Emergency call services

The Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy provides advice to the Minister in relation to the telecommunications regulatory framework, including emergency call services. The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) is responsible for monitoring the provision of the emergency call service under Part 8 of the Telecommunications (Consumer Protection and Service Standards) Act 1999, and under the Telecommunications (Emergency Call Service) Determination 2002 and the Telecommunications (Emergency Call Persons) Determination 1999.

The emergency call service is an operator-assisted service that connects a caller, free of charge, to police, fire or ambulance in a life threatening or time critical situation.

Under the specifications of the Telecommunications Numbering Plan 1997:

• the primary emergency service number is '000' and can be accessed from fixed and mobile networks in Australia; and
• the secondary emergency service numbers are '112' and '106'.

For more information visit the ACMA website.

Triple Zero (000)

Triple Zero (000) is Australia's primary emergency service number and should be for use to access emergency assistance in the first instance.

Telstra, as the designated universal emergency call service provider, currently operates the Triple Zero emergency call service from two centralised emergency call centres in New South Wales and Victoria.

Telstra's role in operating the Triple Zero service is to connect callers to the nearest and most appropriate emergency service organisation as quickly as possible. The local emergency service organisation (Whether police, fire or ambulance) is then responsible for sending help to the correct location.

Callers can get connected to police, fire or ambulance by dialling Triple Zero from any fixed or mobile phone (where there is coverage) in Australia. As the location of callers using mobile phones cannot be identified automatically, mobile phone callers need to give as much information as possible about their location when speaking to the operator.

There are a number of reasons why '911' used by emergency services in the United States cannot be used as an emergency number in Australia, the 911 prefix is already in use for some residential and business telephone numbers (ie. 02 911x xxxx).

112

If you have a GSM digital mobile phone you can connect to the emergency call service by dialling Triple Zero as with other phones. However, because GSM is an international standard, GSM mobile phone users can also be connect to emergency services by dialling the international emergency call number '112'.

When dialling '112' on GSM mobile phones, access is provided regardless of the presence or validity of the SIM card within the phone, or whether the keypad is locked. The '112' number cannot be dialled from the fixed network.

• '112' can be dialled anywhere in the world with GSM coverage and callers will be automatically transferred to that country's particular emergency number.
• A caller is able to connect to the emergency services answering point if GSM mobile coverage is available from any carrier's network at the location of the call.

For further details regarding '112', consumers should talk to their mobile service providers.

The same enhanced capabilities available with '112' are also becoming available progressively on some new GSM handsets and SIM cards. For more information contact your mobile phone carrier.

106 (Text-based emergency call service)

People with a hearing or speech impairment can call police, ambulance or fire services by dialling '106' from a phoneline connected to a Teletypewriter (TTY) or from a computer with a modem (but not mobile text messaging). This text-based emergency call service is supplied through the National Relay Service which is provided by the Australian Communications Exchange.

For more information about the '106' text-based emergency call service visit the National Relay Service website www.relayservice.com.au.

• Document ID: 3824 |
• Last modified: 21 May 2009, 10:05am