Optus and the federal government spent hours during last year’s unprecedented outage telling the public triple-0 calls from mobiles should work despite mounting evidence to the contrary, the ABC can reveal.
Key points:
- Internal emails and briefing notes reveal there were concerns about mobile triple-0 calls from the morning
- However, Optus did not publicly admit there was a problem until after lunchtime
- A tech expert says mobile customers should have been informed their calls to triple-0 may not get through
Last November’s network crash caused confusion and chaos for 10 million Australians and thousands of businesses, disrupting everything from government services to a city’s public transport network.
For the first time new documents obtained by the ABC under Freedom of Information laws reveal the scramble inside the Albanese government to find out what was happening.
One of the greatest concerns was what was happening to calls being made by people urgently trying to reach emergency services due to serious medical episodes or life-threatening incidents.
During an outage emergency calls to triple-0 are still meant to go through smoothly, using other networks with what’s known as “emergency camp-on”.
However, the ABC can reveal that early in the day, inside the government and the regulator, concerns were being raised about whether this back-up system was working.
The ABC has combed through the documents and spoken to two Optus customers and a telecommunications expert to discover more about how it all unfolded.
4am: Optus network crashes
Early in the morning all of Optus’s internet, landline and mobile services go offline.
Gold Coast pensioner Adrian Ashenden, who is undergoing treatment for cancer, wakes up feeling extremely unwell.
He needs to call an ambulance and reaches for his mobile.
Initially the line is dead. After trying a few more times from both his phone and his wife’s phone, they eventually get through, 15 minutes later.
“When we finally got through, I was pretty much paralysed. I couldn’t move,” he says.
6.30am: Triple-0 reassurance provided
Optus puts out a three-line statement which says its customers can still call emergency services.
It says:
Media Statement
Optus is aware of an issue that may be impacting some of our mobile and internet customers … in case of an emergency, customers can still call 000.
7.40am: ABC caller flags issues
With the outage causing widespread disruption and a lack of information publicly available, Communications Minister Michelle Rowland goes on ABC’s Radio National just after 7.40am to fill in some blanks.
Host Patricia Karvelas questions the minister about whether triple-0 calls are working, saying one caller had told the ABC he was unable to ring an ambulance.
Ms Rowland says she believes emergency calls are working but “that is a concerning piece of information”, and she promises to follow up.
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Around the same time Optus management holds an internal crisis meeting which includes then CEO Kelly Bayer Rosmarin.
After it, she calls Ms Rowland and says the company believes triple-0 calls from mobiles are getting through.
9.30am: Triple-0 concerns raised within government
Senior figures inside the Department of Communications receive an email raising possible problems with triple-0 calls.
When you first ring triple-0 a Telstra operator answers the call, before transferring it to the correct emergency service: police, fire or ambulance.
Telstra has noticed something is wrong and told the department.
Subject: Triple Zero
We spoke with Telstra and there are some issues occurring with calls originating on the Optus network. They are currently checking with each of the ESOs and conducting test calls. They will get back to us as soon as they know more.
Optus then updates its advice to customers.
In a statement published at 9.33am, the telco giant says:
Optus can confirm that triple zero (“000”) calls will not work from an Optus landline (fixed line telephone).
Mobile calls to 000 will work if another carrier is available.
9.56am: Questions about emergency fail-safe
Emails reveal that staff inside the regulator, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), and the communications department were growing increasingly worried triple-0 calls weren’t always working.
A senior manager from the agency which runs Triple Zero in Victoria sends a warning to ACMA:
Subject: Optus outage
Hi [redacted] as discussed Victorian Optus customers appear unable to access triple zero and 112 numbers due to this morning’s outage.
The national Emergency Call Service overseen by ACMA has a failsafe which allows customers to access other provider networks for this service. It appears that this failsafe has not activated in Victoria.
It’s also when Melbourne woman Fiona Mitchell is preparing to drive her colleague Chris to hospital after he falls ill at work.
She’s an Optus mobile customer but still believes from what she’s heard on the radio that she can reach emergency services if his condition worsens.
“They did say that you could call triple-0,” she says.
En route to hospital, she has to pull over and Chris collapses.
When Fiona reaches for her phone to call for the life-saving help Chris needs, she discovers she cannot call triple-0 after all.
Knowing every minute counts, she flags down another driver to use their phone and is able to call for an ambulance because her colleague is having a heart attack.
10.10am: Telstra tells government ‘some’ triple-0 calls failing
Telstra gives a briefing on triple-0 to Communications Minister Michelle Rowland.
