Optus Blunders: Triple Zero Outage Sparks Crisis After Five Warnings Ignored

Breaking News: Optus Admits Process Not Followed After Triple Zero Outage In a shocking revelation, Australian telecommunications company Optus has admitted that it failed to follow established processes after missing at least five warnings of a triple zero outage that left hundreds of emergency calls unanswered. The outage occurred on Thursday at 12:30am and affected South Australia, Western Australia, and the Northern Territory. Timeline of Events 12:30am Thursday: Optus' botched firewall update blocks hundreds of calls to triple zero. Hours before the outage was realized, Optus received at least five calls from customers unable to contact emergency services, which were routed to an offshore customer call centre. Optus did not immediately respond to these calls, despite being aware of the issue. Immediate Impact and Response The Australian government is under pressure to ensure stiff penalties are imposed on Optus for its failure. Emergency Management Minister Murray Watt blasted the telco as "absolutely disgraceful" and called for an investigation into the incident. Optus' Chief Executive Stephen Rue apologized for the outage, stating that established processes were not followed. Background Context This is not the first time Optus has faced criticism for its handling of emergency services. In 2020, the company was fined $10 million for failing to provide adequate support during a bushfire crisis in Australia. The incident highlights concerns about the reliability and resilience of critical infrastructure in the face of technological failures. What Happens Next The Australian government is expected to launch an investigation into the outage and review Optus' emergency response procedures. Optus has promised to take immediate action to prevent similar incidents in the future. As the world grapples with the increasing reliance on technology, this incident serves as a stark reminder of the importance of robust infrastructure and effective crisis management. *This story is developing. Information compiled from Theguardian reporting.*