Emergency Services

The TCF has agreed to develope an industry code of practice in relation to standards for calls to emergency services to agreed handover points to assist in providing the general public with the reassurance of a responsible industry approach to emergency services. 

The TCF was asked by the Minister to consider developing a code of practice for emergency services (VOIP and analogue) in order to support the following five areas:

• Consistent availability of services
• Uniformity in access numbering and dialling
• Caller Line Identification – Number and Location
• Service quality and reliability levels
• Call routing protocols

Emergency Services Calling Code

A  TCF working party is now preparing a code which will:

• recognise current emergency calling systems and practices, and create a process for future engagement between the industry, the initial call answering point provider and the providers of emergency services for meeting the medium and longer term objectives of the Emergency Call Service system;
• specify minimum call quality standards;
• contain requirements for the provision of customer information to Emergency Service Providers that seek to standardise current practice; and
• include consumer information requirements relating to availability and performance of the service, and minimising non-genuine calls.

It will be a non regulated industry developed code for Carriers and Telecommunications Service Providers.

Working Party Members

The working party members are:

• Orcon
• Telecom
• TelstraClear
• Vodafone
• WorldxChange

Project Scope

The role of the working party is set out in the Emergency Services project scope.