Optus outage hits millions: Services slowly coming back for some customers, cause remains unknown - 9News

Mobile and internet services are continuing to return for some of the millions of Optus customers hit by today's massive outage, but it could still be hours before the entire network is fully restored.

Optus CEO Kelly Bayer Rosmarin said the telco has "no line of sight" into the root cause of the outage that knocked the network out this morning, but that a fix is on the way.

How quickly that fix will fully come into effect remains unclear, and Optus hasn't released an update on the situation since about 1pm.

A major Optus outage hit hospitals, including emergency departments, as millions of customers report issues with the network. (Nine)

"Well, the good news is that we have a path to restoring the whole network, and so we're bringing it up progressively as we speak," Bayer Rosmarin told 2GB around lunchtime.

"It is up and running in some places."

The outage preventing Optus customers from making calls and accessing mobile data began at about 4am.

In a statement released just after 1pm, the telco said it would take hours longer for services to return.

"We reiterate our apology to customers for the nationwide service outage that has occurred this morning," a spokesperson said.

"Some services across fixed and mobile are now gradually being restored.

"This may take a few hours for all services to recover and different services may restore at different sites over that time."

Optus CEO Kelly Bayer Rosmarin said she will look at the possibility of compensation for affected customers later. (Michael Quelch)

She said on several occasions that she was "very, very sorry" for the outage.

Optus mobile customers reported their phones showing SOS on the signal indicator, which is a sign that your regular network is down, but that your phone has access to alternate networks in the event of an emergency call.

Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said Triple Zero had confirmed that fallback, known as "camping", was working.

But she said Optus landlines did not have access to the same technology.

However, the telco said it had received reports of mobile customers having issues contacting the emergency number.

"We are aware of some mobile phones having issues connecting to Triple Zero," the spokesperson said.

"If Optus customers need to call emergency services, we suggest trying to find an alternative device."

The outage originated from a "deep fault" within the network, but the specific cause remains a mystery.

Rowland said Optus had not offered a timeline for a fix, and she urged the network to be "transparent" and "timely" with its updates for customers.

She said there was no indication the outage was due to a cyberattack, a position the Department of Home Affairs also took earlier.

The government will continue to work with telcos to ensure access to emergency lines stays open for Australians, she said.

A number of government state and federal agencies were being monitored for how the outage has affected them, but Rowland didn't specify which ones.

However, it's been revealed that Australians are unable to contact either the ATO or the Department of Home Affairs due to the outage, according to 2GB's Chris O'Keefe.

Rowland said it was too soon to consider the issue of potential reparations for affected customers.

But she urged small businesses to "keep receipts" during the time they were affected.

Linked networks such as Dodo and Amaysim have also been affected.

9news.com.au can also confirm there are reports from Optus Home Broadband customers that their NBN connections are down, potentially indicating a deeper issue within the Optus network.

Commonwealth Bank has also warned customers may be experiencing difficulties in contacting or receiving messages from the bank, including NetCode messages.

"If you need to contact us, you can still message us through the CommBank app, but there may be delays," the bank said online.

"Our other services including ATMs, NetBank, CommBank app, CommBiz and merchant terminals are also still available. We apologise for the inconvenience."

Hackers stole data from almost 10 million Optus customers last year. (Adobe Stock)

'Deep and significant problem'

Rowland earlier told 2GB radio Optus faced a "deep and significant problem".

"The understanding I have at this time is it is affecting both broadband and mobile services," she said.

She said it had been a "very frustrating morning" for many around the country, and urged Optus to keep the public updated.

Today tech expert Trevor Long, who also contributed to this story, said the "knock-on" effect of the outage could make this morning's outage the biggest in recent memory.

"Businesses that rely on Optus for payments and communication, they will be crippled this morning," he told Today.

"And this is without question the biggest telco outage we have ever seen because it spans both home Wi-Fi and broadband."

The Optus website said its engineers were investigating a network fault.

In the hours after the outage, the network messaged concerned customers.

"We apologise for any inconvenience caused while we have the issue resolved," it said.

OPTUS OUTAGE: What we know so far

• The network outage was first reported at 4.05am, and is reportedly caused by a "deep fault" in Optus' network.
• Up to 10 million people have been affected, alongside businesses, hospitals and banks.
• Landline customers are unable to call triple zero (000), but mobile users can reach the emergency line.

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMifGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LjluZXdzLmNvbS5hdS9uYXRpb25hbC9vcHR1cy1vdXRhZ2UtYXVzdHJhbGlhLXdpZGUtbWlsbGlvbnMtYWZmZWN0ZWQtdXBkYXRlcy83MDUwMWFhZi05YmI3LTQ1ZWQtOTU2OS1jZjY4MmU1ZThiYzXSAQA?oc=5

2023-11-08 05:39:15Z
2600151403

Bagikan Berita Ini