Optus Outage Hits 000 Calls as Telecom Giant Faces Tough Questions Again
Synopsis
Optus’ latest 76-minute outage disrupted voice services and affected some 000 calls across four jurisdictions, renewing regulatory and reliability concerns.
Optus breakdown triggered a loss of access to voice lines and emergency calls 000 in four Australian jurisdictions, reigniting concerns about the reliability of telecom systems in Australia.
76 minute Optus outage September 11 affected areas in Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory. Some customers reported disconnections and others picked up calls on emergency numbers but not connected.
000 Calls Affected Across Four Jurisdictions
Optus' outage began at about 1:30pm and finished around 3pm, said the company. About 40 welfare checks were performed by Victoria Police for callers affected by the disruption with no adverse outcomes reported.
It was picked up by optus' network monitoring systems and the problem will be the subject of its escalation procedures, said optus. The company did not unveil a specific technical issue, but said further investigations would be undertaken, including tests to ensure calls to emergency services linked through other mobile networks.
Optus' latest outage follows a series of failures of emergency calls reported to regulators. Australian Communications and Media Authority initiated Federal Court proceedings in July against the September outage, alleging Optus Mobile had breached its obligations to make emergency calls on 1,005 occasions.
Regulatory Pressure Builds Around Network Reliability
Optus has also been grappling with its own issue during its outage, as complaints are above the industry average. The complaints rate for January to March 2026 was 61 per 10,000 services for Optus and 40 per 10,000 services for the industry, according to ACMA data. Telstra had a total of 29 and TPG Telecom had a total of 71.
The company had 59 complaints per 10,000 mobiles while the industry average was 31.
The latest outage by Optus comes after a nationwide network failure in 2023, which impacted emergency calls, resulting in a A$12 million fine by the regulator in 2024. Singapore Telecommunications (Singtel) is the owner of Optus.
Singtel's free cash flow for the FY2026 ended in March rose to A$796 million compared with A$647 million a year ago.
Therefore, the Optus failure is expected to remain top of mind for how telecom operators monitor network outages, communicate the incident and ensure a reliable access to 000 services.
Source: Reuters
Pooja Malik is a business journalist with over six years of experience covering startups, entrepreneurship, and emerging trends. She has previously worked with leading media platforms such as YourStory Media and BW BusinessWorld, where she reported on business, policy, and market developments. Currently, she serves as Editor at The Inspirepreneur Magazine, where she writes and edits stories across business, lifestyle, and travel, with a focus on clarity, accuracy, and reader relevance.
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