Meanwhile, Optus, one of Australia’s Big Three telecommunication companies, was crippled by a calamitous 13-hour outage that has sent shudders through a sector enjoying near-booming fortunes. The company disclosed the breach—after some public pressure—on late Friday evening. Yet for months, critics have bashed its response for offering little, if any, quick and detailed information about the outbreak. While Optus did estimate the impact of the outage, they failed to adequately calculate the number of calls that failed. This featured 2,100 people who felt that they couldn’t access emergency services via triple-0. The disruption was truly catastrophic in scope and impact. Unfortunately, reports suggest that the recent outage was responsible for at least three deaths.
The Australian government and the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) are continuing to investigate Optus’ shortcomings. This ongoing investigation has sparked much needed conversation about accountability in the telecom industry. Optus’ new CEO, Stephen Rue, is feeling the heat as he steers the telco through these choppy waters. Real change Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has hinted that Rue should seriously consider his position as head of leadership.
Inadequate Response and Welfare Check Failures
Optus was widely condemned in the wake of the outage for failing to carry out welfare checks on hundreds of affected people. The company did not take reasonable measures to protect its customers’ safety while they went through this very vulnerable time. In doing so, it opened itself up to some heavy backlash. The ACMA announced today that Optus misled the request with false or missing information. This misinformation continued to obscure their response to the coming crisis.
Furthermore, Optus was slapped with a $12 million penalty due to its shortcomings. The company failed to conduct basic welfare checks that it should have been conducting. This punishment brings home the severity of their misstep. It further bolsters their assertion that telecommunications companies should always be held accountable to their constituents, particularly in times of emergency.
“We absolutely need to see a triple-0 custodian put in place as soon as possible.” – Carol Bennett
This need for an independent custodian to oversee emergency services has gained significant traction in the wake of these incidents. Stakeholders urge Congress to make reliability of emergency communications a top priority to keep Americans safe.
Government and Regulatory Investigations
The Australian federal government is currently pursuing an investigation into Optus’ response to the outage in partnership with the ACMA. Communications Minister Anika Wells has, so far, been a steadfast advocate for transparency and accountability on this front. The government needs to work out if their regulatory frameworks are strong enough to stop these kinds of problems from arising in the future.
Inspired by this incident, the Bean review, published in 2014, made 18 recommendations. These recommendations address protecting telecommunications infrastructure and improving emergency service protocols. Stakeholders from both industry and advocacy are calling for action now to carry out these recommendations to prevent more deadly incidents from threatening the safety of the public.
“The most urgent step is for the government to appoint an independent technical expert.” – Carol Bennett
Bennett’s statement witnesses the need for experienced federal overseers in order to amend systemic weaknesses in the ever-uncertain telecommunications universe. The ultimate objective, of course, is to restore public confidence in our community’s emergency response systems.
Impact on Public Trust and Industry Accountability
The cumulative impacts of Optus’ outages over this past year have made consumers question the stability and care put into telecommunications services all across Australia. As the biggest suppliers continue to deal with growing oversight, it’s increasingly important for them to show they are getting more reliable and responsive.
The recent tragedies have been enough to wake up the whole industry to reality. They further highlight the need for robust emergency response plans and reliable public communication infrastructure. Stakeholders are calling for renewed efforts to ensure that similar outages do not occur in the future and that customers can depend on their providers during critical moments.
