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This week
IN THE NEWS: Tangerine hit by data breach, have your say on SMS scam actions, new housing to see improved mobile coverage
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Tangerine Telecom has been caught up in a ‘cyber incident’ which has seen the personal data of over 200,000 customers including full names, dates of birth, email addresses and phone numbers stolen. The company is assuring customers that no banking, formal identification or password information was stolen in the breach. A statement from the company indicated that login details from a contractor were used to access a legacy customer database, and that both current and former customers may be affected. Tangerine has reached out to those affected. [ITNews]
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The government has begun a public consultation into whether the Sender ID Registry, which was announced and piloted in 2023, should be mandatory or voluntary. The registration of alphanumeric sender IDs will prevent scammers from impersonating trusted brands, since carriers will be able to block texts claiming to be from a brand that doesn’t come from an associated number in the registry. [ITNews]
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The government is also seeking direct feedback from the public about their views on SMS scams and how the Sender ID Registry may assist. You can contribute via a written submission, or by completing the brief survey linked above. Having your say has never been easier! [DITRDCA]
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The government’s Telecommunications in New Development (TIND) policy has been updated to expand the scope from the provision of voice and broadband services to include mobile coverage. The updated policy provides guidance for property developers, buyers, tenants and carriers as to expected connectivity standards in new housing developments. In recent times the government has seen increasing reports of inadequate-or-no mobile service in new communities. [DITRDCA]
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Lawyers from Slater & Gordon, representing Optus customers in an ongoing class action suit, are still wrapped up in disputes with the telco about the use of internal Optus documents vital to the plaitiff's argument. These internal documents include the Deloitte report commissioned by Optus into the 2022 cyber breaches, kept secret despite initial commitments to the contrary. The parties have agreed to classify internal documents by sensitivity, with the most confidential (coded as red) only to be provided in hard copies. Please note – article may have a paywall. [AFR]
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The New Daily reports that Telstra is beginning to incorporate artificial intelligence into call centre and regular store operations. A new ‘Ask Telstra’ tool, powered by OpenAI, will assist support staff in quickly finding customer information in a live discussion, saving time as customers avoid relaying basic information. According to Telstra, 2023 trials of the tool found nine in 10 workers “saved time and increased effectiveness” when helping customers. [The New Daily]
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Vodafone has announced an increase in prices across many postpaid mobile plans that will come into effect on March 27th. Most plans will increase by $4 per month, with the telco citing high costs of doing business and the need to support network investments as driving reasons behind the price hike. [News.com]
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The ACMA has released a compilation of actions taken regarding spam and scams in the 2023 October – December quarter. Highlights include penalties of over $2.2 million for breaches of spam rules, directions to a number of telcos to comply with the reducing scams industry code, and telcos blocking over 246.7 million scam calls and over 106.7 million scam SMS during the period. Read more via the ACMA website above. [ACMA]
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Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Bruce Billson was interviewed on Radio 2CC Canberra this week, sharing how small businesses can ready themselves for various natural disasters. The Ombudsman also provides advice regarding communications in a disaster.
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Telstra half-yearly results have seen a $1 billion net profit after-tax and a 1.2% increase in total income from the same half in FY23. The performance of Telstra’s enterprise business drew the ire of CEO Vicki Brady, with revenue down 2.3% compared to the same point in FY23. Telstra’s strong mobile business performance comes after prices were hiked between $2-6 per month on mobile plans near the start of FY24. [CRN]
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