Ensuring Reliable Emergency Call Access: The Pitfalls of Simulated Testing and the Imperative of Live Network Testing for Mobile Phones in Australia

As the 3G network phase-out looms in Australia, concerns regarding access to emergency services have come to the forefront. The switch-off of the 3G network poses a potential threat to millions of Australians ability to make successful emergency calls. While industry is working diligently to address this issue, ensuring the reliability of emergency calls remains critical. Thorough testing over live carrier networks is essential to identify and rectify potential hazards, as simulated testing may fail to capture critical flaws in equipment design.

The announcement of the 3G network phase-out marked a significant milestone in Australia’s telecommunications landscape. TPG initiated the process by discontinuing its 3G network service in January, with Telstra and Optus set to follow suit between June and September 2024. By October, the 3G network across Australia will be entirely decommissioned, raising concerns about emergency call access on devices manufactured for an international market that still support that technology.

Ensuring mobile voice communication equipment comply with Australia’s strict regulatory and compliance requirements mandated by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) is critical. Thorough and correct testing is crucial to guarantee the reliability of emergency service calls. Recent incidents, such as the Optus outage that prevented thousands of people from making emergency calls, highlight the critical importance of testing mobile devices over each live carrier network under all possible device configurations and supported technologies.

While advanced network emulators offer a means to simulate emergency call initiation and handling, recent experiences have exposed the limitations of simulated testing. The Optus outage highlighted the necessity of live testing over actual carrier networks, as simulated conditions may have failed to replicate real-world scenarios accurately. Each carrier network in Australia has their own unique characteristics, necessitating comprehensive testing across all networks, technologies, and device configurations.

Recent testing conducted by Comtest Laboratories revealed significant issues concerning some mobile devices' behaviour during emergency calls. Some devices were shown to be trying to fall back onto the 3G network when tested in a 4G-only environment, a critical flaw in design overlooked by overseas manufacturers’ pre-testing. Additionally, the implementation of Advanced Mobile Location (AML) raised concerns about the accurate transmission of location coordinate data to emergency call centres. While simulated testing may have indicated that the device should have performed this function properly, live network testing revealed that this was not the case, emphasising the importance of real- world live carrier testing.

As the network carriers begin the shutdown of Australia’s 3G network, this one example clearly illustrates the importance of testing mobile products over live carrier networks, conducted under controlled conditions, to prevent potential hazards and public safety. Manufacturers and importers of mobile equipment must prioritise the need for live network testing to safeguard the public and ensure seamless access to emergency services.

Comtest Laboratories remains at the forefront of this compliance testing, conducting over each Australian live carrier network to mitigate risk and ensure compliant and safe mobile devices going to market.

For more information please contact us at comtest@comtest.com.au, +61 (0) 3 9645 5933