Transcript: ATA CEO Luke Coleman on ABC Radio Drive 18/11/25
Presenter Emma Crowe
It seems that actually, there has been an uptick in people calling Triple Zero just to see whether they can get through. And Luke Coleman is with us, he’s CEO of the Australian Telecommunications Alliance. Hi, Luke.
Luke Coleman
Hi, thanks for having me on the program.
Presenter
So my instinct was, call Triple Zero to see if I can call Triple Zero, and you’re seeing a few people are doing this.
Luke Coleman
That’s right. And I would say, if you feel the urge to do so, please do not. Triple Zero is there only if you are in an emergency. There’s been a number of people would have received a message from their provider – Telstra, Optus or TPG Vodafone – that would let them know if their device is unable to call Triple Zero. A lot of people have received that message and they’ve sought to call Triple Zero to test if their device is going to work.
Can I just encourage people, please do not do that – because Triple Zero is there for people who are facing an immediate emergency. Instead, what people should be doing is taking the advice that’s coming from their telco in that message, which in most cases is to update the software on their device to ensure that it will be able to call Triple Zero.
Presenter
Telstra is actually in charge of the Triple Zero line. They direct your call to fire, ambulance or police when you first call through. What are you hearing from the people who are taking these initial calls about how many people are ringing to test?
Luke Coleman
Yes, as I understand it, since these messages have gone out about devices potentially being unable to reach Triple Zero, there has been a significant uptick in people calling Triple Zero to test if their device works. In one case, I believe last week, there were as many as a thousand test calls in a day. Now, that can potentially clog up the system for people who do have real emergencies and are calling Triple Zero in a life-threatening situation.
Can I really discourage people from calling Triple Zero to test their phone? Because there’s another issue there, that the devices we’re talking about may only be unable to reach Triple Zero in certain circumstances. So it could create a false sense of security if people receive that message, they make a test call to Triple Zero and they think, “oh, great, I can get through,” but actually, it may not work in specific circumstances.
So please do not make a test call. Instead, take the opportunity to update the software on your device.
Presenter
Luke Coleman, CEO of the Australian Telecommunications Alliance. We’re talking about the fact that this recent, I suppose people are, you know, lacking trust now in Triple Zero, which before with these incidences and that there’s a clear path for what to do and that is upgrade your phone. And I’ll read out the models again in a moment. But meanwhile, some people, and I did have the urge to do it today, I didn’t do it, but I just thought, ‘I just might want to check I can get through to Triple Zero, what if I need it?’ Do not do that. You know, you can see the urge that people would have there. Luke, you can see why, you know, people would like to test it?
Luke Coleman
Yeah, I can, I can see why people would want to do that. But they really have a false sense of security if they call Triple Zero and the call gets through and they think, “oh, great, my device is fine,” – it is not necessarily the case. It is only the devices are unable to call Triple Zero in certain circumstances.
I know you were having a conversation earlier about ‘camp on’. Camp on is when your device, if your usual network is unavailable, your device seeks to jump onto another network or ‘camp on’ to any other available network to make that Triple Zero call. And that’s the problem with a certain subset of devices – that when they are attempting to camp on if their usual network is unavailable, that that won’t be possible. And under those specific circumstances, that’s when you might not be able to call Triple Zero.
Telcos have got a legal requirement to block devices that won’t be able to call Triple Zero. They need to give customers three warnings before they do that blocking. And that’s what’s occurring now.
The telcos are sending out messages to customers to say, hey, you’ve got to update your device to the latest software to ensure that you’re able to call Triple Zero. And if you don’t, that’s when they’ve got that obligation to block the device.
Presenter
Just a quick question. Is there another number people can call, a centralised number, or is it all back to your own phone provider?
Luke Coleman
It all comes back to your own phone provider. They will be able to have a conversation with you about what your options are. In most cases, it’s going to be a software update of your phone.
Sometimes it might require multiple updates, depending on how old the device is. But you can always have a conversation with your provider if you’ve got any questions or go into a Telstra, Optus or TPG Vodafone store, and they’ll be able to help you out and address your specific circumstances.
Presenter
Thanks so much, Luke. I’m also thinking of those call takers who could be very worried having to call and ring and then hang up and worry that person was in trouble and not just testing the line. So yeah, think about those people as well trying to do their job. But thanks for some time today.
Luke Coleman
Thanks for having me on the program.
Presenter
That’s Luke Coleman. He’s CEO of the Australian Telecommunications Alliance.
