000 Emergency Calling on VOIP: What Australian Businesses Must Know

This article explains how 000 emergency calling works on VOIP in Australia, what your obligations are as a business using a VOIP phone system, and the practical steps you must take to ensure 000 calls from your premises reach emergency services with the right location information. Need to Know Comms is an independent Australian publishing project. The information in this guide is based on the Telecommunications (Emergency Call Service) Determination 2019, ACMA regulatory guidance, and direct experience with business VOIP deployments across NBN connections. Unlike a generic 'does VOIP support 000' answer, this guide gives you the specific compliance actions your business needs to take -- and explains what happens if you skip them.

Can You Call 000 from a VOIP Phone in Australia?

Yes. All licensed telecommunications providers in Australia -- including VOIP providers -- are required to provide access to the 000 emergency call service under the Telecommunications Act 1997 and the Telecommunications (Emergency Call Service) Determination 2019.

When you call 000 from a VOIP phone, the call is routed through your provider's network to the Emergency Call Person (ECP), which is currently operated by Telstra under a government contract. The ECP routes your call to the appropriate emergency service -- police, fire, or ambulance -- based on your state.

So the short answer is: yes, your VOIP phone will call 000. The more important question is what happens when that call connects -- specifically, whether emergency services know where you are calling from.

How VOIP Location Works for 000 Calls

This is where VOIP differs critically from a traditional landline, and where many businesses have a gap in their emergency calling setup.

With a traditional copper landline (PSTN), the phone number is tied to a fixed physical address in Telstra's records. When you call 000 from a landline, the operator has immediate access to your address. This is automatic -- you do not need to do anything to enable it, and it works even if you are unable to speak.

With VOIP, the situation is different. Your VOIP phone number is registered to an account, not a physical line. The VOIP provider transmits a 'nominated address' to the 000 operator when an emergency call is made -- but that address is whatever address is registered to your account, not an automatically-determined physical location.

What Is a Nominated Address?

A nominated address is the physical address that your VOIP provider registers against your service for emergency calling purposes. When you call 000 from a VOIP phone, your provider sends this address to the 000 operator as the best available location information.

Most VOIP providers will ask you to confirm or enter your nominated address when you sign up. Some send a reminder to update it if you change premises. But in practice, many businesses set up VOIP, move offices at some point, and never update the nominated address with their provider. This means a 000 call from their new premises sends the old address to the operator -- creating a genuine safety risk.

What VOIP Providers Are and Are Not Required to Do

The Telecommunications (Emergency Call Service) Determination 2019 sets out what licensed VOIP providers must provide. Understanding the distinction between what is required and what is not helps you understand why the nominated address process matters.

What Your VOIP Provider Must Do

Under Australian law, licensed VOIP providers are required to:

• Route 000 calls to the Emergency Call Person
• Transmit the best-effort location information they have -- which is the nominated address registered to the service
• Provide a way for customers to update their nominated address
• Notify customers of the limitations of emergency calling on VOIP
• Not block or prevent 000 calls from being made

What Your VOIP Provider Is Not Currently Required to Do

VOIP providers are not currently required to:

• Automatically determine the precise physical location of each handset at the time of a 000 call (unlike mobile networks, which use tower triangulation and GPS)
• Update the transmitted location in real time if a staff member moves the handset or takes a softphone to a different address
• Guarantee that 000 calls will connect if your internet connection is unavailable

This 'best-effort' model is the regulatory reality for VOIP emergency calling in Australia as of 2026. The nominated address system is the mechanism your provider uses to comply -- but it only works correctly if you keep that address current.

The Power Outage Problem

This is the emergency calling risk that most businesses overlook when they switch from landlines to VOIP.

Traditional copper landlines carried their own power through the phone line. During a power outage, a basic PSTN phone continued to work because Telstra's network powered the circuit. You could call 000 in a blackout.

VOIP requires two things that do not have built-in backup power: your internet connection (the NBN modem/router) and your VOIP phone or the computer running your softphone. If either of these loses power, your VOIP service is unavailable -- and with it, your ability to call 000.

