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Optus, Australia’s second-largest telecom carrier, has appointed Kerry Schott to head an independent investigation into the technical failure that disrupted Triple Zero emergency services on September 18. The outage, lasting 13 hours, has been linked to four deaths and affected hundreds of customers across the country.
According to Optus, the disruption stemmed from a deviation in standard procedures during a firewall upgrade, which caused widespread service interruptions and hindered emergency call capabilities. The company estimates that around 600 customers were directly impacted by the incident, making it one of the most serious network failures in recent years.
The review, to be completed by year-end, will examine the root causes of the outage as well as the operational processes and protocols surrounding the event. Optus confirmed that the findings will be reported to its board and released publicly. This step underscores the company’s efforts to restore public trust after facing significant criticism from government officials and consumers over the handling of the failure.
Kerry Schott brings extensive governance and regulatory experience to the role. She currently serves as a non-executive director at AGL Energy and is chair of both the Carbon Market Institute and the Australian Government’s Competition Review Panel. Her leadership in the review aims to ensure transparency and accountability in assessing what went wrong and how similar incidents can be prevented in the future.
Singapore Telecommunications, the parent company of Optus, expressed its full support for the review. CEO Yuen Kuan Moon emphasized that Singtel will continue backing Optus’s board and management as they work through the aftermath of the outage.
The findings of this investigation will be closely watched by regulators, industry stakeholders, and customers, as they could influence future standards for emergency service reliability in Australia’s telecommunications sector.
