Australia's telcos will soon face new rules on how they communicate during network outages.

The Albanese Government has announced new regulatory measures in response to criticism following the Optus outage on 8 November 2023, which left many Australians without service.

Minister for Communications Michelle Rowland has instructed the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) to establish enforceable industry standards to enhance telco communication practices. 

The new regulations will mandate that telecommunications providers keep their customers informed during major outages through various channels, including websites, email, social media, and broadcast news updates.

This directive follows a comprehensive review of the Optus outage, conducted by Richard Bean, which highlighted significant gaps in the telco's ability to manage and communicate effectively during such crises. 

The review's recommendations have shaped the new framework, which aims to mitigate the impact of future outages on the Australian public.

“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,” Rowland stated. 

The regulations will also address customer communication during smaller, localised outages, ensuring a consistent approach across different scales of service disruption. 

Additionally, the ACMA is tasked with reviewing the existing Complaints Handling Industry Standard to better support consumers during network failures.

The Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) has welcomed the new industry standard.

The government has called on all stakeholders, including consumer groups and the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman, to collaborate with the ACMA in developing these standards. 

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