1. Telecommunications – Community and National Interests
Angela Hoefnagels
Porsche Herbert-Funk
Jennifer Newton
ACMA
International Training Program
11 September 2006

2. Overview Protection of communications
Integrated Public Number Database
Emergency Call Service
Telecommunications and Law Enforcement

3. Protection of Communications
Angela Hoefnagels
Senior Policy Analyst

4. Prohibitions on disclosure of information
Part 13 of the Telecommunications Act 1997
confidentiality of information
disclosure in limited circumstances
record-keeping requirements
Covers:
carriers/carriage service providers and employees
telecommunications contractors and employees
number-database operators
emergency call persons

5. Exceptions from the prohibition
Production of the IPND
Performance of a person’s duties
Authorisation by law
Witnesses
Law enforcement
ASIO
Assisting the ACMA, the ACCC or the TIO
Emergency Calls
Threat to a person’s life or health
Communications for maritime purposes
Knowledge or consent of person concerned
Implicit consent of parties to a communication
Business needs of other carriers or service providers

6. Integrated Public Number Database (IPND)
Angela Hoenagels
International Training Program
11 September 2006
ACMA

7. What is the IPND?
The Integrated Public Number Database (IPND) was established on 1 July 1998 as a centralised database of information about every public telephone number provided by carriers and carriage service providers, including –
customer name and address;
service location;
the associated carriage service provider.
It contains approximately 46 million records

8. IPND legislation Telstra’s licence conditions:
require Telstra to establish and maintain the IPND;
specify information the IPND must include.
Telstra has managed the IPND since it was established, although the Minister could ask another person to do so in the future.
CSPs must:
give the IPND Manager the information it needs to fulfil its obligations; and
ensure that data is current and accurate.

9. Use of IPND Data
Restrictions on the use of IPND data is governed by Part 13 of the Telecommunications Act.
Telstra can only give access to the IPND for approved purposes, which are listed in its carrier licence conditions.
The database is mainly used for
Assisting emergency service organisations respond to emergencies;
Assisting law enforcement agencies with their investigations; and
Publishing phone number directories.

10. IPND Data Accuracy Audit
IPND data accuracy is important to emergency service organisations - they rely on the data to respond to emergency calls quickly.
ACMA commenced a 3 year program to audit the entire IPND to determine the quality of address data.
Audit uses Geo-coded National Address File (G-NAF) as a referential database to assess accuracy of data in IPND
2005 audit % of records had “high or good usability” for service address. This was an improvement of 1.8% on 2004.
ACMA is working with data providers to:
assess results and correct errors; and
set agreed individual accuracy targets they will be expected to achieve for the next audit, scheduled for November 2006.
The accuracy of IPND data is of particular importance to emergency service organisations because they rely on the data to respond to emergency calls in a timely manner.
Even though it is standard practice for emergency call takers to ask callers where they are located (given 63% of all calls to 000 originate from mobile phones from which location is uncertain) inaccurate address information in IPND records may extend emergency response times, particularly in cases where the caller is unable to verbally confirm their location.

11. 2005 IPND Audit Results Service Address match to G-NAF Fixed Services
Mobile Services
Total Services
Comment
Highly accurate (300+)
79.3%
35.2%
59.1%
Most address fields used and have perfect match.
High/good usability ( )
17.5%
(96.8%)
50.0%
(85.2%)
32.4% (91.5%)
May include highly accurate addresses that require few fields.
Reasonable usability ( )
3.0%
13.7%
7.9%
Important fields start to fail when matched to G-NAF.
Very poor usability (<100)
0.2%
1.1%
0.6%
Suburb and Street Name not matching.

12. VoIP and the IPND Most VoIP services are nomadic.
Location information about VoIP services provided automatically to emergency service organisations from the IPND may therefore be inaccurate.
It is a requirement for services that potentially may be at an alternate address (including VoIP services) to be flagged accordingly in the IPND so that the emergency service operator will know they need to ask the caller for location information.

