The CEO of TPG, Iñaki Berroeta, confirmed a second death attributed to the collapse of Triple Zero emergency calls. This shocking admission was made in the course of a parliamentary inquiry. As of Monday, Berroeta was still confirming details of the attack, which took place on Sept. 24 in Wentworth Falls, New South Wales. This disclosure comes on the heels of yet another tragic case from last November. One of them, a customer in Sydney, lost their life because their mobile could not connect to emergency services.
In a recent session, Berroeta described the real and everyday challenges people continue to face with old and outdated mobile phones. These devices will not be able to access Triple Zero because they lack compatibility with the necessary 4G technology. We are in the TPG, which runs on the Vodafone brand, and with White-label ISPs such as iiNet. They’ve been under the microscope ever since the first report of a fatality connected with their services.
Details of the Incidents
In that hearing, Berroeta disclosed that when Telstra first told him about the second death. This announcement came on the literal same day he testified. Those tragic events have raised real doubts in the mobile space. Members of the traveling public are right to doubt the safety and reliability of TPG and its affiliate brands.
In early November, a customer of Sydney’s new carrier was unable to reach Triple Zero in an emergency, leading to a life being lost. Customer advisories Berroeta like to say that this incident was just an isolated incident— a classic “plumbing problem” that only affected a few thousand customers. He noted that some 500 people jumped on the chance to exchange their phone. These devices are vital for public safety — they help first responders reach people in emergencies.
“Yesterday we were told that the call might have been made in connection to someone who has passed away,” – Iñaki Berroeta
This inquiry found a critical problem—many customers have mobile devices that are unable to place emergency calls over 4G. This dire state of affairs requires immediate software updates or replacements. As Berroeta noted, there are tens of thousands more devices that still need to be addressed.
Customer Safety and Company Responsibility
Berroeta repeated throughout the parliamentary session that TPG does not hold customers responsible for these shortcomings. He spoke passionately about the need for the company to own up to its failures. Providing reliable and operational devices to their end users to place emergency calls is an essential part of this ecosystem.
“We don’t blame the end user at all here,” – Iñaki Berroeta
The inquiry emphasized that proactive measures are required from TPG to protect customer safety. As Berroeta admitted, the software updates are critical and they don’t occur by themselves. Customers must first provide their approval, leading to delays in addressing possible flash floods and other disasters.
Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young grilled Berroeta on the need for improved customer communications following these occurrences. She concluded that giving impacted customers free replacement phones was the least TPG could do and in line with responsible corporate behavior.
“Good customer relations would be to give these people a new phone now,” – Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young
Senator Hanson-Young continued to stress the need to put customers’ safety first, challenging TPG’s answer to how they will provide access to emergency services.
“You’re a big company, you make massive profits, making sure your customers have access to have a phone that can call Triple Zero should be a priority,” – Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young
Moving Forward
In response to these instances, Berroeta assured that doing right on this remains a paramount priority for TPG. He expressed commitment to improving customer outreach and ensuring that all devices capable of making emergency calls are updated or replaced as needed.
The inquiry underscored the need for telecommunications companies to prioritize customer safety and ensure their systems are reliable and accessible for emergency situations. As more details emerge regarding these tragic incidents, TPG faces mounting pressure to rectify the situation and restore trust among its customer base.
