ACMA drags Optus to court over September 2025 outage
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- The Australian Communications and Media Authority commenced Federal Court proceedings against Optus over 1,005 alleged legal breaches during a September 2025 emergency call outage.
- The regulatory action follows previous infringement penalties paid by parent entities after a major network failure in November 2023.
- The regulator stated it aims to enforce public safety standards and penalise telecommunications failures affecting critical access.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority initiated Federal Court proceedings against Optus regarding 1,005 alleged contraventions of emergency call obligations during a network failure on Sept. 18, 2025.
The regulator stated that the recent legal action follows an earlier enforcement process where related subsidiaries paid more than $12 million in infringement notice penalties following a separate network outage in November 2023.
“Australians rightly expect that when they call Triple Zero, their call will connect,” said Australian Communications and Media Authority Chair Nerida O’Loughlin.
The regulatory authority is asking the court to impose financial penalties that carry a maximum statutory limit of $250,000 for each individual contravention.
The communications regulator stated that it intends to pursue strong enforcement measures whenever telecommunications failures compromise public access to emergency response services.
The corporate group operates as a major telecommunications provider delivering mobile, fixed-line, and internet services across the Australian domestic market.
Regulatory oversight of local telecommunications carriers involves strict compliance standards managed under federal legislative frameworks governing emergency service obligations.
