Australia's second-largest telecom provider, Optus, has acknowledged critical gaps in its processes and protocols following a September network outage, according to an independent review released Dec. 18.
The review identified deficiencies in accountability, escalation, and information-handling procedures, and also highlighted cultural challenges within the company that affected decision-making and slowed response times.
The Sept. 18 outage, triggered by a deviation from standard procedures during a network upgrade, disrupted emergency call services, affecting around 600 people and contributing to four deaths.
Customers were unable to make emergency triple zero (“000”) calls during the disruption.
Optus' board, at a meeting on Dec. 16, accepted all 21 recommendations from the review and committed to rapid implementation.
Chairman John Arthur stated that further action on individual accountability, including financial penalties and possible terminations, will follow.
The recommendations build on a multi-year transformation and prior changes implemented after the company’s initial incident response exposed shortcomings.