More than ten million Australians were without a telephone or internet connection for hours on Wednesday. The reason is a national outage at the second largest telecom provider Optus. This brought payment systems and online activities to a standstill. Chaos also ensued during the morning rush hour, as train networks and ride sharing were canceled in some cities.
According to a report by broadcaster 9News, it is the largest telecommunications disruption in the country’s history. A company statement released around noon said it would likely take hours for the network to be restored. “The good news is that we have found a way to restore the entire network,” said Optus CEO Kelly Bayer Rosmarin.
The outage lasted a total of 14 hours
However, this can only happen gradually and will take some time. Customers may then need to restart their devices, the report said. By early evening (local time), services were reportedly largely restored – after almost 14 hours.
It was initially unclear what the cause of the malfunction was. In the afternoon, Rosmarin spoke about a “technical network problem”. The company will conduct a “thorough root cause analysis” before releasing any further information, she told Australian broadcaster ABC. But it is a “very rare incident”. The authorities had already ruled out a cyber attack.
40 percent of the population affected
Optus is the Australian branch of Singapore Telecommunication. The company has more than ten million customers, approximately 40 percent of the Australian population. An Optus spokesperson told Reuters that his company “sincerely apologizes to its customers.” The company only made headlines last year when hackers stole sensitive data from millions of Australians in an attack.
Optus customers were angry about the incident. “I can barely do anything without my phone,” user Angela Ican complained outside the Optus store in Sydney’s CBD. Construction worker Kyle, who declined to give his full name, also sued. “I was late for work and couldn’t tell my boss,” he told Reuters. “When I arrived at the construction site, I couldn’t find my boss.”
“The error is deeply rooted in the network”
Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said she had only “limited” information about the outage. “What we know is that this is a serious condition,” she told reporters. “The fault is deep in the network.” According to media reports, the disruption forced train services in Melbourne to be disrupted for about 30 minutes, causing delays in the morning peak. “There are still significant delays on all lines with selected changes and train cancellations,” the city’s metro said on the short message service X (formerly Twitter).
Hospitals and emergency services across the country were also affected by the outages. Ramsay Health Care, which operates 70 hospitals and clinics in Australia, said its telephone services were affected.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
