Anger in Australia after a telecommunications failure linked to death

Australian officials have promised that the telecommunications giant Optus will face “important consequences” on a system of systems linked to several deaths.

Last week’s incident left hundreds of people in more than half of the country unable to call emergency services for 13 hours.

Optus – One of the country’s two main suppliers – said that at least three people died accordingly, and that its managing director apologized to their families and the public for “completely unacceptable” failure.

The company is under fire for its delay in the treatment of the incident – the second breakdown of this type for the company in two years – and the National Regulator of Communications Investigation.

More than 600 calls for emergency services failed last Thursday, mainly coming from South Australia, Australia-Western and the Northern Territory. At least two trips for triple-0 from the southwest of New South Wales did not connect.

However, Optus waited 40 hours to inform the public of the incident, and has also not told regulators until the question was resolved – against standard practice, said Australian Media and Communications Authority (ACMA).

Friday afternoon, during a press conference, the boss of Optus, Stephen rue, blamed the breakdown on a technical fault identified during an upgrade of the network.

He said the social protection checks made after the services were reinstated by three people had died, including a little boy, although the police have since declared that the network’s failure was “unlikely” as a cause in this case. The authorities of WA also say that they believe that a fourth person died after the failure of their call to triple-0.

In a series of updates during the weekend, Mr. Rue said that the company was not aware of the incident for 13 hours. Several customers had tried to advise the company that its network did not work, but complaints had not intensified or manipulated “as could be expected,” he said.

“I would like to reiterate how sorry I am of the very sad loss of the life of four people who could not reach emergency services if necessary,” said Mr. Rue on Sunday.

“What I can assure you is that the actions are and will be taken to make sure that this does not happen in the future.”

In a statement, an ACMA spokesperson said that the regulator was “deeply concerned” by the situation and its manipulation.

“Australians must be able to contact the emergency services whenever they need help. It is the most fundamental responsibility of all telecommunications suppliers to the public.”

The regulator previously noted that Optus had not given access to the emergency call services for 2,145 people during a breakdown in 2023, then did not check 369 people affected later. It was affected with more than $ 12 million ($ 8 million; 6 million pounds sterling) in penalties.

The Minister of Communications, Anika Wells, said on Monday that telecommunications providers had “no excuse” for the triple 0 appeal failures and that she had spoken to Mr. Rue – who, according to the Prime Minister, should consider resignation.

“You would not be surprised to hear that I expressed my incredible disappointment that we are again so quickly. Or here again.”

The company had “perpetuated a huge failure to the Australian people” and would face “important consequences”, she said.

Surveys are still underway, but Mr. Rue said that he intended to give public updates daily “as more information becomes known”.