TPG Telecom says a Sydney customer died after outdated software blocked their Samsung phone from making Triple Zero (000) calls.
The telco said in a statement it was informed of the incident involving a person using a Lebara service on a Samsung device on November 13 by NSW Ambulance yesterday.
“Early investigations indicate that the failed calls were due to the customer’s Samsung device operating on software that was not compatible with making Triple Zero calls on the network,” the company said in a statement.
“Samsung recently identified that certain, older devices required a software update to enable Triple Zero functionality on TPG Telecom’s mobile network.”
The telco said when it became aware of issues with these handsets on its network, it told customers “to urgently update affected devices”.
“Handsets not updated are blocked after a period of 28-35 days from the first contact to the customer, as required under new regulations,” the company said.
“The most recent communications to customers with impacted devices was sent on 7 November.”
TPG Telecom managing director and CEO Inaki Berroeta said customer safety was the company’s “highest priority” and urged customers with similar devices to update their software.
“This is a tragic incident, and our condolences and thoughts are with the individual’s family and loved ones,” he said.
“Access to emergency services is critical. We urge all customers with outdated software to replace or update their devices without delay to ensure they can reach Triple Zero in an emergency.”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 said the communications minister, NSW Government, ACMA, Triple Zero Custodian and other relevant government and regulatory bodies had been notified of the incident.
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