Optus is in the hot seat once again, as another nationwide outage has sparked a troubling failure to connect emergency calls to triple-0. Four calls to emergency services couldn’t get through during the outage, which lasted a mere 20 minutes but caused a huge stir. This is the second such incident in just a few months. With lives potentially at risk, is Optus doing enough to fix these recurring issues?
Optus Outage Causes Triple-0 Calls to Fail: A Growing Concern
On Monday morning, Optus customers across Australia were hit with a nationwide outage starting at around 8 am. While the issue was resolved quickly, within 20 minutes, the fallout was immediate. Four calls to triple-0, Australia’s emergency services number, failed to connect. Luckily, no one was hurt, but the risk posed by these interruptions is significant, especially when you consider how close the country came to losing lives during a similar incident just last September.
During the September outage, hundreds of emergency calls couldn’t reach triple-0, and tragically, two people died because of this failure. After that event, investigations revealed “systemic and widespread issues” with Optus’ network. Some mobile phones, particularly older models, were found to not automatically default to other networks during outages, preventing emergency calls. It’s unsettling that the same issue is cropping up again, just months later, explains Yahoo Finance.
The Ongoing Issues and Customer Concerns
While the latest outage was short, the issues didn’t stop there. Customers reported they couldn’t make or receive calls, though many were still able to use mobile data and send text messages. Around 145,000 services were affected, and while Optus resolved the problem relatively quickly, ongoing reports of issues from customers later in the day highlight that this problem isn’t entirely fixed.
For Optus, this is the latest in a string of missteps. The company was already under fire after a massive 2022 cyberattack exposed the personal details of 9.5 million Australians. Then, in 2023, a nationwide outage left over 2,000 people unable to reach emergency services, which is a serious concern. On top of that, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) found that Optus had targeted vulnerable customers for over four years, resulting in a hefty $100 million fine.
What Needs to Change?
So, what’s next for Optus and its customers? The Australian government and telecommunications watchdogs need to ensure better safeguards are in place to prevent another triple-0 failure. Optus must also overhaul its systems and address these recurring issues to restore public trust. At this point, it’s not enough to offer a quick apology or promise better service—real, meaningful change is needed to prevent further risks to Australians’ lives.
