Telstra has been hit with a $306,360 penalty by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) for failing to provide accurate customer details to the Integrated Public Number Database (IPND). The IPND is a critical tool used by emergency services to locate individuals during crises, warn Australians of impending emergencies, and assist law enforcement activities.

This is not the first time Telstra has been penalised for such failures. In 2021, an ACMA investigation uncovered systemic issues with Telstra's compliance with IPND rules, resulting in a hefty $2.5 million penalty for nearly 850,000 compliance failures.

In September 2022, Telstra reported further issues from the same period to the ACMA, discovered through monitoring arrangements implemented as part of its compliance uplift program. The subsequent ACMA investigation found that Telstra had failed to provide accurate customer information to the IPND on more than 19,000 occasions between October 2010 and August 2022. This included around 600 instances where silent numbers were incorrectly flagged for listing in directory services.

ACMA Chair Nerida O’Loughlin commented on the issue, stating, 'Telstra needs to focus on completing the program and making sure it is fully compliant with these rules. The IPND is essential in a crisis when emergency services or police need to contact or locate people in harm’s way. We will keep Telstra focused on fixing these longstanding issues and giving consumers confidence that their data is being accurately recorded.'

In addition to the financial penalty, the ACMA has accepted a court-enforceable undertaking from Telstra that requires an independent review of its IPND compliance uplift and to make further improvements where necessary. Telstra is also required to check the accuracy of its IPND data quarterly and report to the ACMA.

Should Telstra fail to comply with its obligations or the enforceable undertaking in the future, the ACMA has the power to commence proceedings in the Federal Court.

All telecommunications companies are required by the Telecommunications Act and the IPND industry code to upload accurate customer details to the IPND for each service using a public number that they provide. Silent numbers must be accurately listed to prevent inadvertent publication in directories, and consumers have a right to request a copy of their IPND record, which must be provided within 20 business days.