November 8th 2024.
Last year, Optus, a well-known telecommunications company, was fined a hefty $12 million for failing to connect over 2000 people to emergency services during a nationwide network outage. The incident happened on November 8, 2023, when a routine software upgrade caused a major outage for millions of Optus customers. This news was announced by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) earlier this week.
According to the ACMA, Optus was unable to provide access to the emergency call triple-zero service for 2145 individuals during the 14-hour outage. Additionally, the company also failed to conduct welfare checks on 369 people who had attempted to make an emergency call. As a result, they were slapped with a $12 million fine by the watchdog.
Nerida O'Loughlin, the chair of ACMA, expressed disappointment in Optus for its management of the network and stated that the outage could have been avoided. She emphasized the importance of the triple-zero service, as any failure to connect during an emergency could have dire consequences for public health and safety.
The federal government conducted a separate review of the outage and uncovered other shortcomings on the part of Optus. This led to the implementation of new industry standards, including better communication between telcos and their customers and other stakeholders during an outage, as well as increased oversight of the triple-zero network. To stay updated on all the latest news, sport, politics, and weather, you can download the 9News app from the Apple App Store or Google Play. The app also sends notifications straight to your smartphone, keeping you informed at all times.
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