Australia’s telecommunications sector is reeling after a string of scandals involving Optus, the nation’s second-largest telecom provider and a subsidiary of Singapore Telecommunications (Singtel). In a turbulent September 2025, Optus found itself at the center of national outrage, government scrutiny, and legal penalties after a network outage likely contributed to four deaths by disrupting emergency calls, even as it was fined millions for unconscionable conduct toward vulnerable customers.
The crisis began on September 18, 2025, when a 13-hour network outage left hundreds of Australians unable to reach emergency services. According to Reuters, the disruption was triggered by an issue with a network firewall upgrade, and initial checks by Optus suggested human error was to blame. The outage affected approximately 600 customers, some in remote areas, and specifically impacted the ability to connect to the country’s triple-0 emergency number. Of those affected, 631 attempted but failed to reach emergency services, and four emergencies tragically ended in fatalities.
Public anger erupted quickly. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese labeled the outage “completely unacceptable,” echoing a sentiment felt deeply across the country. The inability to access emergency services at critical moments exposed a vulnerability in the nation’s telecommunications infrastructure, sparking concern at the highest levels of government. Australian Treasurer Jim Chalmers announced a government inquiry to determine whether Singtel, Optus’s parent company, was providing adequate funding to ensure reliable emergency call services.
In response to the mounting criticism, Singtel Group CEO Yuen Kuan Moon issued a rare and solemn apology. “We are deeply sorry to learn about the network incident at our Optus subsidiary that has impacted triple-0 calls, and to hear that customers could not connect to emergency services when they most needed them,” Yuen said in a statement, as reported by Reuters and Malay Mail. Yuen emphasized that Singtel is working with the Optus board to investigate the outage and prevent similar incidents in the future, while also cooperating with government agencies and regulatory bodies.
Optus CEO Stephen Rue faced the media and took responsibility for the company’s failures. “It’s not expenditure, it’s process. The standard processes were not followed. That’s not an investment issue. That is people not following processes,” Rue told reporters, according to The Independent. He admitted that human error and a failure to adhere to established procedures were at the heart of the outage. Rue also announced that Kerry Schott, a non-executive director at AGL Energy, would lead an independent review into the technical failure. This review, expected to be completed by the end of 2025, will scrutinize the management of triple-0 calls within the Optus network, as well as the company’s monitoring and operational effectiveness during the incident. The findings will be reported to the Optus board before being made public.
While the fallout from the outage dominated headlines, Optus was simultaneously grappling with the consequences of past misconduct. On September 24, 2025, Federal Court Justice Patrick O’Sullivan fined Optus 100 million Australian dollars (about 66 million US dollars) for unconscionable conduct in selling services to hundreds of vulnerable customers, including Indigenous Australians living outside the company’s coverage areas. The ruling, as reported by The Independent, covered inappropriate sales practices spanning four years until July 2023.
The judge’s words were scathing: “Optus senior management knew, or ought to have known, of the system failures that allowed the unconscionable conduct which may rightly be described as predatory.” He called the conduct “extremely serious and can only be described as appalling.” The court found that Optus sales staff had applied undue pressure on customers, fabricated details to secure higher credit approvals, and then engaged debt collectors to pursue debts—practices that disproportionately affected people with mental disabilities, financial hardship, low financial literacy, limited English proficiency, and learning difficulties. Many of the victims were vulnerable Indigenous people from regional and remote communities.
Optus admitted to the breaches in June 2025. CEO Stephen Rue described them as “inexcusable and unacceptable.” Following the ruling, Optus announced it was “remediating impacted customers as a matter of priority,” though the specifics of this remediation were not detailed. The company also pledged to pay 1 million Australian dollars (about 660,000 US dollars) to support digital literacy initiatives for Indigenous Australians.
As the government inquiry into the outage gets underway, questions loom over the role of Singtel in ensuring the reliability of its Australian subsidiary. Singtel CEO Yuen Kuan Moon defended the parent company’s record, stating that Singtel had invested 9.3 billion Australian dollars (about 6.2 billion US dollars) in Optus over the past five years to build network infrastructure across the country. “Singtel will continue to invest as needed for Optus to provide reliable communication services to all Australians,” Yuen asserted in a statement quoted by The Independent.
The double blow of the deadly outage and the court’s damning verdict on Optus’s treatment of vulnerable customers has put the company’s leadership under intense pressure. For many Australians, the events have shaken their trust in a company responsible for critical national infrastructure. The government’s inquiry, the independent review led by Kerry Schott, and the public reporting of findings are all being closely watched as the nation seeks answers and accountability.
Meanwhile, the telecommunications sector as a whole faces renewed scrutiny. The failures at Optus have raised broader questions about regulatory oversight, corporate governance, and the ethical responsibilities of companies serving essential public needs. As the investigations proceed, Australians will be looking for concrete changes—both in how their telecoms are managed and in how vulnerable populations are protected from predatory practices.
For Optus and Singtel, the coming months will be a test of their commitment to rebuilding trust, fixing systemic failures, and ensuring that such tragedies and misconduct are never repeated.