NBN Battery Backup: What You Get and What You Don't

NBN boxes (the NTD -- Network Termination Device) include a built-in battery backup for power outages. However, this battery is not indefinite:

• FTTP (Fibre to the Premises) NBN boxes: The battery backup provides approximately five hours of standby time for voice calls, or less under active use. After the battery is depleted, your NBN connection and VOIP service stop working.
• FTTC, FTTN, FTTB (fibre to the node/curb/building): These connection types use a different NTD that may not include battery backup. Power to the node equipment comes from the street, but your router and VOIP equipment still need local power.
• HFC (Cable) NBN: Similar situation -- the NTD may have limited battery backup, but your router needs separate power.

The practical implication: in a power outage, you may have a few hours of VOIP calling available if you have FTTP NBN. You may have none at all if your router loses power first. Five hours is not enough backup for an overnight outage or an extended emergency event.

Remote Workers and 000 on VOIP

If your business has staff working from home or other remote locations using softphones or VOIP desk phones, the nominated address problem is more complex. The address registered to your VOIP service is your business premises -- not the home of each remote worker.

A remote worker calling 000 from a VOIP softphone on their laptop will transmit your business address to the 000 operator, not their home address. In an emergency where the operator needs to dispatch services, this is a serious problem.

The practical guidance for remote workers using VOIP softphones:

• Use a mobile phone as the primary 000 option. Mobile networks determine location via cell tower triangulation and GPS -- your address is automatically transmitted to the 000 operator without relying on a nominated address. For any genuine emergency at a home or remote location, calling 000 from a mobile is safer than calling from a VOIP softphone.
• Know your address and state it clearly. If a remote worker must call 000 from a VOIP softphone, they must immediately state their full physical address and location to the operator -- do not assume the operator has accurate location data.

Multi-Site Businesses and 000 Compliance

If your business operates from more than one physical location -- multiple offices, a warehouse, a retail site -- each location's phones should have a nominated emergency address matching that specific site's physical address.

Many hosted VOIP platforms allow you to register separate nominated addresses per extension group or per site. If your provider does not support this, raise it with their support team -- it is a compliance requirement under the Determination, and they should have a mechanism to accommodate multi-site businesses.

For more on how multi-site VOIP deployments work in Australia, see our guide to VOIP for multi-site businesses in Australia.

Special Cases: Medical Alarms, Fire Panels, and Lift Phones on VOIP

This is a critical area where businesses must seek specialist advice before assuming VOIP is a drop-in replacement for their existing copper line services.

Many older commercial buildings, medical practices, and facilities have devices connected to a copper telephone line that automatically call emergency services:

• Medical alarms and personal emergency devices: Devices that dial an alarm centre or 000 when activated
• Fire alarm panels: Connected to a monitored alarm service via a dedicated phone line
• Lift emergency phones: Required by Australian Standards to connect to a 24/7 monitored service
• Security systems: Dialler-based systems that report to a monitoring centre via PSTN

These devices are designed for analogue PSTN connections. Connecting them via an ATA (Analogue Telephone Adapter) to a VOIP service introduces signal timing and compression differences that can cause unreliable operation -- including calls that fail to connect, calls that connect but with degraded audio quality that the alarm centre cannot interpret, or calls that drop before the message is transmitted.

Regulatory Background: Who Regulates This and What It Means for Your Business

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) is the regulator responsible for VOIP emergency calling requirements. The key instrument is the Telecommunications (Emergency Call Service) Determination 2019, which sits under the Telecommunications Act 1997.

ACMA's rules place the compliance obligation on telecommunications providers -- your VOIP provider is required to route 000 calls and transmit location information. However, the rules also create a practical shift in responsibility: if you do not keep your nominated address current, the provider has fulfilled their obligation by transmitting the address you provided. The liability for consequences arising from an incorrect nominated address effectively shifts to the business that failed to update it.

This is not a theoretical risk. Australian emergency services have documented cases where VOIP 000 calls dispatched responders to incorrect addresses because nominated addresses had not been updated after a business moved premises. The fix is simple and takes less than five minutes -- but it only happens if the business takes the step.

PSTN Copper Shutdown and What It Means for 000

Australia's PSTN copper network -- the traditional phone network -- was shut down in 2025 as part of the NBN rollout. Businesses that have not yet migrated from a copper landline to a VOIP service are now on NBN-based VOIP whether they explicitly chose it or not. If your NBN modem has a telephone port (provided by your ISP), your existing phone handsets are connected to an ATA built into the ISP's modem, and you are already using VOIP.

