Lift emergency phones after the 3G shutdown: what owners need to check

When someone is trapped in a lift, the emergency phone is their only way to call for help. It is one of the most important safety devices in the building, yet it is rarely checked.

Lift phones have had to change twice in a decade: first when the copper phone network was replaced by the NBN, and again when Australia's 3G mobile networks were switched off between late 2023 and late 2024. A phone that worked perfectly five years ago may no longer connect to anything.

This article explains how lift emergency phones work, what the network changes mean for them, and what owners should check now.

What a lift emergency phone must do

Every passenger lift needs a two-way communication system, so a trapped passenger can speak to someone who can send help, at any time of day or night. In most buildings, the call goes to the maintenance contractor's call centre, which dispatches a technician.

For that to work, three things must all function:

• The phone in the car: button, microphone, speaker and indicator lights
• The connection: copper line, NBN service, or mobile network module
• The answering service: someone who picks up, every time

How the network changes affected lift phones

When the NBN replaced the copper network, many lift phones had to move to new connections, often mobile modules, and many of those modules used 3G. With 3G switched off, any lift phone still relying on a 3G-only module can no longer make calls.

Because a lift phone is used rarely, a failure can go unnoticed until someone is trapped.

What to check now

Ask your maintenance contractor, in writing:

1. What connection does each lift phone use: copper, NBN, or a 3G, 4G or 5G module?
2. When was each phone last tested with a real call through to the answering service?
3. Is there battery backup, so the phone works in a power failure? That is when people are most likely to be trapped.
4. Who answers the call, and what happens next?
5. Is the phone covered by your maintenance contract? Lift car communication is often excluded from "comprehensive" contracts. See Before you renew your lift maintenance contract.

Test it with a real call

The only proof a lift phone works is a call that reaches the answering service. Ask for the date of the last one.

If a phone needs upgrading

Several products and technologies are available, from lift maintenance providers and from telecommunications suppliers. The right one depends on the building: mobile coverage in the liftwell and machine room, how many lifts there are, and where the equipment can be installed.

Assess each building individually before buying, including where the new equipment goes and how many units a group of lifts needs. We manage the whole process, from inspection to testing:

1. Inspect the existing phones, equipment, wiring and network connection
2. Select the most suitable product for the building
3. Seek proposals from suppliers on the owner's behalf
4. Award the work and manage the installation through to completion, then test every phone through to the answering service

Make emergency phones part of every audit

A lift phone should be tested as part of every independent audit, with a real call to the answering service. LML includes the emergency phone in every lift audit, and that includes a call through to the answering service.

Questions people ask

Did the 3G shutdown affect lift emergency phones?

Yes, where a lift phone relied on a 3G-only mobile module. Those phones need upgrading to a 4G or 5G module, or another connection.

Who is responsible for a lift's emergency phone?

The building owner is responsible for making sure it works. Its maintenance may or may not be included in your lift maintenance contract, so check the exclusions.

How often should a lift emergency phone be tested?

Test it at least monthly, with a real call through to the answering service, and record the result. Many maintenance contracts include this test at each service visit.

Check your lift phones

LML Lift Consultants gives independent advice on lift emergency communication and manages upgrades from inspection to testing. We sell no equipment and take no commissions.

Ask us to check your lift phones or call 1300 001 565.