2023-11-07 22:19:10
Australia’s number two telecommunications company, Optus, reported an outage to its mobile phone and internet networks on Wednesday affecting millions of customers, but the company did not say whether it was due to a cyber incident.
Last year, Optus, the Australian unit of telecommunications company Singapore Telecommunications, was the victim of a cyber fraud that exposed the personal data of its customers, including their address, license number to drive and their passport number.
Optus has just over 10 million customers, or around 40% of the Australian population.
“We are aware of an issue affecting Optus mobile and broadband services and are working to restore services as quickly as possible,” the company said on messaging platform X.
Social media posts, which might not be verified by Archyde.com, indicated that international roaming was also affected.
Federal Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said she had “limited” information regarding the outage, which affected networks for several hours.
“That would indicate a potentially deep and significant network problem,” Ms Rowland told ABC radio, adding that she would be “reluctant to speculate” regarding a possible cyberattack.
The government has asked Optus to provide further information, including when they plan to restore services.
Melbourne’s rail networks were forced to close for around 30 minutes due to the outage, leading to delays during the morning peak period, media reported.
“Significant delays on all lines continue, with modifications and cancellations, the city’s metro service said on X. Some hospitals reported that their telephone lines had been affected.
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