Mass Service Disruption Archive
We will always work to resolve any service disruptions you may experience as quickly as possible. However, during times of mass disruption like floods, bushfires and other extreme weather conditions it can sometimes take longer than expected. It can mean delays to installation and repair activities and the failure of telephone services.
A Mass Service Disruption can be declared when normal operations for our standard telephone services are significantly disrupted by circumstances beyond our control. When a Mass Service Disruption exemption is declared, performance standards as required under the Customer Service Guarantee (CSG) Standard will not apply.
Exemption from the CSG performance standards is fully explained in sections 22-27 of the CSG Standard. Please refer to the ACMA website if you would like to view the CSG Standard and related information.
There are a number of reasons why these delays can occur:
- Natural disasters or extreme weather conditions defined under the CSG Standard such as large hail, heavy rainfall, flash flooding, hazardous winds, lightning, blizzards, tornadoes, large waves and storm tides;
- The safety of the general public and that of our technicians
- There may be a need to restore infrastructure for basic services such as water and power first;
- Local network infrastructure that requires repair may not be accessible due to hazardous conditions or access has been restricted by emergency services or other government agencies; or
- Technical staff or equipment may need to be sent to an area affected by circumstances beyond our control.
The size and location of a mass disruption will directly impact the time taken to fix services.
If you have any questions regarding your eligibility for a CSG payment under any of the mass service disruption notices on this site, please contact us on 133 937.
How do I check for outages?
You can visit our service & network status page to check for any known outages or service disruptions to our Mobile, Broadband and Fixed Phone networks in your local area.
Just enter your city/suburb name to stay up-to-date on any planned repairs, maintenance or outages in your area.
If you have any questions regarding your eligibility for a CSG payment under any of the mass service disruption notices posted on this site, or if you wish to have us reconsider whether the circumstances were a proper basis for claiming an exemption, please contact Optus on 133 937.
If you are not satisfied with any of our explanations, you may make a complaint to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO). Information and contact details for the TIO are available on the TIO website and in the White Pages directory.