Some Samsung mobile phone users will get free handsets after being stung by triple-zero issues, but telcos and the electronics giant have stopped short of offering blanket replacements.
Testing undertaken by the telecommunications giant found more than 70 older-model Samsung handsets weren’t connecting correctly to the emergency service.
Eleven models will need to be replaced, while the rest require immediate software updates to fix the problem.
Up to 10,000 devices are believed to be affected.
A Telstra spokesperson said impacted customers would be contacted via email or SMS to provide instructions on what needed to be done.
“If a replacement is required, we’ll provide some options based on our customer’s needs,” they said.
“We are providing some customers in vulnerable circumstances with access to a free replacement. Other customers will be offered an affordable alternative.”
A Samsung spokeswoman said the company was available to answer questions and will “provide an offer to customers who require their devices to be replaced”.
An Optus spokesperson urged clients to contact its customer service team and pointed affected users to Samsung for options.
Asked if there would be any government funding for people needing replacement phones, Emergency Management Minister Kristy McBain earlier said the responsibility lay with the companies.
“The telcos have contracts with customers and those customers … pay for a service which includes a triple-zero service for their handsets,” she said on Friday.
“It’s an issue that the telcos are going to have to address.”
Australian Communications Consumer Action Network chief executive Carol Bennett said the “debacle” demonstrated processes weren’t working as they should.
“When consumers are in situations of serious financial hardship, the telcos do have to respond to that by offering them some kind of financial relief to ensure they’re not left short,” she told AAP.
“It’s really important that the telcos do step up and take on responsibility, especially if they want to restore consumer confidence.”
Ms Bennett renewed calls for an outage register to provide accurate and fast information to customers relying on essential phone services after a devastating Optus triple-zero outage in September was linked to three deaths.
“There are some pretty staggering gaps when it comes to picking up issues that could potentially cause harm,” she said.
Optus has confirmed two senior executives will step down following the triple-zero outage.
Ms McBain also flagged the telco giant would face fines after an investigation by the Australian Communications and Media Authority.
Greens communications spokeswoman Sarah Hanson-Young said Optus needed a cultural overhaul and accused it of putting “profits ahead of safety”.
“You wouldn’t want to see this exodus of executives as just rats jumping ship,” she said.
“It has a problem with how it deals with its customers and it’s time that we review its licence.”
The Greens and coalition have been pushing for a senate inquiry into the triple-zero outage to be held before Christmas.
In a statement on Friday, the communications and authority said it had rejected a proposed telco industry code, deciding it would not provide appropriate community safeguards.
Acting chair Adam Suckling said it was disappointing the telcos had not been able to develop a proposal that would “deliver what their customers deserve” despite extensive feedback.
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