UPDATE: Singtel has announced its ongoing support for Optus CEO Stephen Rue as the company grapples with a series of critical outages affecting emergency calls. Yuen Kuan Moon, Singtel’s chief executive, held an urgent meeting with federal Communications Minister Anika Wells in Sydney on Tuesday to address the situation, which has left thousands without access to vital emergency services.
The meeting comes after two significant outages in just two weeks, with the latest incident occurring on Sunday, September 28, in Dapto, affecting 4,500 customers. This followed a catastrophic outage on September 18 that disrupted emergency calls in multiple states, linked to three tragic deaths. The pressure is mounting on Optus as it seeks to restore public trust in Australia’s second-largest telecommunications provider.
Moon faced tough questions from reporters about Rue’s leadership, who was appointed in November 2024 after his predecessor resigned due to a similar crisis. He defended Rue, stating, “It’s a people issue and it takes time to change and transform the people. He is here to provide the solution.” Optus Chair John Arthur echoed this sentiment, acknowledging that Rue’s efforts to change the company culture are still a “work in progress.”
The root cause of the September 18 outage has been attributed to human error during a firewall upgrade, which resulted in the failure to redirect emergency calls properly. Experts have raised significant concerns over why calls to the triple-zero system were not diverted through alternative networks, a critical redundancy known as the “camp-on mechanism.”
Minister Wells emphasized the importance of restoring confidence in the telecommunications system, stating, “Australians need to have confidence in their telcos, particularly at their time of greatest need.” She has called for Optus to implement an external review of their systems, aiming to ensure transparency and accountability moving forward. “I’ve asked Optus to find a way to have an external account in their systems so that Australians can have confidence in external investigation and advice,” Wells added.
The fallout from these outages has sparked a broader debate about the reliability of emergency services in Australia. The Australian Communications Consumer Action Network is urging Minister Wells to employ licensing powers for independent oversight of emergency systems at Optus, demanding stricter scrutiny to prevent future failures. Network CEO Carol Bennett remarked, “The community must have confidence that the emergency call system works 100 percent of the time when they most need it.”
Competition and retail expert Graeme Hughes from Griffith University stressed the necessity of a “mandatory systemic overhaul” to ensure public safety. He highlighted the failures of the camp-on failsafe during the recent outages, which could endanger lives.
As the situation develops, Optus faces increasing pressure to demonstrate that it can effectively manage its network and safeguard its customers. The ongoing investigations into the outages and the potential for regulatory changes will be critical in shaping the future of Optus and its leadership under Rue.
Stay tuned for more updates as this story unfolds.
