Optus outage cuts off about 40 emergency calls
An Optus outage prevented around 40 calls from reaching Triple Zero emergency services across four Australian states.
An Optus network outage yesterday knocked out around 40 emergency calls trying to reach Triple Zero. The calls were from Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania, and the Northern Territory.
The outage lasted about one hour and 15 minutes. The outage started at about 1:30pm.
Victoria Police completed welfare checks on all the affected callers. None reported any bad outcomes.
Victoria's health minister called the outage incredibly disappointing and unacceptable. She noted this is the third major telecom failure in 12 months.
Both Optus and Telstra have had outages that disrupted emergency services this year.
- Around 40
- Emergency calls blocked
- One hour and 15 minutes
- Outage duration
- About 1:30pm
- Outage start time
Why it mattersWhen emergency call networks fail, people in genuine danger cannot reach help, putting lives at risk.
AustraliaAustralians across multiple states can lose emergency call access during network outages, leaving vulnerable people unable to call for help.
Corroborated bysmh.com.au·theage.com.au
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 12 d ago
