Australia’s TPG Telecom links customer’s death to outdated Samsung phone

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(Reuters) -Australia’s TPG Telecom on Tuesday said a customer died after their Samsung mobile phone running out-of-date software failed to connect with the Triple Zero emergency services, and there was no network outage at the time.

The incident comes two months after two back-to-back emergency call outages at Optus, the country’s second-biggest carrier, affected thousands of people and were linked to four deaths, sparking a parliamentary inquiry into the Singtel-owned company.

The incidents have increased pressure on telecom providers to guarantee uninterrupted access to Triple Zero.

TPG Telecom, the country’s No. 3 telecoms firm, said a Sydney customer using its “Lebara” service on November 13 could not make Triple Zero calls on their Samsung device. Local media reported that the call was made on behalf of a relative, who later died.

TPG was informed of the incident by the state’s ambulance service on Monday, November 17, it said.

“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,” TPG said in a statement.

Samsung Australia did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority is gathering information to investigate whether any Triple Zero rules were breached, the regulator said in a statement.

Late last month, ACMA disclosed that certain older Samsung devices failed to switch to an alternative mobile network when the primary network was unavailable, resulting in unsuccessful attempts to reach emergency services.

A list published online by Telstra, a rival operator, showed 11 Samsung devices that needed to be replaced and at least 60 that needed a software update to ensure compatibility with the emergency call system.

TPG said its mobile network was operational and there were no network outages when the Sydney customer attempted the emergency call.

The company had also informed customers with outdated devices to “urgently update” them as recently as November 7, it said.

Trading in TPG shares has been halted pending a stock issue to minority and institutional shareholders.

($1 = 1.5425 Australian dollars)

(Reporting by Himanshi Akhand and Sameer Manekar in Bengaluru; Editing by Alan Barona and Kate Mayberry)