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Optus reports national outage affecting millions of customers
Optus mobile services are down across the country, affecting millions of Australian customers and businesses.
Key points:
Over 10 million customers and 400,000 businesses are affected by the outage
Train services in Melbourne went down briefly and further delays are expected
Optus says it is working to resolve the issue
The outage was first reported about 4am AEDT, with Optus customers across the country scouring social media to find out what was happening.
Mobile phones are unable to make and receive calls and mobile internet services are also down.
"Optus is aware of an issue that may be impacting some of our mobile and internet customers," the company wrote in a statement.
"We are currently working to identify the cause and apologise for any inconvenience.
"In case of an emergency customers can still call triple zero."
Optus working to restore services 'as quickly as possible'
Optus services have been down since early this morning, with the telecommunication company telling customers it's working "urgently" to get back up and running.
Federal authorities are checking whether the outage is the result of a cyber attack, although, at this stage, they do not believe it is a hack.
Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said the government is seeking further information from Optus about the outage, and when the company expects services to be restored.
"We urge Optus to utilise other mechanisms, including broadcasting, radio, and television to get these messages out," she told ABC Radio National.
"Because I'm out in Quakers Hill this morning and people are asking me questions.
"They're very anxious and I think, so long as people know something is happening, that people are on the job, and they have some expectations, then I think that will allay some concerns that are there right now."
She says the disruptions are concerning and connectivity is essential for Australian consumers and businesses.
Ambulance issues
A carer told ABC Radio Melbourne this morning that he had difficulty calling an ambulance.
"One of my patients had a cardiac arrest, I couldn't call an ambulance," he said.
"I had to run out on the street and borrow a phone from someone walking his dog."
The Victorian Ambulance Union says nationwide Optus outages are stopping emergency services from calling back patients.
Ambulance union secretary Danny Hill has told ABC Radio Melbourne, ambulances are still able to be dispatched, but they can't call people back for further information.
Hospital services impacted
All major hospitals in Melbourne were also impacted by the outage, including Victoria's Virtual Emergency Department.
Northern Health, which manages hospitals in the city's outer north, reported phone lines into its campuses were down and apologised for the inconvenience.
A woman in Seymour has told ABC Radio Melbourne she can't contact her mother in the Northern Hospital in Epping after she was admitted overnight.
"I am worried sick," she said.
"I'm a little anxious and emotional, just really quite unsure as to what to do next."
Hospitals in the Metro North Hospital and Health Service in Brisbane said it is also affected by the outage.
"A major Optus Network outage is currently affecting the ability for some patients and staff to contact Metro North Health and access our services," it said in a statement.
"Please be aware that some patients may not be able to attend and/or notify about the cancellation of appointments due to this."
In regional New South Wales, the outage has caused widespread disruptions to services.
In a social media post Ramsey Health Care says its telephone services have been interrupted by the Optus network outage.
The private provider services 73 hospitals across the country, including Shepparton Private Hospital and Albury-Wodonga Private hospital.
Ramsay Health Care is recommending anyone who needs to contact one of their hospitals to use the contact form on the local hospital’s website.
In Victoria, South West Healthcare is unable to take external calls from the public due to the outage.
A spokesperson said the organisation's facilities, which includes Warrnambool Base Hospital, is temporarily diverting main switchboards to Telstra mobile numbers.
Businesses back in the 'Stone Age'
Businesses are feeling the fallout of the Optus outage this morning too.
Sydney cafe owner John Chen said his EFTPOS machine, network systems and mobile are all currently down.
"Customers cannot pay their bills … people are back to the Stone Age, coins only," he told ABC News Sydney.
John Chen may have to close his cafe for the day if the service isn't back up and running soon. (ABC News)
He predicted that 95 per cent of his foot traffic rely on card payments, and said he's concerned about how the outage will play out if it's not resolved soon.
"I might have to shut the business down for the day. There's no trading today."
Mark Mallison usually makes his business calls and checks work emails during his morning commute from Manly to the office.
"I've been going crazy … I've been wondering if there's problems with me paying my bill – what the issue is," he said.
