Australia's top telcos agree to 'stress-test' networks after Optus outage

Minister discusses preparedness with CEOs ahead of summer bushfire and cyclone season

- Jonathan Pearlman For The Straits Times

SYDNEY - Australia's three top telecommunications firms agreed on Oct 7 to conduct a drill to ensure customers can contact emergency services during outages as the federal government moved to improve safety following a deadly outage of the Singtel-owned Optus network.

Federal Communications Minister Anika Wells met the heads of the three firms that operate mobile networks - Telstra, Optus and TPG in Canberra on Oct 7 to discuss their preparedness for future outages in the lead-up to the summer bushfire and cyclone season.

The meeting came as Ms Wells faced pressure to restore confidence in the country's emergency services call system following an Optus outage on Sept 18 that left over 600 people unable to contact emergency services. The outage has been linked to three deaths.

Ms Wells told Parliament that the three firms had agreed to hold a simulation to "stress-test" the system and ensure that calls to the Triple Zero emergency services line, whose number is 000, do not fail in future outages.

The federal government on Oct 7 introduced legislation to strengthen oversight of the Triple Zero system. The new measures, expected to come into effect on Nov 1, require firms to immediately report any Triple Zero outages to emergency services such as police, fire and ambulance.