Optus parent company Singtel apologises for emergency call outage linked to four deaths

SINGAPORE: Singtel on Wednesday (Sep 24) apologised for an emergency call outage involving its Australian subsidiary Optus that is linked to four deaths.

In a statement on the Singapore Exchange on Wednesday, Singtel Group CEO Yuen Kuan Moon said it was "deeply sorry" to learn about the incident.

Optus said last week that a deviation from standard procedures during a network firewall upgrade triggered a 13-hour outage in Australia that disrupted emergency call services. 

It potentially affected about 600 customers and meant some could not contact emergency services when they needed them.

"Our hearts go out to the families and friends of those who have passed away and we know that Optus will get to the bottom of this matter," Mr Yuen said.

He said Singtel is working with the Optus board and management to ensure a "thorough investigation" to prevent any recurrence.

"Optus has been cooperating fully and transparently with all relevant government agencies and regulatory bodies while the matter is being investigated and will share the findings in due course," he added.

Optus, Australia's second-largest telecom carrier, said on Wednesday that it has appointed Dr Kerry Schott to lead an independent review into last week's technical failure.

"The review will identify the causes, and canvass the applicable processes, protocols and operations of the incident on Sep 18, 2025.

"The review will also examine the operational management of Triple Zero calls in the Optus network, including the monitoring and operational effectiveness in relation to this incident," Optus said.

Dr Schott currently serves as a non-executive director of AGL Energy and chairperson of both the Carbon Market Institute and the Competition Review Panel for the Australian Government.

The review will consider the action taken by Optus in response to the incident, including adherence to policies, procedures and legislative requirements.

It is expected to be completed before the end of the year, and the findings will be reported to the Optus board.

"After considering those findings the board will make Dr Schott’s report public," the company said.

Optus chairman John Arthur also apologised for the incident.

"What has occurred is clearly unacceptable, and on behalf of the board I apologise for this failure in our accountability to all those who relied on our Triple Zero services," he said. 

"I particularly express my deep condolences to the families and friends of the four people who passed away."

Mr Yuen said that Optus is undergoing a "transformation" led by Mr Stephen Rue, who was appointed CEO 11 months ago.

He added that Singtel would continue supporting the Optus board and management as they work through this incident and "accelerate the changes needed".

"We are committed to the continued transformation of Optus to improve the processes and resiliency of the company and improve the reliability of critical services," Mr Yuen said.

He noted that Singtel has supported Optus by investing over A$9.3 billion in the past five years, with a large proportion of that put towards building network infrastructure across Australia.