Optus CEO Kelly Bayer Rosmarin has revealed that hundreds of triple zero calls failed to connect during the outage last week.
“There were 228 triple-0 calls that were unable to go through, and we have done welfare checks on all of those 228 calls,” Ms Bayer Rosmarin said.
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“Thankfully, everybody is OK.”
The incident has sparked national concern and prompted the ACMA to initiate an investigation into the failures of the Triple Zero system.
“We don’t manage the Triple Zero system. It’s a very complex system that involves all the carriers, including device manufacturers. We’re still investigating that, and we’re really happy that the ACMA (Australian Communications and Media Authority) has called an investigation into why this did not work,” she said.
During a hearing, Ms Bayer Rosmarin revealed that she had informed Communications Minister Michelle Rowland that the Triple Zero network would be unaffected in a phone call just over four hours into the outage.
“When I spoke to the minister at that time, we had every reason to believe that the Triple Zero system would work as designed, and that all calls would go through on alternative networks,” she said.
However, she acknowledged that the company’s performance during the outage was unacceptable.
“We understand the intrinsic essential role we play in Australian lives, and we take our responsibilities to provide continuous connectivity seriously,” Rosmarin stated. “As a business, we are nothing without our customers who put their faith in us. And it is indisputable that on that day, our performance was not acceptable. We let you down, and for that, I am deeply sorry.”
Ms Bayer Rosmarin was questioned by Liberal senator Sarah Henderson on her intention to resign.
She said it had not been a time to be “thinking about myself” as she had been focusing on the team.
“My focus is on the team, the customers, the community. My focus is not on myself.”
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