Calls for government to prioritise upgrades to emergency phone-line
Photo:
Supplied/ Unsplash - Árpád Czapp
The head of the Telecommunications Forum wants the government to look at prioritising upgrades to the 111 emergency phone-line.
Along with mobile and internet coverage, the service
was lost in Golden Bay
for most of the day on Thursday, after a slip cut a fibreoptic cable.
Eight-hundred fibre connections and 350 copper phone-line connections were brought down in the morning, and repairs to the cable weren't completed until mid-afternoon. All but 20 copper connections had been restored by 4.45pm and were confirmed restored less than an hour later.
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) said extreme weather could impact communications networks.
"Telecommunications providers are working hard to restore the services that have been impacted," it said. "Technicians are on the ground to repair telecommunications equipment that has been damaged and generators are being deployed to the area to serve as a back-up power supply."
Telecommunications Forum chief executive Paul Brislen told RNZ the loss of the 111 emergency contact service was nothing new.
"111 isn't a separate network, it is simply a phone number on the phone network," he said. "It is carried in a slightly different way to all other phone numbers, but it is just a phone call."
People caught without service had a range of options.
"The 111-calling connection is quite smart, so even if your phone says you've got no signal, if you need to make an emergency call, you should absolutely try," Brislen said.
"What it'll do is find any network, so if you're with Spark or One or 2degrees, and that network isn't available, it will find one of the others. It'll even connect via Wi-Fi to a landline connection, if you have Wi-Fi calling capability on your phone."
However, if the call failed, the whole network was likely down and people should try something else, instead of calling again.
"As has always been the case, you move to a place where there is a phone that you can use," Brislen said. "In the old days, before mobile, that meant driving over the road to somebody else or going next door, or heading into town, if you were remote.
"With mobile service, of course, quite often, you can find connectivity at the top of the hill or not too far away."
Tasman Civil Defence urged those who could not connect to 111 to travel to the nearest police or fire station.
Brislen said the 111 emergency line needed upgrading, particularly its ability to receive messages other than voice calls.
"In this day and age, you've got a lot of devices that will make contact with the call centre," he said. "Various car models will call, if they have an accident.
"If you drop your phone, when you're on your motorbike, it will ring for help - that kind of thing happens all the time.
"We've got this whole new wave of modern technology coming through, being used already by consumers, and it's very hard for the call centre to accept those inputs. Text messaging would be an absolute case in point - sometimes you're not able to make a phone call, but a text message will get through."
He said the problem was not needing higher speeds, but rather upgrading the police-led call centre.
Police documents last year
revealed the outdated system caused deaths and injuries
. The previous Labour government in August 2023 scrapped a project to replace it and the coalition has so far
declined to restart it
.
Brislen said an upgrade would be a "very complex and very expensive programme of work".
"I'd encourage the government to have a look at prioritising that and making the call centre into more of a 'contact centre', so that you can communicate more directly with emergency services, when you need to.
"Making the decision to spend the money on a call centre for police may or may not be seen as frontline [or] vitally important, but I think probably we're reaching the point now, where you have to say it absolutely is."
RNZ has sought comment from Emergency Management Minister Mark Mitchell.
On the upside, MBIE said the phone networks were bringing in new technology to connect via satellite, saying this would "significantly improve the resilience of telecommunications networks".
"All the mobile network operators are working with satellite operators to deliver satellite-to-mobile voice calling, allowing ongoing connectivity even when terrestrial networks are down."
Brislen said the low-Earth orbit satellite technology would hopefully allow text messages and voice calls, via satellite, direct from a mobile phone, which was "sort of the golden egg... the holy grail of these things".
"Starlink, for example, is one of the early players in that market," he said. "You'd be able to get a call up to a satellite or bounce a call off the satellite, even if you've got problems with the equipment on the ground in many cases.
"That is really incredibly useful in events like this.
"In that scenario, you should be able to make an emergency call from anywhere you've got clear line of sight with the sky."
Telecommunications network companies like Chorus were constantly upgrading cables and particularly the fibre networks.
"They now are looking at a programme of work," he said. "Instead of a point-to-point connecting to cities, you do a loop, so if half the cable is knocked out, for example, all the traffic is connected via the other side of the cable."
The companies had providing a resilient and reliable network as part of their business model, and Brislen said they took that role "very seriously".
"The key is to have multiple different types of networks that don't have a single point of failure. We've got four in New Zealand - we've got fibre, mobile, fixed wireless connections and now this new one of satellite.
"No one single technology is perfect for all situations, but having that mix of four different technologies means, hopefully, one way or another, the call will get through."
Brislen rejected the suggestion copper lines networks were still needed, noting New Zealand would phase them out "by the end of the decade".
"It's not very resilient at all," he said. "It is seven times more likely to to be damaged in an event.
"How copper lines work, you're sending an electrical signal up and down them, and when that gets wet, it basically short-circuits the entire connection, so they're very, very prone to breaks, they're very prone to damage during a weather event, in particular.
"They cost more to repair and they take longer to repair as well, so all around the world, copper is being phased out. It's had its day and it really just doesn't deliver any of the things we need.
"It's not fast enough, it's not mobile enough and it's not resilient enough."
