Optus to outline changes in triple-zero outage probe
Optus is set to unveil changes to culture and operations following the deadly triple zero outage.
The Sept. 18 outage, which lasted almost 14 hours, affected hundreds of triple-zero calls across four states and territories and was linked to two deaths as emergency calls failed.
The parliamentary inquiry into the incident will hold a public hearing in Canberra on Thursday.
Kerry Schott, who has completed the independent review into the outage, will be the first to give evidence.
The experienced manager made 21 recommendations after finding gaps in the telecommunication process, accountability, escalation and information protocols.
The Optus board accepted all the recommendations and agreed to “act quickly” to implement them.
Optus bosses, including CEO Stephen Rue, are expected to outline what the telecoms industry has changed since the outage.
This includes technical work and an overhaul of staff and culture to ensure devices can access emergency services.
Optus is a wholly owned subsidiary of Singapore-based telecommunications group Singtel, and a representative of it will also be involved in the investigation.
Complaints about mobile phone triple-zero cuts have increased following the Optus outage, the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman said.
Complaints to the Ombudsman increased by 3.6 percent between October and December, to more than 14,000.
More than 6,000 of these were related to mobile services.
NSW Ambulance and the National Emergency Management Agency will attend the hearing, as well as Apple Australia and Google Australia.
In a submission to the inquiry in November, Optus said it accepted responsibility for its failures.
“As one of Australia’s leading telecommunications providers, we understand that maintaining uninterrupted access to emergency calls is essential to public safety and community trust,” the presentation said.
The telecommunications company expressed its “deepest condolences” to the families and friends of the deceased.
“Optis apologizes to them and anyone else who sought help that day but was unable to get through,” he said.
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