These standards aim to enhance how telecommunications companies communicate with customers, especially during major outages.
This initiative comes from the Post-Incident Review of the Optus outage on 8 November 2023, led by Richard Bean. The Review’s recommendations provide a framework to lessen the impact of future outages on the Australian community, focusing on better communication and complaints processes.
The Telecommunications (Customer Communications for Outages Industry Standards) Direction 2024 requires the ACMA to introduce new rules for keeping customers informed during major outages.
These rules will ensure that telecommunications companies provide updates through their websites, emails, social media, and news bulletins. This measure addresses a major issue seen with Optus during the severe outage in November 2023 and sets clear expectations for improving communication in the industry.
Minister Rowland commented, “The Optus outage on 8 November 2023 shone a light on systems and processes in the telecommunications ecosystem that are in critical need of reform. The directions I have issued today will help improve how telcos communicate and engage with their customers in outage situations.”
The ACMA will also make rules to improve customer communications during significant local outages that are smaller in scale than major outages. Moreover, the ACMA will review the existing Complaints Handling Industry Standard to ensure complaints processes are effective for consumers in the context of network outages.
Minister Rowland emphasised, “Telecommunications services are essential for participation in modern life, and ensuring that systems and processes are working to support people during stressful outages is fundamental.”
The Government encourages all stakeholders to work constructively with the ACMA on the development of the industry standards.
Minister Rowland added, “I am conscious that we cannot achieve these important outcomes without all stakeholders working together including Government, regulators, consumer groups, industry, and the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman. I thank all stakeholders for their continued engagement and efforts in prioritising this work.”
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Adrianne Saplagio is a Content Producer at Comms Room, where she combines her passion for storytelling with her expertise in multimedia content creation. With a keen eye for detail and a knack for engaging audiences, Adrianne has been instrumental in crafting compelling narratives that resonate across various digital platforms.
