A significant outage has crippled the services of a major telecommunications company in Australia, leading to disruptions in mobile phone networks and electronic payment systems, affecting millions of customers.
Australian Minister for Communications, Michelle Roland, expressed significant concern as the country grapples with efforts by Optus, the second-largest provider of mobile, landline, and internet services in Australia, to restore its network.
Dozens of hospitals were reportedly unable to receive phone calls, and there were reports that some of Optus’ landline connections were unable to access emergency services.
Optus, which boasts over ten million customers in Australia, stated that it was aware of an issue affecting mobile phone and internet services.
Train services in Melbourne experienced a brief disruption due to communications failure, but it was not immediately clear if this was related to the outage experienced by Optus.
The outage has raised concerns about the vulnerability of Australia’s telecommunications infrastructure and the need for robust backup systems to minimize disruptions in the future.
As the country relies heavily on electronic communications for daily activities, including healthcare and transportation, ensuring the reliability and resilience of its telecommunications networks remains a critical priority.
