Hundreds of thousands of Australian consumers using some models of Samsung mobile phones are currently at risk of not being able reaching emergency services reliably, according to the communications regulator, ACMA.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has told a parliamentary committee that its inquiries into the Samsung handsets, which have unusual firmware settings that may prevent triple zero calling, found that 114,527 Telstra customers were currently using them on the carrier’s network as of late last month.
The ACMA said that Telstra had advised it that the handsets could be fixed with a software update. However, it said that Telstra had detected 4158 customers using Samsung mobile models with the problem that could not be upgraded.
Telstra isn’t alone grappling with the potentially life-threatening handsets.
Optus, which told the regulator it was currently using “manual” methods to detect the faulty models, reported that its situation could be much worse than Telstra’s.
The ACMA told the hearing that Optus was facing the possibility of overseeing upgrades or imposing blocks on up to 470,000 Samsung devices.
However, ACMA confirmed that Optus expected most of the handsets to be redeemed by software updates.
Over at the nation’s third carrier, TPG Telecom, the situation seemed to be more in-hand, but also more complicated.
It’s understood that TPG Telecom blocked 5389 devices on October 16, which was then thought to be the number of devices with the problem using its Vodafone-branded network.
ACMA’s consumer division head Catherine Rainsford said the carrier then blocked a further 1763 devices the week of November 12-19.
Rainsford told the committee that it was the regulator’s understanding that the 1763 devices constituted the remainder of “all of the TPG blocking that needs to be done” but that the regulator was still investigating the carrier’s claim.
Samsung devices with the software problem are only prevented from reaching emergency services via triple zero in cases when Telstra and Optus’ networks are unavailable.
As iTnews has previously reported, the firmware in the faulty devices has been configured to lock to them to Vodafone’s shuttered 3G network.
The configuration stops the handsets from reliably switching between mobile networks in emergencies, should one or more networks become unavailable.
The issue is currently known to impact 71 Samsung handset models in total with 60 of those using technology that allows the problem to be fixed by patching their embedded software.
The remaining 11 face disposal, recycling or relegation to lives as high-tech decorations.
One month’s notice
ACMA’s new mobile equipment testing rules require carriers to notify customers about handsets with triple zero calling problems.
Under the rules they must also tell the customers to take steps to remediate the problems with their handsets if possible or face having their devices block.
Customers are currently given about a month’s notice to act before mandatory blocking kicks in.
Last month, TPG Telecom reported a triple zero call-related customer fatality linked to use of a Samsung mobile handset mobile known to be among those with the firmware problem.
ACMA said it was understood that TPG Telecom had notified the customer who died that the Samsung device had reliability problems, but that the customer was still using it within the prescribed, statutory 28-day notice period – a time during which customers are given an opportunity to address the problem.
iTnews reported late last month that carriers have also recently started cooperating on the development of a shared database of handsets with triple zero calling problems.
Two active investigations
Rainsford said that ACMA is currently pursuing investigations and lines of inquiry into the Samsung handset problem.
“We have two active investigations and other lines of enquiry with both Samsung at this point in time … and our engagement with Telstra and Optus to understand what they what they understood and when,” Rainsford said.
She said the ACMA is using statutory information gathering powers to understand what the telcos knew about the problems, “when they knew that devices were likely to have a problem” and “whether they have indeed taken the action to comply with [telco] laws”.
The issue is expected to be explored in more detail when the triple zero inquiry into the September Optus outage resumes next week.