Hi Petition Signers,
One year ago yesterday (27 May 2025) the News Story around the inconsistent phone blocking was published by the ABC.
Telstra & Optus are inconsistently blocking phones. The regulator doesn't know how many - ABC News
On that same day a year ago I also had a Live TV interview on ABC News.
A link to that interview is below, you are welcome to share the Video on.
'Telstra & Optus are inconsistently blocking phones' - ABC News Interview - 27 May 2025 - YouTube
Within that interview I explicitly warned about consumers being able to use phones that were 'officially supported' that cannot call Triple Zero and that the industry had failed to do proper analysis.
I also talked about perfectly compatible 4G/5G devices being blocked by some or all of the providers, including phones used by tourists. That's in addition to talking about device Software & Triple Zero compatibility issues with Vodafone.
Months later there would be several deaths related to people being unable to Call Triple Zero, including two incidents with Samsung Devices on the TPG/Vodafone network.
Now a year on since that story none of this has actually improved and the telcos have merely moved to start panic blocking devices in response. Both compatible and genuinely incompatible models.
Triple Zero Legislation Review - Public Consultation
However this Tuesday 26 May 2026 the Department of Infrastructure (Communications) officially opened the Public Consultation for the 'Triple Zero Legislative and Regulatory Review' which was formally established by Minister Wells in March this year.
Have your say - Triple Zero Legislative and Regulatory Review
https://www.infrastructure.gov.au/have-your-say/triple-zero-legislative-and-regulatory-review
Submissions close on 23 June 2026!
One of the 'matters for consideration' in the review terms of reference is "The effectiveness and appropriateness of rules requiring that customer equipment to be capable of contacting Triple Zero" (i.e Device Blocking)
The Department and Custodian are well aware of the issues consumers have reported and are facing.
This review will examine all of the regulatory settings around all Triple Zero Legislation, with a view to ensure that Triple Zero laws are effective and remain fit for purpose.
The review will be conducted by the new Triple Zero Custodian Branch (within the Department of Infrastructure), with an interim report to be provided to the Communications Minister in Q4 this year, and the final report due in March 2027.
I will be making a submission but if you want this to change it is absolutely essential that you also provide a submission!
For those that are time poor, over the next week or so I will work on creating a basic template letter you can modify and submit.
As mentioned in my last petition update, I've had meetings with the Department, Minister and ACMA about these matters, and with enough pressure from consumers this can all change!
But it is essential there are submissions from consumers that suggest better ways this can all be managed and regulated!
It is absolutely worthwhile for you to submit something if you have recommendations to share.
Optus 5G Device Blocking
On a related matter, earlier this month Optus pushed out another block list change to their list, and it appears that for a large number of previously 'Not Blocked' devices they are now set to be blocked, including a large number of Xiaomi Models (over 90 TACs).
Optus Database Changelog
https://isthisphoneblocked.net.au/optus/changelog
Based on looking through the 7 May 2025 changes (and from earlier this year), it appears that Optus is now directly copying parts of Telstra's blocklist, as there are identical gaps with various TACs of 'now incompatible' models they have not blocked.
One of the devices set to be blocked in the May Optus dataset is the Xiaomi 11T (21081111RG), this is the exact same device that was featured in the ABC story from May last year.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-05-27/telstra-optus-inconsistent-blocking-phones/105319626
https://isthisphoneblocked.net.au/device-brands/xiaomi?search=21081111RG
As noted in the story, the device was blocked by Telstra but is capable of calling Triple Zero on 4G, including in a Telstra only coverage location.
That device was also Not Blocked by TPG/Vodafone at the time of the shutdown and none Xiaomi 11T (21081111RG) TACs are within Vodafone's summarised blocklist they tabled to the Triple Zero Inquiry in December.
So why is it now (1 year later) on the Optus blocklist?
It's ultimately either one of two things:
- Either they have got it wrong, the phone is fine and they are giving false information that the device is suddenly now 'incompatible', forcing people to buy another phone, or
- The phone isn't fine but they have failed for more than a year to identify that, and have breached the law to ensure all devices in use can call Triple Zero on all networks
An important part in all this is the fact Telstra had network compatibility issues prior to the 3G Shutdown in 2024, where devices with Generic/Global 'GSMA IR.92' VoLTE profiles (Modem configurations) could not register and obtain VoLTE Call service on
Telstra, they would however work on Optus and Vodafone.
These devices were 3G for normal calls, but could make 4G Emergency Calls on Telstra.
However Telstra likely determined these phones as 3G Only for all calls and blocked them.
That combined with VoLTE being off by default on many models meant they were unnecessarily blocked by Telstra and Optus but not Vodafone who had 'post 3G shutdown' data. (Vodafone shutdown in late 2023/early 2024)
In early Jan/Feb 2025 Telstra quietly fixed that issue so devices with Generic IR.92 VoLTE profiles now work for Calls on Telstra.
As I noted in this Petition Update.
However they haven't unblocked all the devices they blocked in error because of that issue, and now devices are TAC blocked from all network service it basically makes it impossible to prove a phone will actually work for normal calls on their network.
So Optus should not be relying on Telstra's Blocklist to determine what's 'incompatible' with Triple Zero on the Telstra network.
But one thing is true, all of the carriers have fundamentally failed to accurately determine what works and what doesn't, and have forced many people to unnecessarily replace devices.
Fairphone 5 Blocking
Further to this, recently Optus blocked the 2023 Fairphone 5 5G (Fairphone makes highly repairable devices with conflict free materials). This device was blocked by Telstra at the time of the shutdown.
https://isthisphoneblocked.net.au/device-brands/fairphone
Following on from the phone being blocked from Optus some people have migrated to Vodafone. https://forum.fairphone.com/t/3g-network-closure-australia/109696/277
Via the Google Forms survey & contact forms I have, a number Vodafone customers said that this month Vodafone was also going to block the Fairphone 5.
4G/5G Device Blocking & Capabilities Submission Form
However recently I received an email from someone where they have now been told by TPG/Vodafone the phone won't be blocked any more and to disregard the previous blocking advice as the phone is capable of Emergency Calling on 4G.
Some TPG network users have been compensated with a '$250 account credit' for the inconvenience, though others have not.
However, if the phone was unable to Call 000 on the Optus or Telstra networks Vodafone would have to block the phone.
So why is the phone 'Not Blocked' and now Whitelisted on Vodafone, but blocked by Optus and Telstra?
The telcos don't have to provide any explanation or proof to explain why they are blocking something, nor are they required to provide a like-for-like free replacement.
Therefore all of the costs for these systemic failures fall onto consumers, not the industry that allowed all of this to happen in the first place.
As always, you are welcome to contact me if you have any further information you want to share, multiple contact methods are available, including secure methods.
https://medium.com/@jamesdwho/about
https://isthisphoneblocked.net.au/contact
These issues are entirely fixable and this can all change, especially with the public consultation process, but it will require continued political pressure from you to make that happen!
Everyone involved absolutely knows about these issues and this can change!
Regards
James