The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has made new rules for the telecommunications industry, requiring companies to prioritise customer communications in the event of a major network outage impacting 100,000 or more services.
Under the new industry standard, which comes into effect on 31 December 2024, telcos must put information on their website so customers know what has happened, use a variety of other communications channels-such as their telco call centres and the media-to keep customers up-to-date, and make arrangements to respond quickly to people who need immediate assistance during an outage.
Customers can expect to be notified by the telco soon after a major outage occurs, and then at least once every six hours for the first 24 hours, but more often if circumstances change.
The information telcos will need to communicate includes the geographic areas impacted, the likely cause of the outage, the types of services impacted and an estimated timeframe for the issue to be resolved.
ACMA Chair Nerida O'Loughlin said the new industry standard was a big win for consumers.
"Recent examples have shown that telcos are not always as responsive with information during a major outage as they should be," Ms O'Loughlin said.
"Communications services are vital to our everyday lives, so when there's a disruption to services it can cause significant inconvenience or even harm for those affected.
"These new rules will ensure that telcos keep the lines of communication open, and that people impacted by a major outage aren't left in the dark about what's going on and when their service might be back."
The Telecommunications (Customer Communications for Outages) Industry Standard 2024 was made in response to the Telecommunications (Customer Communications for Outages Industry Standards) Direction 2024 issued by the Minister for Communications, the Hon Michelle Rowland MP. The direction was part of the government's response to recommendations made in the review of the Optus network outage of 8 November 2023.
"This is the first tranche of reform to improve communication with consumers. We will make further rules in relation to significant local outages by 30 April 2025. We are also looking at how best to extend rules to cover outages caused by natural disasters without interfering with time critical communications from emergency service agencies.
"In the meantime, the ACMA encourages telcos to prioritise keeping their customers updated when unplanned outages occur, regardless of how many people are affected by the outage," Ms O'Loughlin said.
