The Australian communications watchdog on Wednesday announced new measures regulating how internet telecommunication providers handle emergency calls.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) said the new Emergency Call Service Determination (ECSD) takes into account new technology in the industry.
"The emergency call service is, obviously, a crucial element of the Australian telecommunications landscape," ACMA chairman Chris Chapman said.
Providers of internet telecommunications services such as Voice Over Internet Protocol
(VoIP) will have to provide access to triple-zero or, if they are unable to do so, to clearly inform their customers that such access is not available.
The revised customer information provisions align obligations on mobile communication providers with those that already exist for other types of service providers.
Additional requirements have also been introduced aimed at minimizing the number of non
-genuine calls to emergency services from mobile phones.
Breaches can attract a formal warning or financial penalty up to 250,000 Australian dollars
(219,000 U.S. dollars).