'The Optus brand is now in a fragile, high-risk state': Two years of hell

Two years of failures person near problem-plagued Optus pinch a multi-million-dollar deed to nan brand's crumbling reputation, according to a nationalist relations expert. 

Sphere PR Managing Director Louise Roberts said reliability is everything to a telco and, aft 3 triple-zero outages since 2023 and a wide information breach successful 2022, Optus' marque has taken repeated blows.

"The Optus marque is now successful a fragile, high-risk state," she told 9news.com.au.

"For telcos, reliability and resilience are really non-negotiables, and repeated failures will harm their credibility successful ways that a azygous arena whitethorn not have."

Roberts said nan continued blunders could costs Optus millions successful a nonaccomplishment of customers, fines, and a damaged marque reputation. 

She added that location whitethorn beryllium lawsuits from nan families of nan 3 group who died during nan triple-zero outage connected September 18. 

"They'll consequence ongoing customer churn, intensified reliability scrutiny, they're astir apt going to beryllium taxable to rather important fines," Roberts said. 

"Companies tin retrieve their reputation, but I deliberation you'll find that Optus' issues will beryllium mentioned for years to come."

Days earlier nan outage, a Roy Morgan study classed Optus arsenic Australia's 4th astir distrusted brand.

"It still has not recovered from nan 2022 information breach," she said. 

"Optus has really sewage to return a long, difficult look astatine itself and make judge that successful future, that they person not only invested successful their web and resilience, but they person besides revised their processes.

"They really request to show that they've made semipermanent structural changes."

Optus' problems started years earlier nan first triple-zero outage earlier this month. Here is simply a breakdown of everything that led to today.

4am: Optus originates experiencing a nationwide outage that affects each services, including triple-zero calls and NBN.

6.47am: Optus tells customers it is alert of nan rumor and is moving to reconstruct services.

12.55pm: Some services statesman to travel backmost online.

4pm: Most, if not all, services are restored. 

The Australian Communications and Media Authority originates an investigation into nan outage.

The Optus main executive astatine nan time, Kelly Bayer Rosmarin, appears earlier nan Senate to section questions connected nan outage and really nan telco responded.

She insists she is not facing soul calls to measurement down.

"Having now had clip for immoderate individual reflection, I person travel to nan determination that my resignation is successful nan champion liking of Optus moving forward," she said astatine nan time.

She is replaced successful nan interim by main financial serviceman Michael Venter.

Optus admits that almost 2700 triple-zero calls grounded to connect, up from nan first 228 figure.

A government-commissioned reappraisal into nan outage handed down its last report, making 18 recommendations to reside structural issues wrong nan broader telco system. 

The national authorities accepts each nan recommendations. 

Optus announces Stephen Rue arsenic its caller main executive effective from November.

He is brought successful to reappraisal nan institution and retrieve its reputation.

Exactly a twelvemonth connected from nan 2023 triple-zero outage, nan Australian Communications and Media Authority finds Optus grounded to supply entree to emergency services for 2145 group and grounded to behaviour 369 use checks connected group who had tried to make an emergency telephone during nan outage. 

The telco pays a $12 cardinal fine. 

12.17am — 12.30am: Optus crews fresh themselves for a firewall upgrade.

12.30am: Crews statesman nan upgrade.

1.30pm: Thirteen hours later, Optus becomes alert of an rumor affecting triple-zero calls and useful to resoluteness it.

3pm: Optus tells nan Australian Communications and Media Authority that nan outage affected 10 calls.

3.40pm: Optus tells nan Australian Communications and Media Authority that nan outage really affected 100 calls.

4pm: Optus tells nan Australian Communications and Media Authority that nan outage restricted much than 600 triple-zero calls, and three group died.

4.40pm: Newsrooms crossed nan state person an email alerting them to a flash property conference.

5.45pm: Rue tells nan media that 3 group died successful a triple-zero outage - 2 successful South Australia and 1 successful Western Australia.

This is nan first clip nan nationalist hears astir nan outage. 

7pm: South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas holds his ain property conference, successful which he tells nan media that Optus did not show nan authorities astir nan deaths earlier Rue fronted nan media.

He says he has not witnessed "such incompetence from an Australian corp successful respect to communications worse than this".

Police successful South Australia and Western Australia besides opportunity they were unaware of nan emergency work breakdown until nan property conference. 

Rue tells nan media that a 4th decease has been confirmed successful Western Australia.

He reveals that 2 group had called Optus' customer work centres alerting them to an rumor affecting triple-zero calls connected September 18, but nan matter was not escalated.

Rue calls different property conference, wherever he confirms nan telco really received astatine slightest 5 calls to nan customer statement astir nan outage, nary of which were escalated.

"As we had not detected nan triple-zero failures successful our web astatine nan clip of these calls, location were nary reddish flags for nan interaction centre to alert them to immoderate unrecorded issues," he said.

South Australia Police corroborate that nan decease of a four-month-old baby, which was initially linked to nan outage, was astir apt unrelated.

The decease toll stands astatine 2 successful Western Australia and 1 successful South Australia. 

Optus says 7 group were incapable to interaction triple-zero during nan little play nan upgrade was being readied betwixt 12.17am to 12.30am connected September 18. 

Communications Minister Anika Wells promises to clasp nan telco to account. 

Rue confirms nan outage was caused by quality error.

Crews, comprised of Optus and third-party Nokia unit successful Australia and India, had grounded to travel measurement 1 of nan upgrade process, which would person allowed emergency calls to beryllium redirected done nan network.

Optus commissions an independent reappraisal arsenic its owner, Singapore-based Singtel Group, issues its first apology.

Singtel CEO Yuen Kuan Moon announces he will sojourn Australia nan pursuing week.

Optus experiences yet different outage that affects 4500 group successful NSW's Dapto region betwixt 3am and 12.20pm and impacts 9 triple-zero calls.

Optus confirms each nan group who tried to interaction triple zero were okay, pinch respective of them being accidental aliases trial calls. 

Moon meets pinch Wells successful Australia, wherever she tells him to bring successful outer advisors to independently measure nan company's plans to debar different outage.

Speaking to reporters, Moon declined to opportunity whether he backs Rue.

"We brought successful Stephen 11 months agone to toggle shape Optus to really reside nan issues that we've had since 2022 and 2023," he said.

"It is very early days, it takes clip to toggle shape a company."

Optus has commissioned an soul review, and nan Australian Communications and Media Authority is investigating.

Wells hints that there whitethorn beryllium a wider reappraisal into nan telco manufacture and emergency work network.

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