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Someone:

--- Quote from: I wanted a rude username on March 03, 2020, 12:41:10 am ---Calling 000/112 without a SIM was also disabled in Australia about a decade ago. Stated reasons included people wasting the call centre's time by calling it to test if a second hand phone they wanted to buy was working!

--- End quote ---
Really? Not sure the states can make that sort of decision:
https://www.triplezero.gov.au/Pages/Usingotheremergencynumbers.aspx
https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2019L01509 (Telecommunications (Emergency Call Service) Determination 2019)
I wanted a rude username:
It wasn't the states calling the shots, it was ACMA ... as it should be. However:

> In late April 2008, mobile phone carriers advised ACMA that their testing had identified a scenario where a genuine emergency call from a phone with a working SIM could be blocked.

So they first delayed its implementation, then revoked it.

I didn't get that memo till now, so thanks for pointing this out. It does indeed seem that phones without SIMs can call emergency services in Australia.
Halcyon:
E000 calls from SIM-less mobiles has been a thing here for a while. In relation to testing 000/112 services, there is a test procedure which service providers follow (it basically involves calling the actual 000 number and repeating a specific "test message" to the operator).

If the volume of test calls is expected to be high, there is a specific person/department within Telstra who you will need approval from prior to conducting those tests on a larger scale. They will advise the appropriate time for the test to occur and notify the various emergency call centres ahead of time.

Also to keep in mind, when you call 000/112 in Australia, you are connected to a Telstra operator first, not an emergency service. Then depending on the state, suburb and service requested, they will divert you to the appropriate agency to handle the call. That can be anyone from state Police, Fire Brigade or Ambulance to volunteer organisations such as the Rural Fire Service, Volunteer Rescue Association etc...

If there is no verbal response from the caller, it is forwarded to the Police as what is known as a "Five five call". The reason for the raised dimple on the "5" key on almost every phone with actual buttons is that you can press that twice (or if requested by the operator, respond to questions using only that key) and you don't need to see or look at the keypad to do it. Examples for this might be someone who partially incapacitated, cannot speak (either due to the nature of emergency, a medical condition or if they are under duress), visually impaired or some other reason which prevents someone from answering questions verbally but still requires an emergency response. Your location is determined by the subscriber details and/or for mobile phones, this is done via "Push MoLI" or even using the GPS in your handset in some cases.

SIM-less emergency calls are more important than ever these days since a large majority of the population is using VoIP services as their landlines (and this number is only increasing with the adoption of NBN connections). VoIP services aren't guaranteed to connect you to emergency services as even a mis-configuration would prevent you from doing so. Back in the day of POTS services, even if you had no dial-tone (due to a suspended service), you could still call 000.


I wanted a rude username:

--- Quote from: Halcyon on March 03, 2020, 10:21:15 am ---Back in the day of POTS services, even if you had no dial-tone (due to a suspended service), you could still call 000.

--- End quote ---

Didn't know that, but it doesn't surprise me. Taking emergency calls seriously is a constant in the telephony industry. The lengths that the GSM designers went to, such as actively kicking off non-emergency calls if the cell was full, are astonishing.

Also, apparently 911 now works in Australia (at least from mobiles ... can't see how it'd work from a land line unless the exchange uses a timeout). Must try that next time I have a less urgent emergency.  ;D
Halcyon:

--- Quote from: I wanted a rude username on March 03, 2020, 11:06:57 am ---The lengths that the GSM designers went to, such as actively kicking off non-emergency calls if the cell was full, are astonishing.

--- End quote ---

Yep, not just for emergency calls though but every SIM card has a "service class" value assigned to it. In times of congestion or during major events or incidents, Telco's can prioritise traffic to certain service classes (or even disallow entire classes completely).

We use "higher class" SIMs in Government so when a cell is congested, we can still use voice and data. Likewise if there is a major incident (like a terrorist attack for example), cell services can be reserved only for emergency services (although I'm yet to see that happen in Australia, we got close one time).
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