Minutes of the meeting say Telstra is receiving higher-than-usual emergency camp-on mobile calls from non-Optus networks.
Telstra 000 briefing with Minister Rowland
… However some evidence that some calls are not making it through, Optus phones not always connecting through.
The minutes also recap an exchange between the minister and Telstra:
Telstra 000 briefing with Minister Rowland
Minister: need accurate information, don’t want to cause panic – want to be able to say that mobiles will still connect.
Telstra: suggest confirming this with Optus.
Minister: I will call CEO Optus again to confirm.
Telstra: agree you really need to ask Optus.
The minister’s office then contacted Optus to clarify the situation.
10.12am: Concerns growing inside ACMA
Inside the regulator ACMA, concern grows about triple-0 and whether Optus is meeting its obligations.
An executive manager wrote in an email:
Subject: Optus outage
Optus has certain obligations to advise customers of outages and ensure its triple zero obligations are being met.
We will start considering how they have done this but our initial position is to let Optus assess what has happened and go about advising its customers accordingly.
An email exchange then occurs between ACMA and the communications department:
Subject: RE Optus Outage — possible compensation.docx
From ACMA: To be clear, we assume some Optus customers cannot call triple zero right now?
From the department: Correct
Almost immediately Optus posts an update on social media.
Then, minutes later, the regulator confirms it has run its own tests.
Subject: RE Optus Outage — possible compensation.docx
I have had staff members here test and one got a dead call (that went nowhere) and another connected to the recorded message at the start of all Triple Zero calls and hung up.
So the camp-on (roaming) capabilities may not actually be working for Optus customers which is a significant issue.
10.40am: CEO publicly says triple-0 mobile calls will work
Optus CEO Kelly Bayer Rosmarin begins doing radio interviews.
She tells the ABC despite the network being down, triple-0 calls from Optus mobiles will work.
“I also want to make sure that customers know that triple-0 is still working on the mobile network,” she says.
“You can still call triple-0 from your mobile phone but landlines aren’t working. So if you do have an emergency, we’d encourage all customers to use your mobile phone and call triple-0.”
11.00am: Communications minister steps up
With evidence mounting about triple-0 calls failing, Michelle Rowland gives a press conference in which she heaps pressure on Optus to provide more information about what is going on, telling the company to “step up”.
However, despite the concerns raised earlier with her by Telstra, she doesn’t tell the public that some Optus mobiles are having problems connecting to triple-0.
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She instead reassures people that if they dial triple-0 from an Optus mobile the call will go through.
“In relation to Optus mobiles and the ability to make Triple Zero calls that is operating as per the protocol that is in place, which is commonly known as camping on other networks,” she said.
“So, where one network is not available, the mobile device will camp onto another network.
“I have spoken to the triple-0 operator and they have confirmed that this camping mechanism is working.”
The Opposition’s communications spokesperson David Coleman says Ms Rowland should have told the public about the concerns.
“Why the minister didn’t share this information with Australians is a very serious, serious question, and it’s one that the minister needs to answer,” he says.
He says calls to emergency services could be a matter of life or death and so if the government has information the system is not working, Australians should be told about it.
11.18am: Telstra triple-0 boss advises Optus of issues
Telstra sends a blunt email to the communications regulator where it lays out what Optus has told emergency services and the public about triple-0 calls and how that information is contradicted by Telstra’s own testing.
Subject: Triple Zero statement
We have made a number of test calls from Optus Mobiles, some have been successful (emergency camp on) and others did not progress.
Have advised Optus of this information.
11.29am: ACMA staff members discuss issues
Shortly after the minister’s press conference, with the public having been told mobile calls to triple-0 are working, there’s an email chain between three staff members at ACMA.
One points out her statement contradicts other information they have.
Subject: RE: ECS operator
…I do note Telstra has also done test calls and is finding Optus mobiles cannot always dial Triple Zero successfully…
Mr Coleman says the documents show that within the communications department and ACMA there was widespread knowledge that some calls weren’t getting through.
As he sees it, it was up to the minister to ensure the public knew about those concerns.
“The minister’s first and foremost responsibility is to be truthful and frank with the Australian people,” he says.
12:56pm: Optus corrects the record
Almost nine hours after the outage began, Optus says its services are gradually being restored.
For the first time the telco, contradicting its earlier advice, admits there is a problem with some mobiles making emergency calls.
