Massive Optus Outage Plunges Millions of Australians into Internet and Phone Darkness
Massive disruption struck Australia as Optus, the nation's second-largest telecom provider, suffered an unexpected nationwide outage, leaving millions stranded without phone or internet access
On Wednesday, a nationwide outage by the country's second-largest telecommunications provider left millions of Australians without phone or internet connections. This unexplained incident resulted in the disruption of payment systems and online operations, causing chaos during the morning peak hours as train networks and ride share services briefly went offline in certain cities.
Optus CEO Kelly Bayer Rosmarin dismissed the possibility of a cyber attack but refrained from providing an explanation for the ongoing outage in its sixth hour, or estimating the duration of service restoration.
"It is highly improbable that the issue originated from software within the Optus networks. Our systems are generally very reliable... This occurrence is highly unusual," she stated.
We are putting in maximum effort to ensure it is operational as soon as possible. Optus, the Australian branch of Singapore Telecommunications, serves over 10 million customers, which accounts for approximately 40% of the country's population.
"Angela Ican expressed her dependence on her phone, stating that without it, she feels completely helpless. In her search for a bank, being unable to access the internet through her phone leaves her feeling lost," said Angela Ican, standing outside the Optus store in Sydney's central business district.
When asked about his thoughts on Optus, a construction worker named Kyle, who preferred not to disclose his full name, expressed his desire for answers.
"I was running late for work and couldn't inform my boss. Upon arriving on site, I couldn't locate my boss - it had been a hectic day," he informed Reuters.
In a statement to Reuters, an Optus spokesperson expressed their sincere apologies to customers.
Limited information
Commonwealth Bank, the countrys biggest lender, said in a statement that some customers may encounter difficulties with some of its services.
Federal Communications Minister Michelle Rowland claimed to have a "limited" understanding of the outage, stating that it was a significant issue deeply embedded within the network. She emphasized that the incident would have extensive implications for Optus customers using mobile, fixed, and broadband services.
Train services in Melbourne experienced a brief shutdown lasting approximately 30 minutes, leading to delays during the morning rush hour, according to media reports.
"The metro rail service in the city informed about ongoing major delays, including alterations and cancellations on all lines," stated X.
Hospitals and emergency services across the country were also hit by the outage.
Ramsay Health Care, which owns 70 hospitals and clinics in Australia, its phone services were impacted.
"We currently do not have information regarding the duration of this outage. If you wish to reach your local Ramsay hospital, kindly submit your inquiries through the contact form on the hospital's website," the Facebook page stated.
Emergency calls to triple zero ("000") were inaccessible from Optus landlines.
"We encourage any customers who need to contact emergency services to use a mobile line to call 000," Optus said in a statement.
