Telstra Confirms Resolution of Major Email Outage Affecting Thousands
After a significant outage left many users unable to access their BigPond and Telstra Mail accounts for nearly 24 hours, Telstra has confirmed that services have been restored, although some customers may still experience login difficulties.
The outage began on Monday, April 28, 2025, around 2:00 PM AEST, with Telstra first notifying customers of the issue at approximately 3:00 PM via a post on X. In their message, the company stated, "We’ve picked up an issue affecting some customers trying to access their BigPond/Telstra Mail via the web. Our team’s on it, and we hope to have you back in your inbox soon. Using an app to access your mailbox (Outlook) may help in the meantime." This early communication aimed to reassure users while the company worked to resolve the situation.
As reports of the outage flooded in, with nearly 2,300 complaints logged on DownDetector within three hours, Telstra's technical teams scrambled to address the problems. By 7:00 PM AEST on Monday, services were reportedly back online. A company spokesperson confirmed, "Telstra Mail was back up and running just before 7:00 PM last night," and added that while many users regained access, some still experienced issues, particularly those using third-party applications like Outlook.
On Tuesday morning, April 29, 2025, Telstra reiterated their recommendation for affected users to reset their passwords as a first step toward regaining access. "In many of these cases, a password reset has fixed the issue," they stated in a follow-up post. The company also encouraged customers to reach out for further assistance via the My Telstra app or website.
Frustration among customers grew as many reported ongoing difficulties. Phillip, a transport business owner, shared his experience on 2GB radio, stating, "I couldn’t get on, I’m obviously a business owner. I rang them, I was on hold for over an hour and thirty minutes to get through to somebody. Then they just said to me - 'oh sorry we haven’t updated Google to let you people know it’s been down but we’re working on it.' That's all I got out of them that was it. And it’s still not working this morning. I couldn’t send invoices, nothing. I’m in a jam, I’m stuck."
This sentiment was echoed across social media, where users expressed their displeasure with the service disruption. One user lamented, "Been sending me crazy all day," while another remarked, "Earlier notice would have been helpful. Now can’t access at all." Some customers even raised concerns about compensation, to which Telstra clarified that no compensation would be provided for the outage.
As the situation unfolded, Telstra's commitment to resolving the issues was evident. The company stated, "We’re continuing to monitor and investigate. Our support team are here to help via phone or message in the My Telstra app or website." Despite the resolution of the main outage, many users remained locked out of their accounts, prompting Telstra to emphasize the importance of using webmail over third-party applications for immediate access.
The incident has raised questions about the reliability of email services and the impact of such outages on businesses and individuals who rely heavily on digital communication. As businesses like Phillip's faced operational disruptions, the need for transparent communication and prompt customer service became all the more critical.
In summary, while Telstra has resolved the major issues affecting its email services, the aftermath of the outage continues to affect customers. The company is working diligently to address lingering problems and restore full functionality for all users.
