No 20: 11 November 2024

Significant Improvements to Network Resilience and Emergency Connectivity One Year on from Major Outage

Communications Alliance, the peak body of the telecommunications industry, announced that significant progress has been made in improving network resilience and emergency connectivity one year on from a major outage.

“Secure and resilient critical infrastructure is central to Comms Alliance’s work, and our sector has banded together to make significant improvements to the resilience of telecoms networks and connectivity during emergencies one year on from a major outage,” said CEO Luke Coleman.

Comms Alliance and telcos have actively responded to the recommendations of the post-incident review report led by former Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) Deputy Chair Richard Bean (‘Bean Review’).

Recommendations 3 and 4 of the Bean Review called for regular testing of the Triple Zero ecosystem, including networks, devices, and interoperability across the ecosystem.

“Comms Alliance has led a working committee from across the industry to develop a new industry code and technical guideline for device testing, to ensure that handsets are capable of making calls to Triple Zero both on their usual network and also when ‘camping on’ to a different network if their usual network is hit by an outage,” Mr Coleman said.

Following the development of testing arrangements by the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) Tech Lab, Comms Alliance will finalise and submit the code to the regulator in early 2025. Comms Alliance is also establishing a new industry working group charged with operationalising the testing system on an ongoing basis.

To further improve the technical capabilities of networks during emergencies, Comms Alliance is leading industry collaboration with the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and other Departments on the National Messaging System (NMS). The NMS will allow emergency services to send targeted warning messages to mobile phones using Emergency Cell Broadcast technology, enabling agencies to securely provide information about emergencies like natural disasters or security threats in a given location directly to mobiles.

A third initiative led by Comms Alliance is updating the Australian Standard for mobile devices to ensure they meet new technical requirements for emergency calls (AS/CA S042). As one of just five accredited Standards Development Organisations in Australia, Comms Alliance leads a working committee to update the Standard so mobile device companies can test and certify customer equipment for the Australian market. Adherence to this Standard is also enforced by the regulator, ACMA.

Comms Alliance is also leading the industry’s response to recommendation 16 of the Bean Review, which places new requirements on telcos for remote access to network management tools in the event of an outage. Comms Alliance will bring this recommendation to life via updates to the Emergency Call Service Requirements Industry Code (C536:2020), as well as developing a new technical guideline for telcos on network management for emergency calls, anticipated to be complete early in 2025. Like all of the organisation’s codes, the Emergency Call Service Requirements Industry Code is registered with, and enforced by, the ACMA.

Scams Reform Needs to be Done Right, Not Rushed

Communications Alliance, the peak body of the telecommunications industry, has called for further Parliamentary scrutiny of new scams legislation, saying reforms should be done right – not rushed.

“Australians are justifiably concerned about scams, and telcos have taken action to block more than 2 billion scam calls and almost 700 million scam messages since 2020. While this is a solid start, we recognise the value of additional legislative and regulatory protections against scams, including taking a cross-sector approach,” said Comms Alliance CEO Luke Coleman.

“The Scams Prevention Framework is a significant legislative reform which should be given due consideration by Parliament – it should be done right, not rushed,” he said.

“Telcos already face rising compliance costs due to new red-tape, and the SPF is expected to add more than $228 million in new compliance costs in its first year, then $88 million annually across all impacted sectors. These new costs will hit hard when many telcos are already struggling to make sustainable returns on investment.”

“Unlike banks and digital platforms, telcos are already subject to scams regulation which is enforced by the ACMA – the limited consultation period for the draft legislation has been insufficient to allow for proper scrutiny, and the Bill should be considered by a Parliamentary Committee.”

Comms Alliance welcomed changes since the Exposure Draft, including added flexibility to include measures in subordinate rules and sector codes rather than primary legislation, additional clarity around compliance, and a statutory review after 3 years.

The industry body also supports the introduction of a mandatory SMS Sender ID Register to further enhance telcos’ abilities to combat SMS-based scams.

“There are positive signs that actions by Government and industry are starting to turn the tide against scammers. Financial losses to scams decreased by 13% between 2022 and 2023, the median amount lost to scams decreased by 50%, and reporting of scams increased by more than 18%. But there is more to do, and the telecommunications industry is committed to keeping up the fight against scammers,” Mr Coleman said.

Current Consultations

Below is a list of currently open telecommunications-related consultations being conducted by Government and other organisations that provide an opportunity for you to have your say.

Communications Alliance members interested in contributing to an industry submission (if one is being developed in response to a specific consultation) should contact us.