A scathing internal investigation has laid bare a series of critical failures at Optus that left Australians unable to reach emergency services for 14 hours, a catastrophic breakdown linked to two tragic deaths.
A Cascade of Human and System Failures
The report, examining the major network outage in September, identified 10 major procedural failures that together caused the prolonged Triple-0 service collapse. The incident occurred during a routine network upgrade, but the investigation found a widespread lack of care and discipline within the company's processes.
According to the findings, network engineers responsible for the upgrade failed to attend key project meetings designed to assess the impact of the planned work. Furthermore, the systems Optus relied on to monitor its Triple-0 services were found to be completely inadequate, unable to detect the impending failure.
Telecommunications expert Paul Budde described the situation as "very, very damaging" for the brand, labelling it "absolutely a systematic problem." Tech commentator Stephen Fenech echoed this, stating, "All the major factors here are human error. It's not a good look for the company." The report criticised Optus for prioritising speed over robust and proper procedures.
Recommendations and Questions of Independence
The investigation made 21 recommendations for Optus to implement. Key among them are plans to move the entire Optus operations centre onshore, improve coordination between internal departments, and inform customers that it can take up to 60 seconds to connect a Triple-0 call. Optus has publicly accepted all of the recommendations.
However, the independence of the report's findings has been questioned. Shadow communications minister Melissa McIntosh pointed out, "We have to remember this is an in-house investigation by Optus." When 7NEWS requested an interview with Optus to discuss how the changes would be implemented, the company declined the opportunity.
Irreparable Damage to Trust
For many customers, the damage from the 14-hour outage, which occurred at a time when vulnerable Australians needed emergency help the most, appears irreversible. The brand damage is considered indisputable by analysts.
The human cost of the failure was underscored by the loss of two lives during the period when Triple-0 calls were failing. When asked if they now trust the company, one customer's response was blunt: "Nah, not at all. Not at all." This sentiment reflects a significant challenge for Optus as it attempts to rebuild public confidence following this systemic failure.
