A significant telecommunications outage by Optus has ignited public anger across Australia, with devastating consequences reported, including links to multiple deaths. The widespread failure, which lasted for 13 hours, left an estimated 600 people nationwide unable to contact emergency services. Optus, one of the country’s primary network providers, has expressed deep remorse, with its CEO apologizing to the families affected and the public for the unacceptable breakdown in service. This incident marks the second major outage for Optus in just two years, further fueling public frustration and prompting an investigation by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA).
Critical calls to the emergency number, triple-0, were impacted in several states, including South Australia, Western Australia, and the Northern Territory. Reports indicate that at least two emergency calls from south-western New South Wales also failed to connect. Compounding the crisis, Optus reportedly waited a significant 40 hours before informing the public and regulators about the widespread issue, a delay that contravenes standard operating procedures.
Optus CEO Stephen Rue attributed the outage to a technical fault that emerged during a network upgrade. He revealed that welfare checks conducted after services were restored confirmed the deaths of three individuals, including an infant. However, police have since stated that the network failure is unlikely to be the direct cause in the infant’s case. Authorities in Western Australia are also investigating a potential link between a failed triple-0 call and a fourth death.
Rue acknowledged that the company was unaware of the full extent of the problem for 13 hours, despite multiple customer reports of network failures. He admitted that these complaints were not escalated or handled with the expected urgency. “I would like to reiterate how sorry I am about the very sad loss of the lives of four people who could not reach emergency services in their time of need,” Rue stated, promising that actions would be taken to prevent future occurrences.
The ACMA expressed grave concern over the incident and its management, emphasizing the fundamental responsibility of telecommunication providers to ensure access to emergency services. This is not the first time Optus has faced regulatory action; in 2023, the company was penalized over A$12 million for failing to provide emergency call services to over 2,000 people and subsequently failing to check on affected customers.
Communications Minister Anika Wells stated that telecommunications providers have “no excuse” for failures in connecting emergency calls. She conveyed her “unbelievable disappointment” to Optus’s CEO, with the Prime Minister suggesting he should consider his position. Wells declared that Optus had “perpetuated an enormous failure on the Australian people” and would face “significant consequences.” The company has committed to providing daily updates as investigations continue.