Optus outage in South Australia sparks police warning of 000 outage

Optus confirmed a mobile network outage in South Australia’s Angaston area on Sunday morning, affecting voice and data services, including triple-0 emergency calls. South Australia Police issued a public warning, advising residents to seek alternative help if mobile coverage was unavailable. Optus technicians were dispatched to resolve the issue, which initially impacted multiple towers but was later narrowed to a single site. The outage follows a major 14-hour network failure in September 2025, which disrupted emergency services across South Australia, Western Australia, the Northern Territory, and New South Wales. Two deaths were directly linked to the failure, as triple-0 calls could not be made during the outage. An independent report commissioned by Optus, led by Kerry Schott, found systemic weaknesses and recommended sweeping changes, including stricter testing protocols, better escalation procedures for staff concerns, and board-level reviews of technical expertise. The report also called for accelerating the relocation of call centers to Australia, a process already underway. Optus CEO Stephen Rue acknowledged the findings in December, stating the company would implement reforms to restore public confidence. Rue emphasized transparency, pledging regular updates on progress. Optus’s latest alert acknowledged the issue stemmed from a single mobile tower fault and urged patience while repairs were completed. The company’s response mirrors efforts to address past failures, though the current outage remains localized compared to the broader 2025 incident. Authorities and neighbors were urged to assist those affected by the disruption.