This matters for 000 because many businesses believe they still have the 'reliable' PSTN connection and its associated emergency calling properties. They do not. The 000 calling limitations described in this article apply to all NBN-based phone services, including those provided as a bundled add-on through a standard ISP plan. The nominated address requirement applies regardless of whether your VOIP service is a specialist hosted VOIP platform or a bundled ISP phone service. See our guide on migrating from a landline to VOIP in Australia for more on this transition.

What Most Businesses Get Wrong About 000 and VOIP

Three mistakes come up consistently when businesses switch to VOIP and then later discover a problem with their emergency calling setup.

Mistake 1: Assuming 000 'Just Works' the Same as a Landline

The most common mistake is the assumption that because 000 calls work on VOIP (which they do), they work the same way as they did on a PSTN landline (which they do not). The call connects. The difference is in what the 000 operator sees. On a landline, they see your address automatically. On VOIP, they see whatever nominated address is registered -- which may be wrong if you have moved, or may be your business address rather than the remote worker's actual location.

The fix: treat the nominated address as a piece of safety infrastructure, the same way you treat a fire extinguisher. It needs to be correct, and someone needs to own the responsibility for keeping it correct.

Mistake 2: Not Updating the Nominated Address After Moving Premises

This is a direct safety risk. Businesses move offices more frequently than they think -- and the nominated address update is not on anyone's moving checklist unless someone specifically adds it. When you move premises, updating the nominated address with your VOIP provider is as important as updating your business address on ABN registration, with your bank, and on your website. Add it to your moving checklist now.

Mistake 3: Not Having a Backup Communication Plan for Power Outages

Businesses that have relied on VOIP as their only phone service without any power backup are vulnerable in the specific scenario where they might most need to call 000: a power outage combined with an emergency. The NBN battery lasts approximately five hours at best. If your router does not have UPS backup, your VOIP service stops the moment the power goes out.

Every business should have at least one mobile phone on premises as a backup 000 option. This is not a technology problem -- it is a basic operational preparedness requirement. For businesses where reliable communications continuity is critical (medical practices, facilities with vulnerable occupants, remote locations), a UPS for the NBN NTD and router is a worthwhile additional layer.

Your Next Steps: 000 Compliance Checklist for VOIP Businesses

Work through this checklist to ensure your business has taken all necessary steps for safe and compliant 000 emergency calling on VOIP.

• Step 1: Confirm your VOIP provider supports 000. All Australian-licensed VOIP providers are required to. If you have any doubt, ask your provider directly -- they must confirm this in writing. If they cannot confirm it, use a different provider.
• Step 2: Locate your nominated emergency address in your VOIP account. Log into your provider's portal and find the emergency calling or nominated address section. Confirm the address matches your current physical premises exactly.
• Step 3: Update the nominated address if it is wrong or out of date. If you have moved, update it immediately. Treat this as urgent.
• Step 4: For multi-site businesses, register each site's address separately. Work with your VOIP provider to ensure each extension group or site has the correct physical address as its nominated emergency address.
• Step 5: Brief remote workers on 000 from VOIP. Any staff member using a VOIP softphone from home or another off-site location should know to use their mobile for 000 in any genuine emergency, and to state their address clearly if they must call from a VOIP softphone.
• Step 6: Put a laminated notice near office phones. A simple card reading 'For 000 from this VOIP phone: state your full address immediately when the operator answers' takes two minutes to make and could save critical seconds in an emergency.
• Step 7: Check your power backup situation. Identify whether your NBN NTD, router, and VOIP phones would survive a power outage. If not, consider a UPS for the critical equipment or ensure staff know to use mobiles in the event of a power failure.
• Step 8: Confirm life-safety devices separately. If you have fire panels, medical alarms, lift phones, or security diallers connected to your phone system, contact those device suppliers and your alarm monitoring company to confirm they operate correctly over VOIP. Do not assume -- get written confirmation.
• Step 9: Add 'update nominated address' to your business move checklist. Every time your business moves premises, this must be updated. Make it a documented step in your moving process so it cannot be forgotten.

