Telstra and telco regulator prepare for grilling over widespread outage

Lead

Telstra’s chief executive, Vicki Brady, is set to appear before a Senate inquiry in Canberra on Friday to answer questions about a nationwide outage that disrupted emergency services, businesses, and transport networks. The outage, which occurred on July 8, blocked more than 600 Triple Zero (000) calls and caused significant disruption across the country, as reported by ABC Australia.

The inquiry, comprising senators from across the political divide, was originally established after the Optus network failure last year but has been expanded to investigate the Telstra incident. Representatives from the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) and the communications department will also give evidence, as noted by The Guardian.

Coverage Comparison

Coverage of the outage has been extensive, with ABC Australia publishing multiple reports examining different aspects of the event. One report focused on the technical cause, attributing the failure to maintenance work that caused the system's clocks to reset to 2006. Another highlighted expert and advocate demands for regulatory changes, while a third examined the role of the regulator ACMA, including its earlier legal threats against a consumer group.

The Guardian’s coverage has centered on the parliamentary inquiry and criticism from political figures, particularly Greens communication spokesperson Sarah Hanson-Young, who accused Telstra of prioritizing profits over public safety.

Key Claims

Telstra has confirmed it will participate in the Senate inquiry, with executives required to give evidence on Friday. The outage blocked more than 600 Triple Zero calls and caused major problems for businesses and transport networks, as reported by ABC Australia.

In a submission to the inquiry, Telstra explained that the outage was triggered by maintenance work that caused the system's clocks to go back two decades. The telco said a team carrying out the maintenance followed documented procedures, but an underlying software configuration caused the device to reset its date to 2006 when restarted. Telstra stated that this occurred because of an intentional design change previously made to fix an earlier fault, which had not been properly documented. A software update had also not been applied, and Telstra acknowledged that had the update been completed or the design change properly documented, the outage might not have occurred.

Telstra’s chief executive, Vicki Brady, made a public apology last week, stating, "We take trust in Triple Zero extremely seriously" and accepting responsibility for ensuring calls are answered and transferred immediately, as quoted in the company’s submission.

Experts and advocates have used the outage to demand changes to how telecommunication companies are regulated and held accountable. Mark Gregory, an associate professor at RMIT University, described Australia's telco networks as "fragile" and said national outages should not occur, according to ABC Australia.

Perspectives

Telstra: The company has accepted responsibility for the outage, apologizing publicly and detailing the technical cause in its submission to the Senate inquiry. It has also stated it is accepting compensation claims from affected customers and small businesses, as reported by The Guardian.

Greens and consumer advocates: Greens communication spokesperson Sarah Hanson-Young criticized Telstra for putting "profits ahead of public safety" and called for stronger laws to protect consumers and force reliable service. She also said the company should offer automatic compensation to everyone affected, as reported by The Guardian. Carol Bennett, CEO of the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network, described ACMA’s earlier legal threats against the consumer group as "overreach," as reported by ABC Australia.

Regulators and government: The Australian Communications and Media Authority has launched its own investigation into whether Telstra complied with its regulatory obligations. ACMA’s deputy chair Adam Suckling said Telstra had "let the country down," as reported by ABC Australia. Communications Minister Anika Wells said some Triple Zero calls did not connect, and frontbencher Jason Clare stated that the outage "should never have happened," adding that "people could have lost their lives," as reported by ABC Australia.