Businesses across Australia forced to make changes due to Optus outages
Cafes, Uber drivers and even snake catchers are speaking out amid a major nationwide Optus ‘failure’. Here’s what you need to know.
Online
Don't miss out on the headlines from Online. Followed categories will be added to My News.
From cafes to Ubers to snake catchers, businesses and traders nationwide have been thrown into disarray amid a major national outage of Optus services.
It’s understood the outages are impacting carriers and fixed networks, meaning businesses that use the telco are without EFTPOS.
Reports of impacted trade are flowing in across the country.
The Whyalla Central Deli in remote South Australia is one of the countless Australian businesses somehow getting online to inform their customers that trade will be affected.
“Sorry guys … Optus is doing its norm, and the phone line is currently not working,” they wrote this morning.
In Bundaberg, The Urban Dragonfly Espresso Bar also had to warn its customers to brace for a hassle.
“Good morning! It appears that Optus is out! So, if you are on Optus, we won’t get your text-ahead orders. Please just pop in, and we will hook you up,” they wrote.
Mt Druitt service centre ANZCO Automotive told its customers it would likely close shop for the day.
“For the time being, we will not be operating. Due to this outage our entire system is not operating,” the business said.
Coffee to Di For’s Mobile Cafe, which operates in Ballina, said today’s trade was uncertain.
“Good morning dear customers. I’m just learning of the Optus outage across Australia,” they wrote.
“I am on Optus. My apologies if this affects whether you get a coffee or not today. Sending strength if this affects your day in other adverse ways.”
Even Stewy the Snake Catcher on the Gold Coast was forced to inform customers of the outage.
“We are aware of a major outage across the Optus network, and I myself am with Optus,” he said.
“We apologise in advance if you try to get through to us this morning and are having trouble. Hopefully, they rectify the issue ASAP.”
According to Downdetector, reports of the outage started about 4am on Wednesday morning, with almost 8000 reported by just after 6am.
It is impacting the mobile, data and internet services of up to 10 million of Australians.
Services impacted
Large scale businesses and operations are also reporting impacts to their business.
Service NSW has confirmed callers to its phoneline cannot get through and have encouraged customers to visit its branches.
Energex and Ergon, a key energy providers for Queensland informs customers call centres are impacted.
We're aware of an issue impacting Optus mobile and nbn services and are working to restore services as quickly as possible. We understand connectivity is important and apologise for any inconvenience caused.
— Optus Help (@optus_help) November 7, 2023
Barwon health, a health care provider in Geelong, reports phones across its networks are down.
The outage has hit hospitals, including emergency departments, and Metro Trains in Melbourne has reported issues with the transport network due to a communication issue.
“All phone lines into Northern Health campuses are currently being affected by an Optus outage,” Northern Health, a key provider of public health care in Melbourne’s northern region, confirmed online.
Customers have also reported issues with their mobile service on social media platform X, with one dubbing the outage an “absolute failure”.
NOTICE: OPTUS NETWORK OUTAGE
— Workforce Australia (@WorkforceAusGov) November 7, 2023
We’re currently experiencing a IT network outage related to the Optus network, which may impact your ability to connect to some of our services. We apologise for any inconvenience and appreciate your patience as we work to resolve this matter.
Workforce Australia, the federal employment services portal, confirmed it, too, is experiencing issues.
“We’re currently experiencing a IT network outage related to the Optus network, which may impact your ability to connect to some of our services,” it told users.
Rideshares surge
Rideshare’s prices have also surged across the country, with a significant number of drivers forced offline by the outage.
Reports on social media show Uber surging from 50 per cent of a “usual” fare to well over 200 per cent while others like DiDi also show significant spikes.
Radio presenter at 3AW Melbourne, Jacqueline Felgate, shared a post on social media where one Uber customer’s commute to work had blown out from $30 to $110 at around 7am.
An Uber spokesperson confirmed the outages impacted it.
“We are experiencing impacts to Uber’s service following the Optus outage,” they confirmed.
“We are proactively encouraging driver partners who are able to go online to help keep Australia moving where possible.”
It’s understood Uber “capped” its surge prices as soon as it became aware of the outage.
News.com.au observed prices stabilising, though they were still surging at roughly 50 per cent in Sydney at 9.30am.
‘Biggest telco outage we’ve ever seen’
Trevor Long, a leading Australian tech journalist, told 2GB it’s the “biggest telco outage we’ve ever seen before”.
A number of frustrated customers took to social media to vent about the outage, with some describing it as a “failure”.
“I’ve never seen a carrier go down nationwide before, but Optus are special apparently,” one user wrote. “Absolute failure.”
“If anyone could fail on the national stage, it’s @Optus,” a second person wrote.
Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said on Wednesday morning the government is “seeking information from Optus on the major outage”.
“We understand from reports that the telco is working to resolve the outage as soon as possible,” the spokesperson said.
“Connectivity is essential for Australian consumers and businesses, and the impacts of this outage are concerning.
“The government has sought further information from Optus about this development and when they expect service will be restored.”
Speaking with 2GB radio, Ms Rowland confirmed she had not yet spoken with Optus chief executive Kelly Bayer Rosmarin.
“People are being affected by this, small businesses are being affected, but Australians do want to be updated,” she said.
“They do have an obligation from the operator to be updated and I would urge them just to do that as a matter of urgency.”
It is understood the outage is not a result of a cyber hack.
Almost 10 million Optus customers had their personal details compromised in 2022 when hackers taunted the public for weeks by releasing the details of 10,000 customers on the dark web.
– with NCA Newswire
Originally published as Businesses across Australia forced to make changes due to Optus outages
Aussie parents enforce school mobile phone ban at home
There are growing calls to limit over-use of mobile phones as an Aussie father and ex-NRL wife reveal why their kids do not have phones at home, as schools ban the device.
‘Liberate our kids’: Why Aussie mum wants social media age limit
An Aussie mum whose daughter suffered from an eating disorder is concerned the pressure young people feel to present a perfect image online is dragging them further into a deep pit of anxiety.