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TPG Confirms Sydney Death After Triple Zero Calls Fail on Older Samsung Phone

Regulators have opened an inquiry into compliance after carriers identified software incompatibilities on legacy Samsung models.

Overview

  • TPG says a Lebara customer in Sydney tried to call 000 on November 13 and later died, with the telco notified by NSW Ambulance on November 17.
  • The company reports its network was operating normally at the time and that early findings point to the handset’s outdated software preventing emergency calls.
  • Samsung has identified older models requiring either a firmware update or replacement to ensure 000 connectivity on TPG/Vodafone, with customer notices most recently sent on November 7.
  • ACMA is investigating possible breaches, and rules require carriers to block devices 28–35 days after first contact if updates are not applied.
  • TPG has alerted the communications minister, NSW government, ACMA and the Triple Zero Custodian as the sector faces scrutiny following recent Optus emergency-call failures.