Optus pays $8M in fines for Triple Zero failure during 2023 network outageOptus pays $8M in fines for Triple Zero failure during 2023 network outage

Singtel-owned Optus has paid fines of more than $12 million Australian dollars (US$8 million) a year after thousands of customers were unable to make Triple Zero emergency calls during a major network outage that also left more than 10 million people without phone and Internet connections.

The penalties come after an investigation by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) found that 2,145 people were unable to make emergency calls during the 14-hour network outage in November 2023. The Australian telecom watchdog also found that Optus failed to carry out 369 welfare checks on people who tried to make emergency calls during the outage.

ACMA chair Nerida O'Loughlin said the size of the penalty reflected the critical nature of the breaches.

"Triple Zero availability is the most fundamental service telcos must provide to the public. When an emergency call fails to connect there can be devastating consequences for public health and safety," she said in a statement Friday.

"Our findings indicate that Optus failed in the management of its network in a number of areas and that the outage should have been preventable," she added.

An Australian Senate inquiry into the Optus network crash called for mandatory public disclosure rules for major outages and the introduction of domestic roaming.

Related:Australian senate report assails Optus over lack of disclosure during outage

In a report released at the end of September, the Senate Environment and Communications Committee said the display of poor public communication highlighted the lack of compulsory standards for how carriers should communicate during service disruptions.

The committee called on the ACMA to work with the industry to establish "an enforceable communications standard for carriers that obliges them to communicate to government, emergency services and the public during national outages."

Improve telecom performance during network outages

The ACMA stated that it has already made updates to the Telecommunications (Emergency Call Service) Determination 2019.

It added that a new industry standard is being developed that will require a minimum level of customer communication from telecom companies during outages and will make changes to complaint handling requirements.

"Beyond the penalties announced today by the ACMA, the Optus outage has directly led to changes for industry regulatory obligations in relation to emergency call services," O'Loughlin said.

"This will require further actions and investment by telcos, including Optus, to provide better safeguards for consumers and enhance the Triple Zero ecosystem so that Australians can have even greater confidence they will be able to get through to emergency services when they need it," she added.

Related:Optus sued for 'unconscionable' sales practices

According to the ACMA, following a post-incident review, the government agreed to a comprehensive set of regulatory and other measures to improve the performance of the entire telecom sector in dealing with network outages.

These include requiring operators to improve communication with their customers and other stakeholders during an outage, increasing oversight of the Triple Zero ecosystem, regularly testing systems and ensuring that emergency calls can be seamlessly and consistently routed to other carriers when needed.