Senate report into Optus outage recommends greater accountability

The Senate’s Environment and Communications References Committee has released its final report on the Optus Network Outage, recommending greater technological safeguards and more public accountability from telecommunications companies in the event of future outages.

The outage on 8 November 2023 affected around 10 million Optus customers and 400,000 businesses, with some going without mobile or internet service on the day for as long as 12 hours. Of particular concern was the fact that around 2700 Triple Zero calls (originally thought to be just 228) did not reach the Emergency Call Person on the day of the outage, due to a technical fault which stopped the calls from being picked up by other networks. A Senate inquiry into the outage was called the very next day, with the committee handing down its final report on 27 September 2024.

The committee found that Optus’s public communications during the outage were “manifestly inadequate”, noting that the company relied on social media between 6.30 and 10.40 am — despite the fact that affected customers did not have internet access — with the first public interview made by then-CEO Kelly Bayer Rosmarin finally coming more than six hours after the outage began. The committee also noted deficiencies in Optus’s communications with government and essential service organisations, with the latter facing challenges responding to emergencies during the outage due to a lack of timely information from Optus.

The committee said that Optus’s actions after the outage have done little to assuage concerns that the company may respond differently in future, particularly given its previous communication lapse regarding the malicious breach of its customers’ data in 2022. This highlighted to the committee that there are currently no standard requirements for how carriers are to communicate with stakeholders during a mass service disruption.

The report made a total of seven recommendations, including a call for a mandatory plan for telcos that obliges them to communicate effectively to government, emergency services and the public during outages. It recommended that the government work with telcos to examine large-scale network roaming arrangements for major outages, and that it should amend the Security of Critical Infrastructure Act 2018 to clarify that telcos are included as critical infrastructure providers.

The report also suggested the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) set up a dispute resolution process to ensure appropriate compensation is paid in mass outages, with telcos brought under the Customer Service Guarantee (CSG) so they are legally required to provide compensation. The TIO said it looks forward to working with government on the development of a fair and reasonable compensation scheme, supporting the committee’s recommendation that the CSG be reviewed and updated so that it reflects how people use telecommunications services.

“The TIO will be making a submission to the ACMA’s consultation on new rules for communication during major events and will work with stakeholders to ensure that there is a fairer system for consumers to seek compensation during times of mass disruption,” said Ombudsman Cynthia Gebert.

The Senate committee was chaired by Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, who said the final report “raises the bar for all telcos in the future”.

“These recommendations mean telcos need to work with the Australian Government and cooperate with one another to deliver large-scale network roaming and mutual assistance arrangements in the event of future outages,” she said.

“I will work with my Senate colleagues to implement these recommendations in the public interest.”

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