New financial year, new protections for telco consumers

The new financial year heralds new consumer protections for Australian telco consumers in three key areas that are long overdue according to national peak communications consumer body, ACCAN.

Starting tomorrow, three significant reforms commence that mark meaningful upgrades to telco consumer rights including:

Coverage maps(from 30 June): All mobile carriers must now publish standardised coverage information using four consistent categories - Good, Moderate, Basic and No Coverage. Until now, our major telcos each used different definitions, different methodologies and different presentation formats, making any meaningful comparison between providers impossible. Consumers previously reported that the maps were inconsistent with their experience of actual coverage. This measure will provide consumers with clear and more accurate information about the coverage they can expect to receive anywhere in Australia.Outage transparency (from 30 June): Telcos are required to publish meaningful information about significant network outages, including cause, affected locations, restoration timeframes and the number of customers impacted. Every major outage leaves consumers disconnected from work, family, banking, government services and essential communications - with real economic and social consequences for households, small businesses and communities.SMS Sender ID Register(from 1 July): Australia's SMS Sender ID Register goes live, preventing scammers from impersonating trusted brands such as AusPost or myGov via text message. Any sender ID that has not been registered will now appear in an “Unverified” text thread, giving consumers a clearer signal to identify messages that may not be legitimate, and boosting trust in genuine marketing messages and customer communications.

“Communications services are essential to participation in modern life, and Australians have been making decisions without accurate and meaningful information they need to manage their access to coverage and reduce their risk. That changes this week," said ACCAN CEO Carol Bennett.

ACCAN's consumer research has consistently documented the consequences of inadequate coverage transparency. Over the last year, nearly a third (30%) of respondents to ACCAN’s Consumer Sentiment Tracker (conducted by Essential Research) say they received different coverage than they were led to expect by their telco.

‘ACCAN will monitor the implementation of these reforms and continue advocating for fit-for-purpose regulatory settings that protect all Australians, wherever they live, whatever device they use, and however they communicate,’ Ms Bennett said.