Mark Mallison says he was unable to make his business calls and emails during his commute to work. (ABC News)
Mr Mallison also catches up with his relatives in Scotland every morning, and said his parents are probably wondering why he hasn't called today.
"It's actually put me out an hour behind everything he said. "The amount I'd lose business-wise is absolutely crazy."
400,000 businesses use the service.
A message on the Optus website says that its engineers are currently investigating a network fault that is impacting customers.
It has also responded to customers on the social media site X, formerly known as Twitter, saying that its working to restore services as a priority.
Melbourne trains affected
Metro Trains said its systems failed this morning, and it was unable to rely on its back-up system which uses the Optus mobile network.
Services have now resumed but passengers are being warned there will be delays and should reconsider their travel options until further notice.
"We apologise to our passengers for the delay to their travel this morning after a communications outage stopped trains on the metropolitan network," Metro Trains CEO Raymond O'Flaherty said.
"Our engineers worked quickly to rectify the issue and we were able to resume trains shortly before 6am.
"We thank passengers for their patience while trains return to their normal timetable."
One passenger in Melbourne's inner-west said she got off a V-Line train at Footscray only to be told services had been cancelled and she couldn’t get to work in the city.
One commuter vented her frustration, telling ABC News Breakfast "They're leaving people stranded". (ABC News)
"Well it's leaving people stranded and they haven’t got [replacement] buses yet. Nobody knows what they’re doing," she told ABC News Breakfast.
Another passenger said she couldn't believe it.
"This is out of nowhere," she said.
"This is totally unexpected, I have never thought this thing would happen."
Optus is the second largest telecommunications carrier in Australia with over 10 million customers.
It is also affecting other carriers that use the Optus mobile network such as Amaysim.
Year 12 student exam concerns
In Victoria, year 12 students are currently completing their end-of-year exams.
There have been concerns some students may miss crucial VCE tests between a combination of the Optus failure, and after Melbourne's train network failed this morning.
A Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority spokesperson said this morning's VCE chemistry exam would be going ahead.
"The VCAA will work with metro schools to support students impacted by travel delays," they said.
Optus reports national outage affecting millions of customers
Optus says it is aware of an issue impacting mobile and internet customers, with services down since early this morning across the country.
www.abc.net.au
Optus reports national outage affecting millions of customers
Optus mobile services are down across the country, affecting millions of Australian customers and businesses.
Key points:
Over 10 million customers and 400,000 businesses are affected by the outage
Train services in Melbourne went down briefly and further delays are expected
Optus says it is working to resolve the issue
The outage was first reported about 4am AEDT, with Optus customers across the country scouring social media to find out what was happening.
Mobile phones are unable to make and receive calls and mobile internet services are also down.
"Optus is aware of an issue that may be impacting some of our mobile and internet customers," the company wrote in a statement.
"We are currently working to identify the cause and apologise for any inconvenience.
"In case of an emergency customers can still call triple zero."
Optus working to restore services 'as quickly as possible'
Optus services have been down since early this morning, with the telecommunication company telling customers it's working "urgently" to get back up and running.
Federal authorities are checking whether the outage is the result of a cyber attack, although, at this stage, they do not believe it is a hack.
Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said the government is seeking further information from Optus about the outage, and when the company expects services to be restored.
"We urge Optus to utilise other mechanisms, including broadcasting, radio, and television to get these messages out," she told ABC Radio National.
"Because I'm out in Quakers Hill this morning and people are asking me questions.
"They're very anxious and I think, so long as people know something is happening, that people are on the job, and they have some expectations, then I think that will allay some concerns that are there right now."
She says the disruptions are concerning and connectivity is essential for Australian consumers and businesses.
Ambulance issues
A carer told ABC Radio Melbourne this morning that he had difficulty calling an ambulance.
"One of my patients had a cardiac arrest, I couldn't call an ambulance," he said.
"I had to run out on the street and borrow a phone from someone walking his dog."
The Victorian Ambulance Union says nationwide Optus outages are stopping emergency services from calling back patients.
Ambulance union secretary Danny Hill has told ABC Radio Melbourne, ambulances are still able to be dispatched, but they can't call people back for further information.
Hospital services impacted
All major hospitals in Melbourne were also impacted by the outage, including Victoria's Virtual Emergency Department.