13. Emergency Call Service
Porsche Herbert-Funk
Senior Policy Analyst
11 September 2006
International Training Program
ACMA
History
All emergency service organisations, police, fire brigade and ambulance can be contacted by dialling the national emergency number, 000, inAustralia.
These calls arefree of charge from any fixed line, mobile or public pay phone.
The 000 service was introduced in 1961 but originally was only accessible in major population centres.
The establishment of a emergency call service with full national reach was realised in the mid 1980’s, supported by digital technologies and the greater passage of A-party calling line identification.
000 was established as a national service in the mid 1980’s, when the passage of calling line identification became standardised in carrier networks, allowing for passage of customer information.
In 1998, with the implementation of the IPND, cross referencing of customer data in the IPND with the received calling line identification enabled a high degree of location accuracy and facilitated the delivery of emergency response.
So now, all emergency calls received by the 000 operator have some kind of location information attached, which is then passed on to emergency service operators.

14. 000, 112, 106 000 is the primary emergency service number
112, 106 are secondary emergency service numbers
106 is specifically for use by deaf or hearing impaired people – use with teletypewriters
112 international GSM emergency number
Intro
000 is accessible from any landline or mobile handset, has a very high level of consumer recognition and is acknowledged as the primary emergency call number.
There are also secondary emergency service numbers, 106 and 112.
106 is specifically to handle emergency calls with a text component, for example calls from teletypewriters used by people with hearing or speech impairments via the National Relay Service. 106 is not generally accessible via a voice connection.
To briefly explain how the National Relay Service works - the hearing or speech impaired person makes a text based calls from a teletypewriter to the National Relay Service and informs them of the number they want to connect to. The National Relay Service connects the call and then reads the text from the hearing or speech impaired (A-party) to the B-party. And in reverse, NRS will type the spoken response of the B-party back to the A-party caller.
106 is not promoted widely, largely to reduce instances of abuse, however, people making genuine emergency calls to 106 have the same level of access to emergency services as people who dial 000.
The European emergency number, 112, will also connect a caller from a GSM mobile handset. This is a function of the manufacture of GSM handsets, not an Australian legislative or regulatory requirement. There are some roaming advantages to the use of this number, but it is not accessible from a fixed line. Because of the technological specificity of this number it is not widely promoted in Australia.

15. Emergency Call Persons
Responsibility
Telstra for 000 and 112; and
Australian Communications Exchange (ACE) for 106.
Funding
ACE is currently both the NRS provider and 106 emergency call person. 106 is funded through the NRS contract, and the delivery of the service is managed contractually: DCITA enters into the contract; and ACMA administers it.
Telstra is not funded to provide the ECP service.
ACMA regulates and monitors certain aspects of the emergency call service under the Telecommunications Act, and the Telecommunications (Consumer Protection and Service Standards) Act.
ACMA’s Telecommunications (Emergency Call Person) Determination 1999 establishes the emergency call persons:
Emergency call persons are responsible for receiving calls made to the emergency call service numbers and, if appropriate, transferring the calls to the nearest and most appropriate emergency service organisations.
Telstra for 000 and 112; and
Australian Communications Exchange (ACE) which is contracted for the delivery of the National Relay Service and the delivery of 106.
ACE’s performance is managed contractually: the Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts enters into the contract; and ACMA administers it.
Funding
ACE is currently both the NRS provider and 106 emergency call person. 106 is funded through the NRS contract, and the delivery of the service is managed contractually: DCITA enters into the contract; and ACMA administers it.
Telstra is not funded to provide the ECP service. It is required by ACMA’s Emergency Call Person Determination to operate the service and its provision ofas part of its carrier licence condition.
106 is funded through the National Relay Service (ie by government).

16. Call handling – national approach
Seamless delivery – call appears to the caller to be delivered by a single national emergency system
Centralised and fully redundant call centres
This national approach ensures that all emergency service organisations can be contacted in a consistent manner
People right around Australia only need to remember one number
Seamless delivery
There is a legislative obligation on Telstra as the emergency call person to delivery the service so that it appears to the caller to be a seamless national service.
In reality, the delivery of 000 involves both federal and State jurisdictions. ACMA regulates the delivery and handling of 000 calls from the national emergency answer point, but dispatch and emergency response is handled by State based ESOs.
Telstra, as ECP, simply answers a call and asks police, fire or ambulance. When the caller responds, Telstra directs them to the appropriate ESO in their vicinity. That is determined by the IPND information that is received with the call (Telstra call centres have a specially designed screen) or is confirmed by the caller.
Any further response is handled by the State based ESO.
However, This national approach ensures that all emergency service organisations can be contacted in a consistent manner
People right around Australia only need to remember one number
Redundancy
Both ACE and Telstra run two fully redundant call centres in Sydney and in Melbourne. This is a protective measure to ensure that if one centre should fail or be off-line for whatever reason, the other remains operational.
All emergency calls from all across Australia are channelled through one of these two call centres. So, no matter where you call from, the call is answered in or other of the 2 call centres. Once the location of the emergency is ascertained, the call is then transferred to the nearest relevant ESO.
IPND data is used to locate the individual in the first instance. This is usually the billing address for the phone service and is generally accurate for fixed line service. In the case of mobiles the caller is asked to confirm their location, or give the address of where they are.
Also allows for upgrades and improvements to the call centres can be performed centrally

