Australian news reports Australia’s second-largest telecommunications company, Optus, experienced a further breakdown in emergency calls to 4,500 clients south of Sydney, the second failure in a matter of 10 days, as government ministers mount pressure amid the company’s poor record. The most recent issue occurred on Sunday morning in Dapto, New South Wales. It took longer than nine hours between 3 AM and 12:20 PM local time when a faulty mobile phone tower interrupted services such as access to Triple Zero emergency calls.
Nine attempts at contacting Australia’s national emergency number didn’t work during the outage, although Optus was able to confirm with police that all callers involved are safe. The timing of this outage is especially unfortunate for Optus and its Singapore-based parent firm Singtel, which has an important meeting with Australian authorities this week to discuss increasing dissatisfaction over the reliability of the company’s emergency services.
Communications Minister Anika Wells will meet Singtel Group CEO Yuen Kuan Moon, Optus Chairman John Arthur, and CEO Stephen Rue to discuss growing concerns over the company’s breakdowns. According to a Singtel representative, Reuters reported that Singtel is serious about the issue and will provide complete cooperation to the Australian government and authorities in order to resolve the Optus issue. The meeting is timely because Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has described the recent breakdowns as totally unacceptable.
Earlier Outage Tied to Four Fatalities, Including Baby
The most recent breakdown comes after a catastrophic 13-hour outage on September 18 that blocked approximately 600 customers in four states and territories from accessing emergency services, with the malfunction tied to four or more fatalities, including an eight-week-old infant. That breakdown, caused by human error during a routine firewall upgrade, has triggered formal investigations by the Australian Communications and Media Authority and prompted calls for big penalties. Optus was fined A$12 million in 2024 for a November 2023 nationwide outage that prevented more than 2,000 people from contacting Triple Zero.
Consumer advocacy organisation ACCAN has urged for immediate reform, including independent technical management of Optus’ emergency systems by way of new licence conditions. ACCAN CEO Carol Bennett stated that a Triple Zero outage has now occurred twice in 10 days at Optus and each time the network crashes, it erodes public confidence and places people in danger. A separate review headed by ex-Deutsche Bank chief executive Kerry Schott is probing the September 18 outage, and it is due to report its findings by year’s end, while Optus risks being fined more than A$10 million as investigations into the two incidents continue.
News At Glance
- Optus experienced a second emergency call failure in 10 days for 4,500 customers for nine hours
- Nine emergency calls did not go through, but all callers were safe, confirmed by the police
- The earlier outage on September 18 was attributed to four fatalities, including an eight-week-old baby
- The company may have to face a meeting with government officials and possible penalties in excess of A$10 million
FAQs
1. For how long did the recent Optus outage last?
The outage lasted longer than nine hours between 3 AM and 12:20 PM on Sunday.
2. Number of emergency calls that failed during this outage?
Nine Triple Zero emergency service calls failed in the outage.
3. How recently has there been a major Optus outage?
There was a major outage on September 18, just 10 days ago.
4. What punishment does Optus risk?
Optus risks fines of more than A$10 million and was fined A$12 million previously in 2024.
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