Independent review of Optus’ September outage finds process, accountability gaps in Singtel unit
[SINGAPORE] An independent review into Optus’ major September outage has uncovered gaps in process, accountability and escalation and information protocols.
Four people had died as a result of the Sep 18 incident where emergency calls – used for life-threatening situations or emergencies – were blocked due to an outage following a network upgrade.
The report, which Optus’ board released on Thursday (Dec 18), found that “challenges in Optus’ culture” had impacted decision-making and response times.
It also reinforced the need for “further work to address the issues facing emergency call services and device behaviour, and the importance of industry-wide collaboration,” said Optus, a Singtel subsidiary and Australia’s second-largest telecommunications provider.
Optus said on Tuesday, that its board had accepted all 21 recommendations put forth by the report and agreed to “move swiftly with their implementation”.
The recommendations build on the multi-year transformation plans that are underway and changes introduced to address shortcomings identified during the initial response to the incident, Optus added.
Shares of Singtel ended Wednesday 0.2 per cent or S$0.01 lower at S$4.55.
This story is being updated.
Decoding Asia newsletter: your guide to navigating Asia in a new global order. Sign up here to get Decoding Asia newsletter. Delivered to your inbox. Free.