17. Regulatory Obligations
Calls to 000 and 112 are answered by Telstra and transferred to the relevant police, fire or ambulance emergency service organisation (ESO).
Calls are free of charge.
Access must be provided by providers of the standard emergency telephone service.
Telstra is required to answer 85 per cent of calls in 5 seconds and 95 per cent of calls in 10 seconds.
Calls to 106 are generally text based and relayed by ACE to relevant ESOs.
ACMA’s Telecommunications Emergency Call Service Determination 2002 describes the obligations on carriers, carriage service providers and the emergency call persons in relation to provision of emergency call services.
Some key obligations are:
Calls to 000 and 112 are answered by Telstra and transferred to the relevant police, fire or ambulance emergency service organisation.
Calls are free of charge from any telephone service, including fixed, mobile and public pay phones.
All carriage service providers are obliged to provide access to the emergency call service.
Telstra is required to answer 85 per cent of calls in 5 seconds and 95 per cent of calls in 10 seconds.
Text based calls to 106 are relayed by ACE to relevant emergency service organisations.

18. Emergency calls Call volumes Non-genuine emergency calls
11 million calls per annum to the ECPs
4 million calls per annum transferred to ESOs
Non-genuine emergency calls
Recorded voice announcements (RVAs) and an interactive voice recognition system (IVR) are successfully dealing with non-genuine emergency calls
Many calls are non-genuine: misdirected, misdialled, hoax or abusive calls, or calls where a non-emergency response would be sufficient
11 million calls per annum to the both Telstra and ACE in their capacity as emergency call persons.
Of these calls
52% of all calls come from mobile phones
40% come from fixed phones
6% come from public payphones
1% come from fax machines. Fax calls are non-genuine
4 million calls per annum are transferred to emergency service organisations.
About 7 million, or 65% of calls received are non-genuine calls : misdirected, misdialled, hoax or abusive calls, or calls where a non-emergency response would be sufficient.
The incidence of non-genuine calls is even higher for 106. About 140,000 calls are made to 106 in a year and less than 1%, about 350 calls, are genuine and are connected through to an emergency service organisation.
These calls waste the time and resources of the Telstra, ACE and the emergency service operators
ACMA has been working with Telstra, ACE and the emergency service organisations, through the emergency services advisory committee to reduce the incidence of non-genuine calls.
This has included:
connecting ‘caller no response’ calls to a recorded message (phone in handbag)
playing a recorded message at the beginning of calls in case people have dialled the wrong number, (or in case there is a delay)
terminating calls when excess digits are dialled after the emergency number (example: 000xx)
the police contacting people who make multiple hoax or nuisance calls
Caller no response refers to instances where caller does not speak when call is answered
These calls used to be connected to the police
They are now connected to a interactive voice response which:
instructs caller to press ‘55’ if they need help
connects the caller to police if ’55’ is pressed
ends the call if ’55’ is NOT pressed
Only about 2% of CNR calls press ‘55’ for help – which has helped reduce the number of calls through to emergency service organisations.

19. ECSAC
ACMA’s Emergency Call Service Advisory Committee (ECSAC) meets twice a year and comprises:
Emergency call persons;
Emergency service organisations (police, fire and ambulance);
Government agencies (DCITA and EMA); and
Consumers.
ESAC provides advice to ACMA on the operation of the emergency call service.
Issues regarding the management of the emergency call service are canvassed via ACMA’s Emergency Call Service Advisory Committee (ECSAC) .
The Committee meet twice a year and comprises:
Emergency call persons (Telstra and ACE);
Emergency service organisations (police, fire and ambulance);
Government agencies (the Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts and Emergency Management Australia (EMA); and
The purpose of ESAC is to provide expert advice to ACMA on the operation of the emergency call service.

