Due to a network outage at telecom behemoth Optus, millions of Australians are now without access to mobile or the internet.
With more than 10 million individual consumers and hundreds of thousands of companies, Optus is the second-largest provider in the nation.
Payment systems have failed, hospital phone lines have been disconnected, and transit delays have resulted from the outage.
Although Optus claims there is no proof of a cyberattack, the cause is unknown.
Due to a cyberattack, the corporation experienced what was thought to be the largest data breach in Australian history last year.
The disturbance temporarily disrupted train services in the state of Victoria, some hospital communications, and the ability of people nationwide to contact emergency services and important helpline numbers.
The interruption on Wednesday was first noticed around 04:00 (17:00 GMT). CEO Kelly Bayer Rosmarin provided an update after seven hours, stating that her team still hadn’t determined the cause of the issue.
She claimed, using WhatsApp to call into a local radio station, “The teams are trying many different angles and we will not rest until the service is back up for our customers.”
Later, the company announced that it has begun to restore some of its services.
Other carriers that use the Optus network, such as Amaysim, Aussie Broadband, Moose Mobile, and others, were also impacted by the disruption.
According to an Australian Broadcasting Corporation report, a customer of Optus has been unable to obtain crucial updates regarding her father’s cancer treatment due to an incident.
Danielle Hopwood stated, “I’m just waiting for results, and I can’t even get those through.”
Annie, a different consumer, told the local radio that she learned about the outage when her cat’s Wi-Fi-enabled automatic feeder stopped working.
Michelle Rowland, Australia’s Minister of Communications, stated that many Australians have been experiencing anxiety this morning and urged the corporation to provide customers with information that are “timely” and honest.
The company will provide information throughout the day, according to Ms. Bayer Rosmarin, who also expressed regret for the disturbance.
