Home / Business and Economy / Optus Blunder: Emergency Calls Disrupted Again
Optus Blunder: Emergency Calls Disrupted Again
12 Sep
Summary
- Optus suffered a 76-minute network outage impacting voice calls and emergency services.
- This follows a similar 2023 outage that led to fines and two tragic deaths.
- Government expresses deep concern, emphasizing companies' duty for triple-0 calls.
Optus, Australia's second-largest telecommunications provider, issued a sincere apology following a significant 76-minute network outage that occurred on Friday. The technical glitch disrupted voice calling services in parts of Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania, and the Northern Territory. Some affected customers reported experiencing intermittent call dropouts during the outage.
This recent disruption is particularly concerning given a similar incident last year. That previous Optus network issue left hundreds of people unable to contact emergency services, tragically resulting in two deaths. Following that event, Optus was fined A$12 million by regulators for failing to provide emergency call services. The company also experienced a major cyberattack in 2022, impacting the data of approximately 9.5 million Australians.
Chris Bowen, a senior minister in the Australian government, expressed deep concern over the recurrence of such outages. He emphasized the government's expectation that telecommunication companies must maintain their technology for triple-0 emergency calls in optimal working condition. Investigations into the latest incident have reportedly commenced.
