Australia vows to bolster resilience of telco networks after Singtel-owned Optus outage

The Australian government vowed on Sunday to enhance the resilience of telecommunications networks following a 76-minute outage at Optus, the nation's second-largest carrier. The technical glitch on Friday disrupted voice calling services in Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania, and the Northern Territory, causing intermittent call dropouts for some users.

Communications Minister Anika Wells stated that no infrastructure, including roads, bridges, poles, and wires, is entirely resilient and that efforts must be made to ensure systems are as robust as possible. Optus, owned by Singapore Telecommunications, apologized for the glitch, which the government described as deeply concerning and is currently under investigation.

In 2024, Optus faced a fine of A$12 million for failing to provide emergency call services during a nationwide outage in the previous year. Additionally, the company suffered a cyberattack in 2022 that impacted the data of approximately 9.5 million Australians.