They have been on shelves since 2013. Councils, transport operators and mining companies have been using the same frequency the whole time.
A children’s toy that has been sold at Kmart and Target stores across Australia for more than a decade has been recalled after it was discovered the devices were operating on a radio frequency reserved exclusively for licensed operators including councils, transport authorities, retail businesses and regional mining companies.
Kmart and Target have pulled the Anko Long Range Walkie Talkies from shelves and issued a recall covering all units sold between September 30, 2013 and February 6 this year a sales window of more than eleven years.
The cause was described as an “oversight”: the walkie talkies had been tuned to 467.425 MHz, a licensed radio band that private consumers are not permitted to use without holding an appropriate licence from the Australian Communications and Media Authority.
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Why it matters
The 467.425 MHz band is not an open or shared frequency. It is allocated to licensed operators who depend on it for workplace and operational communications including local councils coordinating field staff, transport networks managing logistics, retail businesses running warehouse operations, and mining companies communicating across remote sites.
The ACMA issued a statement on Friday urging anyone who had purchased the walkie talkies to stop using them immediately, warning that continued use “may cause unintended interference with other licensed services operating on the same band.”
Interference on licensed radio frequencies can disrupt critical communications in workplace and emergency contexts particularly in mining and transport environments where radio contact can be a safety-critical function.
Using a licensed frequency without authorisation also risks breaching Australian communications law, regardless of whether the user was aware the device was operating on a restricted band.
What to do if you own them
Customers who purchased the Anko Long Range Walkie Talkies from either Kmart or Target can return them to the respective store for a full refund. No proof of purchase details have been specified as a requirement for the recall.
The ACMA has urged customers not to continue using the devices while awaiting return.
For further information on the recall, visit the ACMA website at acma.gov.au or contact your nearest Kmart or Target store.