Telco expert Mark Gregory says the failure to let the public know the triple-0 system was not working smoothly earlier in the day shows systemic failure.
“Many hours passed before Optus actually came forward and made that information available,” he told the ABC.
“If the carriers are not prepared to inform the public then the ACMA should have done so.”
A spokesperson for the regulator told the ABC it disagreed, but said what occurred on the day was under investigation.
“Optus was best placed to inform its customers of any issues it had identified with Triple Zero calls diverting to other networks to ensure connections,” the statement from the ACMA said.
“The review being undertaken by the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts will consider issues about the effectiveness of communications to the public.”
Fiona Mitchell says if she had known she couldn’t reach triple-0 from her car, she would have taken a different course of action when trying to help Chris.
She says she would have insisted on calling an ambulance to their workplace or would have asked for a colleague with a working phone to accompany them.
Because she had to flag down another motorist to call triple-0, paramedics were delayed in reaching Chris.
“It was a very serious heart attack,” she says.
1:10pm: Staffers rely on the media for Optus news
Frustration with Optus appears to be building inside the communications department as it prepares for a 2pm crisis meeting.
The meeting will include multiple government agencies including the Department of Home Affairs, state and territory governments and involves a highly anticipated update from the telco.
Subject: Optus nationwide outage.docx
Hi [senior executive], some points on the Optus outage ahead of the 2pm NCM meeting. Not sure what briefing [staff member] might need – we’ve been relying on media reporting in the absence of any engagement from Optus.
Meanwhile, departmental advisors are drafting notes for senior minister Murray Watt, who is due to give a statement to the Senate.
Subject: RE: OPTUS Outage
And from us: I don’t think the Minister should tell the house:
“While Triple Zero calls from Optus landline services are currently impeded, Optus has advised that mobile calls to Triple Zero will work is [sic] another carrier is available.”
This could be misleading. I would suggest:
“While Triple Zero calls from Optus landline services are currently impeded, in most cases mobile calls to Triple Zero should work if another carrier is available.”
Senator Watt’s update doesn’t mention there have been some problems with mobiles calling triple-0.
He tells parliament:
“We’ve engaged with ACMA and the Triple Zero operator, Telstra, today.
“They will continue to work with Optus, along with other carriers, to support this service.”
2:00pm: Optus briefs governments across the country at meeting
The meeting with Optus and government agencies is held under something called the National Co-ordination Mechanism, a rapid approach to tackling major national issues which came out of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Minutes of the meeting record a senior bureaucrat saying:
NEMA National Coordination Mechanism meeting
Turning mind to impact on 000 service. We’ve leant [sic] from this, including how we communicate issues to the public. Some issues with mobile roaming to make 000 calls…
Notes state Senior Optus executive Andrew Sheridan told the meeting:
We’ll be looking at our obligations around 000, to give you reassurance.
4:00pm: Outage ends
In the late afternoon, about 12 hours after the outage began, Optus declares the outage all but over.
The company said it had done welfare checks of all of the callers.
However, when the ABC checked in with Adrian Ashenden this week, he said no-one from Optus had called him or his wife.
What’s next?
Optus faces inquiries on multiple fronts about the massive outage, including the failure of some triple-0 calls.
Mark Gregory believes if Optus is found to have breached its obligations then it should face a substantial fine.
“[If proven] the regulator should impose a record penalty on Optus,” he said.
Communications Minister Michelle Rowland was unavailable for an interview.
A spokesperson defended the Minister’s handling of the Optus crisis, saying in a statement:
“Minister Rowland stressed the importance of clear and timely communication from Optus about the nature of the outage and its impacts both on 8 November and in the days following.
“The regulator – the Australian Communications and Media Authority – is currently conducting an independent investigation of Optus’ compliance with the rules requiring emergency calls to be carried from mobile carriers to the Emergency Call Person (Telstra).
“The Government announced a post-incident review on 9 November to ensure the telecommunications industry learns the lessons from this outage. The Terms of Reference go specifically to issues around the performance and operation of Triple Zero.”
Optus was also unavailable for interview and did not answer specific questions about why it took so long to tell the public about problems with triple-0 calls from mobiles.
An Optus spokesperson said in a statement:
“Where outages occur there are a range of factors that can impact the successful operation of calls to Triple Zero and the reality is that not all calls will connect.
“During the Optus outage, as the situation evolved, we endeavoured to update key authorities about the status of calls to Triple Zero based on the information we had available at the time.
“We are fully participating in the Government’s post-incident review into the outage and the separate ACMA investigation.”