Optus outage caused by Chennai-based team error during firewall upgrade
Optus, owned by Singapore’s Singtel, has attributed a deadly triple-zero outage to human error by a joint team in Australia and Chennai, sparking investigations after emergency services were inaccessible for more than 480 customers.
- Optus' 13-hour emergency service outage was caused by human error during a firewall upgrade.
- The first step of the upgrade procedure was not followed by a joint team from Australia and Chennai.
- At least three deaths have been linked to the failure, prompting an independent review.
A failure to follow basic upgrade procedures by a team involving staff based in both Australia and Chennai, India, has been identified as the cause of last week’s nationwide emergency services outage affecting Optus users. The incident disrupted over 631 triple-zero calls across a 13-hour window and has been linked to at least three deaths.
According to Optus chief executive Stephen Rue, the outage on 18 September stemmed from human error during a firewall upgrade process. The initial step—diverting calls from a section of the core network—was not performed, resulting in a failure of critical emergency communications infrastructure.
“Preliminary investigations have determined that on the first night of the upgrade, the steps taken on past successful upgrades of a similar nature were not followed,” Rue told the media.
The upgrade was conducted by a mixed team comprising Optus and third-party Nokia engineers, located both in Australia and in Chennai. Although Rue acknowledged the Chennai involvement, he denied the failure was a result of outsourcing or cost-cutting.
“This is not about Nokia. This is about Optus's accountability to ensure its network operates,” he said, adding that responsibility lies with Optus for the failure to safeguard core network continuity.
The incident has caused major reputational damage to the telecommunications provider. Rue offered a public apology, stating, “There are no words that can express how sorry I am about the very sad loss of the lives of four people who could not reach emergency services in their time of need.”
Optus, a wholly owned subsidiary of Singapore telecommunications giant Singtel, disclosed that 86 of the 631 customers who failed to connect to triple zero were eventually able to reach emergency services, largely by “camping on” to other networks such as Telstra or TPG. However, around 480 customers were left without access.
The telco also admitted that five individuals contacted its customer service line to report the triple-zero issue, but the problem was not escalated internally. This internal failure delayed any recognition of the disruption, further compounding its impact.
Communications Minister Anika Wells has confirmed that the Australian Media and Communications Authority is conducting a formal investigation. She warned that Optus would face “significant consequences” and that the government may initiate broader reforms into the emergency services network.
“This failure is unacceptable. Telcos will be held to account to ensure this does not happen again,” Wells stated.
In response to public and regulatory pressure, Optus has commissioned an independent review, led by Kerry Schott, a prominent infrastructure and governance expert. Schott will examine how Optus managed its emergency call routing and whether it complied with established protocols and legal obligations.
The review is expected to be completed before the end of the year and will also evaluate Optus’ adherence to recommendations made after a similar 2023 outage, for which the company was fined S$12 million.
John Arthur, Chairman of the Optus Board, issued an apology and assured that the board is working closely with Rue to ensure such incidents are not repeated.
“What has occurred is clearly unacceptable, and on behalf of the Board, I apologise for this failure in our accountability to all those who relied on our triple-zero services,” Arthur said. He extended condolences to the families of those who lost their lives during the incident.
Parent company Singtel, headquartered in Singapore, has also responded. Group chief executive Yuen Kuan Moon said he was “deeply sorry” for the lives lost and confirmed that Singtel would work with Optus to support a thorough investigation.
Singtel has invested more than S$9.3 billion into Optus over the past five years, much of it directed at upgrading network infrastructure across Australia.
The outage comes less than a year after Rue’s appointment as Optus CEO, following the resignation of Kelly Bayer Rosmarin in the wake of the 2023 outage. With this being Optus' second major triple-zero service failure in two years, Rue now faces increasing scrutiny over leadership and operational oversight.
While current investigations are focused on the events of 18 September, the broader telecommunications industry may also come under regulatory examination, particularly around shared responsibility for emergency network resilience.
