Optus in Australia pledges to assist investigations following backlash over emergency call service failure

Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst

Source: Reuters

Updated: Sep 20 2025

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Source: Reuters

Incident Overview: Optus, Australia's second-largest telecom carrier, is under scrutiny after a technical failure disrupted emergency call services for 13 hours, resulting in the deaths of three individuals, including an infant and two elderly people.
Company Response: CEO Stephen Rue has pledged full cooperation with investigations, apologized for the incident, and stated that the fault has been fixed while a thorough investigation is underway to prevent future occurrences.
Government Action: The Australian government has labeled the service failure as "completely unacceptable" and has promised to investigate the incident further.
Previous Issues: This incident follows a series of troubles for Optus, including a significant fine for a previous emergency call service failure and a cyberattack that compromised the data of millions of Australians.

About the author

Emily J. Thompson

Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.