Outdated Samsung Phone Blamed for Customer's Tragic Death on TPG Network

On November 18, 2025, a tragic incident occurred when a customer of TPG Telecom's Lebara network died after a relative was unable to connect to the emergency triple-0 number. According to TPG, the network was fully operational at the time, but the customer's Samsung phone was running software that was incompatible with making triple-0 calls on the network.

TPG had previously identified this incompatibility issue and had been communicating with customers to urge them to activate a software update on various older Samsung phone models. The company explained that this update would enable the triple-0 functionality on their network. However, the most recent communication to customers with outdated phones was sent just six days before the customer's death.

In the wake of this tragedy, TPG chief executive Inaki Berroeta has assured that customer safety remains the company's highest priority. He expressed condolences to the individual's family and emphasized the critical importance of access to emergency services. TPG has also alerted relevant government agencies and regulators about the issue.

The latest incident comes less than two months after three people died in September due to an Optus outage that caused more than 600 failed calls to triple-0. The telecommunications industry is facing increased scrutiny over its handling of device compatibility issues related to the 3G network shutdown.