Sydney Customer Dies After Samsung Phone Blocks Triple Zero Call on TPG Network
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A Sydney resident died after outdated software on their Samsung mobile phone prevented emergency calls from connecting to triple zero services on the TPG Telecom network, the telecommunications company confirmed Tuesday, marking the second fatal telecommunications failure in Australia within two months.
TPG Telecom disclosed that a customer using its Lebara service on a Samsung device was unable to reach emergency services on November 13, 2025, resulting in a death that has reignited scrutiny over Australia’s telecommunications infrastructure reliability. The company was notified of the tragedy at 5:22 p.m. on November 17 following notification from NSW Ambulance.
The incident occurred despite TPG Telecom’s mobile network operating normally with no reported outages at the time of the attempted emergency calls, according to the company’s statement released Tuesday. Early investigations determined that software incompatibility between the customer’s Samsung device and TPG’s network infrastructure caused the failure.
“Customer safety remains our highest priority,” TPG Telecom Managing Director and CEO Inaki Berroeta said in a statement. “This is a tragic incident, and our condolences and thoughts are with the individual’s family and loved ones. Access to emergency services is critical.”
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The death comes approximately two months after similar Optus network outages disrupted emergency communications across Australia, prompting intense political pressure for telecommunications sector reforms. Shadow Minister for Communications Melissa McIntosh, who represents Moncrieff in Queensland, called the latest incident devastating but predictable.
“It’s hard. You don’t want to be the person that says I told you so on such a devastating, terrible issue where people’s lives have been lost,” McIntosh said during a Tuesday morning television interview. “But it’s pretty much two months to the day when we had those Optus outages.”
Samsung recently identified that certain older devices required software updates to enable triple zero functionality on TPG Telecom’s mobile network, according to the company statement. When TPG became aware of affected handsets on its network, the company initiated urgent customer communications to update devices.
Under new telecommunications regulations, handsets that remain unupdated are blocked from the network after a period of 28 to 35 days from initial customer contact. TPG Telecom sent its most recent communications to customers with impacted devices on November 7, six days before the fatal incident.
“These updates are critical to ensure compatibility with emergency services and to protect customer safety,” Berroeta stated. “We urge all customers with outdated software to replace or update their devices without delay to ensure they can reach Triple Zero in an emergency.”
TPG Telecom has notified the Minister for Communications Anika Wells, who represents Lilley in Queensland, along with the NSW Government, the Australian Communications and Media Authority, the Triple Zero Custodian, and other relevant regulatory bodies about the incident.
The communications minister has not publicly addressed the tragedy, issuing only a written statement Monday, according to McIntosh. The Shadow Minister criticized the government’s response as inadequate given the severity of telecommunications infrastructure failures affecting public safety.
“The Minister for Communications hasn’t even fronted the media or the public on this, just put out a statement yesterday,” McIntosh said in a skynews interview today “So we have this custodian, we rushed this legislation through, a custodian has been put in place in her department, but we found out that that custodian has been there since March.”
McIntosh questioned what actions the custodian and regulatory authorities have undertaken since the position’s establishment. Following the September Optus outages, the Coalition pushed for amendments to telecommunications legislation and called for establishing a public register of network failures and an independent investigation.
“At the time, on behalf of the coalition, I pressured the government. I had amendments to legislation going through the House. I was calling for a public register, calling for an independent investigation because the regulator ACMA is caught up in this whole devastating outage situation,” McIntosh stated.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority, the primary telecommunications regulator, has faced criticism for its oversight role during consecutive major network failures affecting emergency services access. Questions persist about whether existing regulatory frameworks adequately protect public safety in telecommunications infrastructure.
“And yet here we are and there’s been another death,” McIntosh said. “What are they doing now that we’ve had another death? What’s ACMA, the regulator, doing and what’s the Minister doing?”
The incident highlights growing concerns about the triple zero emergency services ecosystem’s reliability amid Australia’s telecommunications network modernization. The transition to new network technologies has created compatibility issues for older devices, requiring software updates many consumers may not realize are necessary for emergency access.
McIntosh reiterated her previous calls for comprehensive system review. “I stand by what I called for previously, and that’s a thorough independent investigation into the whole triple zero ecosystem, the network, the telcos, the infrastructure and the handset. So this does not keep happening,” she stated.
Consumer confidence in Australia’s telecommunications infrastructure has eroded following repeated high-profile failures affecting millions of customers. The September Optus outage left approximately 10 million Australians without mobile and internet services for up to 12 hours, disrupting businesses, healthcare services, and emergency communications nationwide.
Telecommunications industry analysts warn that software compatibility issues affecting emergency services access may extend beyond TPG Telecom’s network. Samsung devices represent a significant portion of Australia’s smartphone market, with millions of older model phones potentially requiring updates to maintain emergency calling capabilities across various carriers.
“It is not good enough. Australians are losing confidence in our most essential telecommunications service,” McIntosh stated, summarizing growing public frustration with repeated infrastructure failures.
The Coalition has signaled intentions to make telecommunications reliability a major political issue ahead of the next federal election. Opposition MPs argue the government has failed to implement sufficient reforms despite mounting evidence of systemic problems affecting public safety.
TPG Telecom emphasized that customers should immediately update or replace devices operating on outdated software to ensure emergency services access. The company has not disclosed how many customers may be using potentially affected Samsung devices on its network.
The death investigation continues, with multiple regulatory and government agencies examining the circumstances. Telecommunications industry stakeholders expect the incident to accelerate calls for more stringent device compatibility requirements and enhanced oversight of emergency services infrastructure.
Australia’s triple zero emergency services system handles millions of calls annually, with any disruption potentially resulting in life-threatening delays for police, fire, and ambulance response. The system’s reliability depends on complex coordination between telecommunications carriers, device manufacturers, network infrastructure providers, and emergency services agencies.
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