Telecommunications provider Optus faced a significant setback on Sunday, March 24, 2024, when a network failure disrupted calls to the emergency Triple Zero number in Sydney. The outage was traced to a mobile tower located in Dapto, affecting approximately 4,500 residents who were unable to connect calls, including those to emergency services.
The interruption lasted over nine hours, beginning at 03:00 and concluding around 12:20. During this period, Optus identified nine failed attempts to reach Triple Zero. Fortunately, no fatalities were reported, and welfare checks conducted by police confirmed that all individuals who attempted to make emergency calls were safe. However, one individual did require an ambulance but managed to reach emergency services using another phone.
In a statement released late Sunday, Optus acknowledged the disruption and stated, “We have investigated the impact of the issue on calls made between 3 am and 12:20 pm yesterday, including calls made to the Triple Zero network, and have confirmed with police that all callers who attempted to contact emergency services are okay. We sincerely apologise to any customers who were impacted.”
The company emphasized that the outage was limited to a single mobile tower, part of its extensive network of around 9,000 coverage sites across Australia. Nonetheless, this incident raises concerns about the reliability of the network, especially as it follows a previous outage that occurred just over a week ago. That incident left over 600 customers unable to reach emergency services across multiple states, including South Australia, Western Australia, the Northern Territory, and parts of rural New South Wales. The earlier outage has been linked to three fatalities.
The timing of this latest incident is particularly notable, as it precedes an anticipated meeting in Sydney between Yuen Kuan Moon, the chief executive of Optus’ Singaporean parent company, and federal Communications Minister Annika Wells. Minister Wells has summoned Moon to discuss the previous outage and its implications for customer safety and network reliability.
The Chairwoman of the Australian Communications and Media Authority, Nerida O’Loughlin, stated last week that the regulator is investigating whether Optus has invested enough in its network to ensure that it remains reliable and accessible for emergency calls. This ongoing scrutiny comes amid heightened public concern regarding the telecommunications provider’s ability to maintain essential services.
As Optus continues its investigation into the causes of the Dapto tower issue, the company faces increasing pressure to restore confidence among its customers and regulators alike. The implications of these outages extend beyond mere inconvenience; they touch upon critical issues of public safety and emergency preparedness in an interconnected world.