The good news is that most Australian businesses using VOIP never have a 000 problem -- because they follow these steps and their nominated address is correct. The issue is not that VOIP is unsafe for emergency calling. The issue is that it requires a small amount of active management that landlines did not. Take the steps above and your business will have compliant, functional 000 access on VOIP.

For more on setting up a VOIP system correctly in an Australian business context, see our best VOIP phone system guide for small businesses and our NBN VOIP setup guide.

Can you call 000 from a VOIP phone in Australia?

Yes. All licensed VOIP providers in Australia are required under the Telecommunications Act 1997 and the Telecommunications (Emergency Call Service) Determination 2019 to route 000 calls. Your VOIP phone will connect to the 000 emergency call service. The key difference from a landline is that the location information transmitted to the operator depends on your registered nominated address -- it is not automatically determined from a fixed line record the way a traditional PSTN landline works.

What is a nominated address for VOIP emergency calling?

A nominated address is the physical address registered to your VOIP service for emergency calling purposes. When you dial 000 from a VOIP phone, your provider transmits this address to the 000 operator as location information. It is critical that this address matches your actual physical location. If your business has moved premises and you have not updated the nominated address with your VOIP provider, the wrong address will be sent to the emergency operator. Log into your provider's account portal to check and update this address.

What happens to my VOIP phone if the power goes out?

Your VOIP service will stop working when power to your NBN equipment and router is interrupted. FTTP NBN boxes include a battery backup that provides approximately five hours of voice call capability, but this is not indefinite. If your router or VOIP phone loses power (and is not connected to a UPS), your VOIP service stops immediately. In a power outage, mobile phones are the most reliable way to call 000 because they operate on their own battery and connect to the mobile network independently of your NBN connection.

Does NBN have battery backup for emergency calls?

FTTP (Fibre to the Premises) NBN NTDs include an internal battery that provides approximately five hours of backup for voice calls during a power outage. This is a regulatory requirement for basic voice calling continuity. However, this battery only covers the NTD itself -- not your router or VOIP phone equipment. If your router is not on UPS power, your internet connection (and VOIP service) will fail when the router loses power, regardless of whether the NTD has battery remaining. The NBN battery also does not provide indefinite backup -- it depletes in approximately five hours under normal use.

Can remote workers call 000 from a VOIP softphone?

Technically yes -- a VOIP softphone will route a 000 call. However, the location information transmitted to the 000 operator will be your business's nominated address, not the remote worker's home address. This means emergency services may be dispatched to your office rather than to where the remote worker actually is. For this reason, remote workers using VOIP softphones should use a mobile phone to call 000 in any genuine emergency. Mobile networks transmit actual location data automatically via tower triangulation and GPS.

Do I need to do anything special to enable 000 on my business VOIP system?

The most important step is to verify and keep current the nominated emergency address in your VOIP account. Log into your provider's portal, find the emergency calling or address settings section, and confirm that the address matches your current physical premises. If you have multiple sites, ensure each site's phone extensions have the correct address registered. You should also brief any remote workers to use their mobile for 000, and consider a UPS for your NBN and router equipment to maintain calling capability during power outages.

Are fire panels and medical alarms safe to connect to VOIP?

Not without specialist verification. Fire alarm panels, medical alarms, personal emergency devices, lift phones, and security diallers are designed for analogue PSTN connections. Connecting them to a VOIP service via an ATA (Analogue Telephone Adapter) can cause unreliable operation due to signal timing and compression differences. These are life-safety systems -- do not assume compatibility. Contact the device manufacturer and your alarm monitoring company for written confirmation of VOIP compatibility before making any changes. In some cases, a separate dedicated analogue or M2M service line is required.

Who is responsible if 000 does not work correctly on my VOIP system?

Your VOIP provider is legally required to route 000 calls and transmit the best-effort location data they have -- which is your nominated address. If you have provided an incorrect or out-of-date nominated address, the provider has technically met their obligation by transmitting the address you registered. The practical responsibility for keeping the nominated address current sits with the business. ACMA's rules are structured so that the liability for consequences arising from an incorrect nominated address effectively falls on the business that failed to maintain it.