Government to Investigate Massive Optus Outage, Expects Compensation for Consumers

‘I will task my department with developing the terms of reference for a post-incident review,’ said the communications minister.

Optus' "Yes" sign reflects in its outlet window in Sydney, Australia, on Nov. 8, 2023. Saeed Khan/AFP via Getty Images

The Australian government has ordered a review into the Optus blackout that resulted in millions losing their mobile connection for hours on Nov. 10, with the telco now staring down the barrel of compensating customers and businesses.

“While we welcome that Optus services were restored over the course of the day, it is critical the government conducts a process to identify lessons to be learned from yesterday’s outage,” said Communications Minister Michelle Rowland, in a statement.