Telecom giant Optus is undergoing a nationwide blackout, with customers across Australia reporting outages since 4am this morning. Image: cogdogblog, via Wikimedia Commons
Telecom giant Optus is undergoing a nationwide blackout as both mobile and broadband customers across Australia have been left without service since approximately 4am this morning.
Businesses, banks, trains and hospitals are among the millions affected by the blackout, with no sign from the provider about when services might return.
The following statement was posted by Optus on their channels, including Twitter (X) and the Optus mobile app:
“We’re aware of an issue impacting Optus mobile and nbn services and are working to restore services as quickly as possible. We understand connectivity is important and apologise for any inconvenience caused.”
Communications minister Michelle Rowland will be hosting a press conference at 11am AEDT to address the issue.
She also said that the extended outage indicated “a deep network problem and one that is significant.”
“I do know, having reached out to Optus and sought some advice, is that limited information [is available] at this stage, but Optus is trying to get to the bottom of it,” said Rowland.
“I think what’s important here is that consumers be kept updated about the progress, what is happening, when there can be some expectation of restoration. I think it’s been a very anxious morning for many Australians so far.”
Hospital campuses in Melbourne’s Northern Health district have been severely affected by the Optus outage, as confirmed in a statement on Facebook.
“This includes phone lines into Northern Hospital Epping, Broadmeadows Hospital, Bundoora Centre, Craigieburn Centre, Kilmore District Hospital, and Victorian Virtual Emergency Department (VVED),” they wrote.
“We apologise for any inconvenience.”
Customers affected by the outage will likely notice a symbol on their phone showing “SOS only”.
This means that network services are down, but you can still call Triple Zero (000) in the event of an emergency.
SA police issued a reminder to the public warning them to only contact this number only in the event of an emergency.
Other service providers utilising the network are also affected by the Optus outage, including Amaysim, Coles Mobile, and Dodo.
It’s not the first time Optus has faced national scrutiny – just last year, a cyber-attack on the company exposed the personal data of millions of customers.
At this stage, it’s unclear when Optus customers will see their service return.
.jpg){kind=link}