Northern Health, which manages hospitals in the city's outer north, reported phone lines into its campuses were down and apologised for the inconvenience.
A woman in Seymour has told ABC Radio Melbourne she can't contact her mother in the Northern Hospital in Epping after she was admitted overnight.
"I am worried sick," she said.
"I'm a little anxious and emotional, just really quite unsure as to what to do next."
Hospitals in the Metro North Hospital and Health Service in Brisbane said it is also affected by the outage.
"A major Optus Network outage is currently affecting the ability for some patients and staff to contact Metro North Health and access our services," it said in a statement.
"Please be aware that some patients may not be able to attend and/or notify about the cancellation of appointments due to this."
In regional New South Wales, the outage has caused widespread disruptions to services.
In a social media post Ramsey Health Care says its telephone services have been interrupted by the Optus network outage.
The private provider services 73 hospitals across the country, including Shepparton Private Hospital and Albury-Wodonga Private hospital.
Ramsay Health Care is recommending anyone who needs to contact one of their hospitals to use the contact form on the local hospital’s website.
In Victoria, South West Healthcare is unable to take external calls from the public due to the outage.
A spokesperson said the organisation's facilities, which includes Warrnambool Base Hospital, is temporarily diverting main switchboards to Telstra mobile numbers.
Businesses back in the 'Stone Age'
Businesses are feeling the fallout of the Optus outage this morning too.
Sydney cafe owner John Chen said his EFTPOS machine, network systems and mobile are all currently down.
"Customers cannot pay their bills … people are back to the Stone Age, coins only," he told ABC News Sydney.
John Chen may have to close his cafe for the day if the service isn't back up and running soon. (ABC News)
He predicted that 95 per cent of his foot traffic rely on card payments, and said he's concerned about how the outage will play out if it's not resolved soon.
"I might have to shut the business down for the day. There's no trading today."
Mark Mallison usually makes his business calls and checks work emails during his morning commute from Manly to the office.
"I've been going crazy … I've been wondering if there's problems with me paying my bill – what the issue is," he said.
Mark Mallison says he was unable to make his business calls and emails during his commute to work. (ABC News)
Mr Mallison also catches up with his relatives in Scotland every morning, and said his parents are probably wondering why he hasn't called today.
"It's actually put me out an hour behind everything he said. "The amount I'd lose business-wise is absolutely crazy."
400,000 businesses use the service.
A message on the Optus website says that its engineers are currently investigating a network fault that is impacting customers.
It has also responded to customers on the social media site X, formerly known as Twitter, saying that its working to restore services as a priority.
Melbourne trains affected
Metro Trains said its systems failed this morning, and it was unable to rely on its back-up system which uses the Optus mobile network.
Services have now resumed but passengers are being warned there will be delays and should reconsider their travel options until further notice.
"We apologise to our passengers for the delay to their travel this morning after a communications outage stopped trains on the metropolitan network," Metro Trains CEO Raymond O'Flaherty said.
"Our engineers worked quickly to rectify the issue and we were able to resume trains shortly before 6am.
"We thank passengers for their patience while trains return to their normal timetable."
One passenger in Melbourne's inner-west said she got off a V-Line train at Footscray only to be told services had been cancelled and she couldn’t get to work in the city.
One commuter vented her frustration, telling ABC News Breakfast "They're leaving people stranded". (ABC News)
"Well it's leaving people stranded and they haven’t got [replacement] buses yet. Nobody knows what they’re doing," she told ABC News Breakfast.
Another passenger said she couldn't believe it.
"This is out of nowhere," she said.
"This is totally unexpected, I have never thought this thing would happen."
Optus is the second largest telecommunications carrier in Australia with over 10 million customers.
It is also affecting other carriers that use the Optus mobile network such as Amaysim.
Year 12 student exam concerns
In Victoria, year 12 students are currently completing their end-of-year exams.
There have been concerns some students may miss crucial VCE tests between a combination of the Optus failure, and after Melbourne's train network failed this morning.
A Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority spokesperson said this morning's VCE chemistry exam would be going ahead.
"The VCAA will work with metro schools to support students impacted by travel delays," they said.
