What caused the tragic death of a TPG Telecom customer?

The tragic death of a TPG Telecom customer was caused by the customer's outdated Samsung phone being incompatible with making emergency triple-0 calls on the Lebara network.

How did TPG respond to the customer's death?

TPG chief executive Inaki Berroeta expressed condolences to the customer's family and assured that customer safety remains the company's highest priority. TPG has also urged all customers with outdated software to replace or update their devices to ensure they can reach triple-0 in an emergency.

What other recent incidents have highlighted issues with emergency call access in Australia?

Less than two months ago, 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.

Home / Technology / Outdated Samsung Phone Blamed for Customer's Tragic Death on TPG Network

Outdated Samsung Phone Blamed for Customer's Tragic Death on TPG Network

18 Nov

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Summary

Customer died after relative couldn't connect to triple-0 on TPG's Lebara network
TPG blamed incompatible software on customer's older Samsung phone
Company urged customers to update devices to ensure emergency access

Outdated Samsung Phone Blamed for Customer's Tragic Death on TPG Network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 However, the most recent communication to customers with outdated phones was sent just six days before the customer's death.