Optus Network Upgrade Causes Triple Zero Outage, Three Deaths in Australia

Optus experienced a technical failure during a network upgrade that impacted Triple Zero emergency calls across South Australia, Northern Territory, and Western Australia, potentially affecting around 600 customers. This outage tragically coincided with the deaths of three individuals—two in South Australia and one in Western Australia—as confirmed by Optus CEO Stephen Rue. The failure has since been rectified, and Optus is conducting welfare checks and a thorough investigation into the incident, promising full cooperation with government agencies. Rue publicly apologized for the outage, expressed condolences to the families affected, and acknowledged the gravity of the failure in emergency services connection. The company committed to transparency by pledging to share the investigation's findings once concluded. The incident highlights significant vulnerabilities in critical emergency communication infrastructure during network maintenance.