The testing should enable industry and government to make better-informed operational, policy and regulatory decisions.

The ACMA has also registered a variation to the Emergency Call Service Requirements Industry Code to update telco industry rules. The new rules require telcos to maintain remote access to network management tools and to have sufficient redundancy to activate those tools in the event of a core network failure. The Code also includes requirements to thoroughly test proposed changes that may affect the carriage of emergency calls.

The ACMA says it will be taking early action to understand the status of mobile network operators’ preparation for the commencement of these new rules and will not hesitate to take action if any operator is not ready to comply.

Registration of the Network and Mobile Phone Testing Industry Code addresses recommendation 3 of the review into the November 2023 Optus outage, while the changes to the Emergency Call Service Requirements Industry Code address recommendation 16 of that review. This testing regime, combined with changes to the Telecommunications (Emergency Call Service) Determination 2019 that came into effect in October 2024, also implement recommendation 4 of the review.

The new rules complement additional changes to the Telecommunications (Emergency Call Service) Determination 2019 which will come into effect on 1 November 2025 and follow the making of the Telecommunications (Customer Communications for Outages) Standard 2024 and changes to the Telecommunications (Consumer Complaints Handling) Industry Standard 2018, also made in response to recommendations of the review.

The Emergency Calling – Network and Mobile Phone Testing Industry Code and Emergency Call Service Requirements Industry Code are available on the Australian Telecommunications Alliance website.

Image credit: iStock.com/Dobrila Vignjevic