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero
,
a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RNZ News
8 hours ago
- RNZ News
Past the point of safe return, nowhere to go but Antarctica
Flight Lieutenant Ben Pickering (left) and Squadran Leader Adam Palmer (right) Photo: Davina Zimmer Just two hours into a dangerous rescue mission to Antarctica , the crew on board the Royal New Zealand Defence Force super hercules hit their first snag. They were told that Christchurch, the designated airport they would divert to if they had to turn around, was too risky for landing. Freezing fog had already ruled out Invercargill and Dunedin, and now Christchurch. Next on the list was Wellington. But Wellington's runway was closed for maintenance. Today The Detail hears how the sole job of one of the two co-pilots on board was to keep watch on the ever-changing, unpredictable weather and find a new destination for the emergency turnaround. The closed runway problem was sorted, but not before the mission leader got involved from Christchurch and phone calls were made. It was one of many risks that had to be weighed up against the purpose of the mission - saving a life. Defence got the call for help from the US National Science Foundation at McMurdo Station to pick up one person who needed urgent medical care, and two others who were also ill. Squadron leader Adam Palmer was in charge of the mission - his first time in the lead - and watched every moment on his laptop from Christchurch. He says that the dangers rescuers face could be "any number of things". The NZDF's C-130J-30 Super Hercules. Photo: Davina Zimmer "We talk about almost a perfect triangle. You need the aircraft to play the game, the weather in Antarctica to be good, the weather in New Zealand to be good, as well as the weather en route." But the greatest danger is that the rescue plane goes beyond the point of safe return and the weather turns bad. The crew took off from Christchurch knowing the weather was not looking good for landing at Phoenix Airfield at McMurdo Station. "Initially there were reports that there was going to be snow and big reductions in visibility," co-pilot flight lieutenant Ben Pickering says. The weather forecast kept changing on the flight down but in a positive way, he says, and the poor conditions initially predicted on the runway never eventuated. From their airbase at Whenuapai, Palmer and Pickering explain the preparations and planning that took place in the five days from the first call to the defence force for help, to take off from Christchurch. Even though a patient was seriously ill, Palmer says a number of things had to be put in place to minimise the risk, including creating a runway at McMurdo to make landing safe. "Because it is winter at the moment they haven't maintained the runway to the standard they normally would during the summer season," he says. A team from the US base had to clear excess snow, groom and compact the 10,000 foot runway. In its message of praise for the "heroic" mission, the US Embassy says it was a feat that took precision and extraordinary skill. In typical low-key fashion, Pickering describes the landing by captain Andrew Sledger as "good". Pickering says night vision goggles were used for much of the flight but the clarity of the airfield meant they could remove them for landing - but that in itself was a danger. "When you take the goggles off suddenly there is no terrain definition. So you get this effect called the black hole effect where if you can imagine the outline of a runway lit up and there's just absolutely nothing around it except for darkness, it just feels like you're floating in space and it can cause some optical illustions where you feel like you're low." Despite the safe landing, there were more risks to come, including "hot refuelling" the plane in minus 30 degrees Celsius while the patients were loaded on board. The US Embassy says the NZDF delivered on a mission that was "nothing short of heroic" and that tested "every ounce of skill and bravery". Palmer says it is the riskiest operation he has overseen but also "massively rewarding". "Having had the J (hercules) for 11 months to now go and do this is awesome for the team." Pickering says it is the toughest real-life mission of his career so far. "When you see the pictures of us landing - from the outside - onto the runway, it would be a pretty significant moment if you needed to leave Antarctica seeing a 730 land ready to pick you up. For me that was pretty cool." Check out how to listen to and follow The Detail here . You can also stay up-to-date by liking us on Facebook or following us on Twitter .
RNZ News
a day ago
- RNZ News
Unmanageable jungle in the backyard? The Practical Kiwi
If your garden has escaped on you these winter months and now resembles more of a jungle, Philip Thomsen is here to help. He's a horticultural expert, and has lectured in the subject, as well as being a City Council Parks Officer. Nine to Noon last spoke to him about his book The Practical Kiwi Gardener - he also has a YouTube channel called Phil the Practical Gardener. Phil's new book is Down-to-Earth Gardening, which is stocked with handy tips on gardening and of all, it's aimed at the average home gardener. Susie talks to him about what's going on in the garden over winter, and what preparation can be done for the spring. To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
RNZ News
a day ago
- RNZ News
Frosty start for the South, temperatures down to -6C
Frosts and sub-zero temperatures were widespread across the South Island. Photo: RNZ / Jean Edwards Frosts were widespread across the South Island on Tuesday with temperatures as low as -6.2C. The sub-zero temperatures will bring frosty mornings and clear sunny afternoons for much of the country this week, MetService says. Shortly after 7.30am Omarama was sitting at - 6.2C, while overnight Queenstown dropped just below - 2 °C, Franz Joseph was 0.7C and Nelson dipped to 2C. Between a Ridge and a Low Place - Weekly outlook Cold southerlies are gripping NZ this week, locking in frosty mornings and crisp, sunny afternoons for many. Inland & southern areas can expect widespread frosts, while eastern regions (like Canterbury to Hawke's Bay) face… Meteorologist Oscar Shiviti said a high pressure system would bring cold temperatures, light south westerlies and fine conditions - particularly in central and western parts of the country. "We are expecting the frosty conditions to persist up until the weekend because we are seeing sub-zero temperatures in a lot of places up until Friday night. Frosty conditions are definitely on the cards for the remainder of the week," Shiviti said. Shiviti said said afternoon and maximum temperatures would range about the mid teens for most areas. The system's south-easterly flow was bringing rain to eastern coastal parts of the North Island which were expected to remain for at least the next two days. Elsewhere clear, crisp conditions were expected for much of the country. Later in the week another front "pushing in the from the south west" could bring showers to western parts of the South Island such as Fiordland and the West Coast.
