Optus Outage Sparks Alarm After Vandalism Hits Key Network Cables
So, there’s been another major Optus outage — and this time the telco is pointing the finger at outright vandalism. The issue unfolded across Frankston and the Mornington Peninsula, where more than 14,000 Optus services suddenly went down on Tuesday morning. Calls, mobile data, and even access to emergency services were affected, which understandably set off a wave of concern.
According to Optus, the outage wasn’t caused by a technical fault or a system glitch. Instead, vandals had allegedly broken into one of the telco’s infrastructure pits and cut through fibre cables while attempting to steal copper . Photo evidence was reportedly found at the site, and Victoria Police has been contacted. The fibre was cleanly cut, and copper wiring was removed — a move that caused significant disruption to everyone depending on that connection.
Optus spokesperson Jane McNamara explained on ABC Radio that while the outage had the potential to disrupt Triple Zero calls, the company believed no emergency calls were actually impacted. She added that fallback systems helped ensure that at least some emergency calls were able to automatically switch to other networks, but for customers in patchy mobile areas, the risk was still real. Technicians were dispatched early in the morning, and by around 1pm the network was expected to be fully restored, with five of the six affected sites already back online.
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But this isn’t happening in a vacuum. Optus has already been under intense national scrutiny in recent months over repeated outages — some of which did impact Triple Zero access and were linked to two deaths . The company is now the subject of a Senate inquiry, and this latest disruption is only adding fuel to the fire. Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young even called for an urgent review of Optus’ licence, saying Australians were being let down again by a provider responsible for a critical service.
Meanwhile, customers beyond the outage zone reported brief interruptions too. One caller from Berwick said his connection suddenly dropped out for about 15 minutes before everything snapped back to normal. It shows how a single damaged fibre line can ripple far beyond the immediate area, especially when networks are already stretched.
Experts say fibre-optic breaks like this require physical repair on-site, and while redundancy is supposed to prevent total blackouts, it clearly didn’t save the day here. As Australia’s data demand keeps rising, these kinds of vulnerabilities are becoming more visible — and more harmful when something goes wrong.
All in all, the incident has reopened questions about network security, emergency access, and how well-prepared telcos really are to protect infrastructure that millions rely on every single day.
Optus Outage Sparks Fresh Safety Concerns After Cable Vandalism
So, there’s been another major Optus outage, and this one has caused quite a stir across Frankston and the Mornington Peninsula. More than 14,000 Optus services went down on Tuesday morning, and the telco quickly confirmed that the disruption wasn’t due to a technical glitch this time — it was actually caused by vandalism. According to Optus, someone had tried to steal copper wiring by cutting into critical fibre cables at one of their infrastructure pits, and that single act ended up triggering a widespread blackout of mobile calls and data.
Now, what made this situation particularly worrying was the impact on emergency services. Optus warned that Triple Zero calls might be affected for anyone in the outage zone unless their device could automatically switch to another provider’s network or connect over Wi-Fi. Even though an Optus spokesperson later said they believed no emergency calls were missed, the potential risk alone was enough to raise alarms.
By mid-morning, Optus technicians were already at the scene, and photo evidence was gathered showing clear damage to the fibre cables, along with missing copper. Victoria Police were contacted as the investigation got underway. Optus expected the problem to be resolved by around 1pm, and by that time most of the affected sites were gradually coming back online.
But this incident didn’t happen in a vacuum. It comes after months of heavy scrutiny on Optus following multiple outages — some of which were linked to situations where people couldn’t reach emergency services, with tragic consequences. The company is already the subject of a Senate inquiry, and this latest disruption has only added fuel to the fire. Some politicians, like Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, have even called for a fresh review of Optus’ licence, arguing that the company has repeatedly failed to ensure public safety.
Experts have also weighed in, explaining that Australia’s growing reliance on fibre-optic connections means any physical damage can knock out entire areas. While networks are supposed to have redundant pathways, it appears those backups didn’t kick in this time, which raises even more questions about infrastructure resilience.
Meanwhile, everyday customers felt the impact in real time. Some people outside the immediate outage zone even reported short dropouts, adding to the confusion. And with Optus already facing trust issues, this event has reinforced concerns about how well the company can protect and maintain its essential services.
So, while services have mostly been restored, the broader conversation is far from over. Between vandalism risks, infrastructure vulnerabilities, and public safety obligations, Optus now faces even sharper scrutiny — and the pressure to prove that it can keep Australians connected when it matters most.
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