Triple-NO: Optus Outages Cause 000 Chaos
Australian telco Optus is under fire following a second service outage in a fortnight that affected the national triple-0 network, leaving emergency calls unanswered.
The second service outage caused an additional nine failed 000 calls and is reportedly linked to at least three deaths across two states. Optus has quickly shifted blame on to technical staff, stating the outage was triggered by a failure to follow procedures to protect the triple-0 network during a firewall upgrade.
There are calls from the public and politicians alike for an independent review of the triple-0 network, led by Opposition Leader Sussan Ley. Ms Ley accused Communications Minister Anika Wells of “failing upwards” in her portfolio after a series of similar issues over the past two years.
“We’ve had three catastrophic failures, and we are calling for an independent inquiry into the whole triple-0 ecosystem,” Ms Ley said.
“It isn’t good enough that the minister responsible was swanning around in New York, was absent and appears missing in action on this critical matter, where Australians who are relying on triple-0 have lost their lives.
“This is a minister who failed in aged care, who is failing in communications, and seems to fail upwards on a seat on a plane to New York. It’s not good enough.”
This latest letdown comes after the infamous 2023 outage of all Optus mobile, Internet and fixed-line services in Australia. More than 10 million people and 400,000 businesses nationwide were impacted as the outage disrupted calls to emergency services, EFTPOS and banking systems, public transport networks and even hospitals.
The 2023 outage occurred during an upgrade of the North American SingTel exchange, causing a router to mistakenly disconnect as a safety measure and setting off a chain reaction disabling the Optus network. SingTel, the Singapore-based telco conglomerate that own Optus, stated that the outage was not caused by the upgrade itself.
Nevertheless, whenever Optus – or their corporate overlord – perform network updates and upgrades, customers lose service. But it’s never their fault, and there’s always a faceless workforce or technical malfunctions to blame.
Optus CEO Stephen Rue has refused to resign after the latest outage, which is probably for the best. He should be working his highly paid, executive arse off to remedy the situation and provide assurance that the triple-0 network is safeguarded against the impact of an unplanned outage.
Optus doesn’t just have a PR nightmare on their hands; they have a severe public trust problem.
As Australia’s second-largest telco provider, Optus is responsible for some ten million customers. More than 36% of the Australian population rely on Optus to provide dependable and secure mobile, internet and landline connections. But in recent years, those customers have been repeatedly disconnected, exploited and stranded in times of crisis. For some, it cost them their lives.
The succession of outages comes amid a firestorm of controversy for Optus, including a massive data breach that compromised the sensitive personal data of customers, and the $100 million dollar fine Optus has copped for what was described as “appalling” sales conduct.
In September, the Federal Court found Optus had breached Australian consumer law. They engaged in misleading and unethical sales practices that took advantage of vulnerable people, such as those with mental disabilities or learning difficulties, those experiencing financial hardship, people with low financial literacy, Indigenous people, and people living in remote communities. Some customers were sold phone plans despite living in an area not serviced by the Optus network. The company also engaged debt collectors to aggressively pursue payment from unwitting debtors.
To paraphrase Ms Ley: it isn’t good enough, especially for a national telco and the premiums they charge.
Australian internet already ranks poorly in the world, ranked 32nd for mobile speeds and 60th for fixed broadband speeds during August 2025, according to SpeedTest. People in third world countries have faster internet connections than those living in Australian capital cities.
But that pales in comparison to being unable to access a necessity like potentially life-saving care from the emergency services. For many vulnerable Australians – the elderly, for example – triple-0 serves as the only form of outside assistance, and every unanswered triple-0 call puts another life in danger.
To compound the problem, state triple-0 call centres across the country are already overwhelmed, receiving on average 8,500 calls a day. More than 1 million people dial triple-0 in Australia every year, and though unanswered calls are not tracked nationwide, the latest September Optus outages caused 600, while the November incident saw 2100 unanswered calls.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has been appointed to investigate the Optus outages, though a conclusive report will take time to prepare and publish. In the meantime, proponents like Ms Ley and her counterparts are demanding an independent review to expedite the process and restore public trust in the triple-0 network.
It will take more than a flaccid apology and flashy PR campaign for Optus to regain any sort of credibility after this latest failure. SingTel Group CEO Yuen Kuan Moon flew into Sydney for crisis talks with Stephen Rue and Anika Wells, hoping to salvage one of SingTel’s most profitable subsidiaries.
Optus accounts for roughly half of SingTel Group’s total revenue, generating A$8.2 billion in revenue for the fiscal year ended 31 March 2025. The company’s financial results continue to soar despite their deteriorating reputation, and their dominance in the national market insulates Optus from any serious repercussions. CEOs may change and executives will come and go, but for as long as Optus remains profitable, it will be untouchable.
In this case, the onus of corporate accountability extends beyond profit margins and shareholder dividends. At this point Australians are fatigued by excuses and tired of apologies. When your business operations have the ability to impede critical national infrastructure, you can’t just be sorry. You have to be better.
Dial 1 For A Better Option
Can individual carriers, especially those owned by foreign companies, be trusted to safeguard the vital triple-0 service in Australia? Remember, some of these outages have been caused by errors that occurred in exchanges thousands of kilometres away in another country, meaning our networks are vulnerable to factors beyond our direct control.
Beyond calls for an independent review, there are now suggestions that the triple-0 service should be nationalised and instead administered by a government agency or separate regulatory body that can guarantee uninterrupted access. Taking control of the service back from private companies would prioritise public safety over profit, provide a single integrated service, improve performance, and allow for more efficient responses to outages. There would also be increased accountability and oversight.
In the meantime, Communications Minister Anika Wells is said to be fast-tracking new legislation to appoint a national triple-0 custodian to act as watchdog.