20. Emerging technologies
MoLI - mobile location information
VoIP - Voice over Internet Protocol
It is important that the ACA keep abreast of emerging technologies because many new technologies, such as voice-over internet protocol, have implications for emergency service provision, especially in establishing the caller’s location so that the appropriate emergency service can be dispatched.
MoLI – mobile location information
The ability to locate a person calling ‘triple-zero’ from a mobile phone is increasingly important. Currently, developments in Mobile Origin Location Information (or MOLI) have only enabled the emergency call person to determine the closest and most appropriate emergency service organisation to respond to the call. MoLI is currenlty provided by the appending of an SMSA (Standardised Mobile Service Area) code at the time of the call to 000, which correlates to a the area in which the nearest mobile base station is located. At present, MOLI is not able to help emergency service organisations locate mobile callers in an emergency.
An ACA discussion paper was released in 2004 called Location Location Location, regarding the potential future use of accurate MOLI to enhance the emergency call service. Eight submissions were received in response to the discussions paper from carriers, equipment vendors and privacy organisations ACMA’s position is that because there are considered to be sufficient commercial incentives for carriers to introduce location techniques of their own volition, it would not introduce regulation to require provision of MOLI specifically for emergency call purposes.
Once a carrier has introduced a location technique for its own commercial purposes, it would be expected that the capability will then be used in conjunction with emergency calls. We are anticipating a number of carriers to introduce location-based services in the near future and there are onging discussions in ECSAC on emergency service organisations access to that information.
VoIP – Voice over Internet Protocol
VOIP services are nomadic to some degree.
Location information provided automatically to emergency service organisations from the IPND may therefore be inaccurate.
It is a requirement for services that potentially may be at an alternate address (including VOIP services) to be flagged accordingly in the IPND so that the emergency service operator will know they need to ask the caller for location information.
ACMA is also working with the Australian Communications Industry Forum to establish VoIP SMSA codes to alert emergency service organisations to a VoIP call.

21. Telecommunications & Law Enforcement
Jennifer Newton
Policy Analyst
International Training Program
11 September 2006
ACMA

22. Legislative Obligations
C/CSPs must provide “reasonably necessary assistance” to government agencies for the purposes of:
enforcing the criminal law;
protecting the public revenue; or
safeguarding the national security.
Each carriage service must be capable of being intercepted.
Carriers and any nominated CSPs must submit an annual interception capability plan.

23. Reasonably Necessary Assistance
Assistance usually involves disclosures of information such as:
subscriber checks;
call charge records;
location information for nomadic or mobile services; or
content of communications (i.e. interception).

24. Terms and Conditions
C/CSPs are to provide assistance to agencies on such terms and conditions as are agreed between them.
In general, assistance is to be provided on the basis that industry should neither profit from, nor bear the cost of, providing it.
Arbitrators may be appointed where parties fail to agree on terms and conditions.

25. ACMA Role
Enforce industry compliance with legislative obligations through formal warnings, remedial directions or pursuing pecuniary penalties.
Where negotiations between agencies and industry break down, either
appoint an arbitrator; or
settle the dispute.
Provide guidance on legislative obligations to industry and government.

26. Identity Checks for Pre-paid Mobiles
CSPs are to verify the identity of their pre-paid mobile customers prior to service activation.
ACMA is reviewing the Telecommunications (Service Provider – Identity Checks for Pre-paid Mobiles) Determination 2000 – to improve its effectiveness in identity checking process and industry compliance
ACMA released a discussion paper in October 2005 and is currently consulting with key stakeholders.

27. LEAC
ACMA convenes a Law Enforcement Advisory Committee (LEAC) comprising representatives of
law enforcement agencies and agencies with national security responsibilities;
government departments administering the relevant legislation; and
telecommunications industry representatives.
LEAC meets four times each year.

28. Community and national interests obligations in practice
Case Study
Community and national interests obligations in practice

29. Mr C. Burglar
Ms Leona de Wilde
Mr Robbit
Mrs Lamb’s house