MSD - 13012020 NT SCP NORTHERN TERRITORY TOP END REGION RN

Delay due to extreme weather events in the Tiwi, Arnhem and Daly Districts of the Northern Territory.

The Tiwi, Arnhem and Daly Districts of the Northern Territory were impacted by extreme weather on or about Wednesday 8 January 2020 through to Saturday 11 January 2020.

An interruption to normal operations has occurred leading to delays in installation and repair activities. As many as 90 Optus services are impacted in the area bounded by and including, but not limited to, the area starting at Gunn Point and following the Northern Territory coastline east past Maningrida, Milingimbi and Nhulumbuy to Numbulwar. From Numbulwar the area heads northwest to Mt Catt, west to Douglas Hot Springs then southwest to Claravale. The area turns northwest past Wadeye to the Northern Territory coastline and following the coastline clockwise past Darwin back to Gunn Point. All suburbs, towns, off shore islands and coastal areas serviced by Optus within these boundaries are encompassed in this exemption.

How will this affect you?

Unfortunately, your service may be affected and we may take longer than normal to fix telephone services or complete connections. Services in the area mentioned above with phone numbers in the following number ranges may have been affected:

0879784000 to 0879784999 | 0889200000 to 0889531799

0879786000 to 0879786999 | 0889635000 to 0889999999

We anticipate that the majority of services will be restored by 9 February 2020. We're sorry for any inconvenience this delay may cause but we can assure you we are working hard to get things back on track.

What else do you need to know?

Information as to the nature of these extreme weather events can be sourced from the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM). Heavy rainfall, localised flooding and gales are referred to in the BOM Severe Weather Warning issued for 8 January 2020 initially at 4:35 am ACST Wednesday 08 January 2020, reference number IDD20250; all of which were widely reported in the news media after the events.

Due to this event, we're claiming an exemption under section 21 of the Telecommunications (Customer Service Guarantee) Standard 2011, including an exemption from the payment of compensation between 13 January 2020 to 9 February 2020 inclusive for any delays in fixing or connecting services, and the keeping of appointments relating to these activities in the impacted area.

Need more information?

If you have any questions regarding your eligibility for a CSG payment under this notice, or wish to have us reconsider whether the circumstances were a proper basis for claiming an exemption, you can contact Optus on 13 39 37 - quoting CSG exemption reference number 13012020-NT-S-C-P-NORTHERN TERRITORY TOP END REGION_RN

You can also view a copy of this notice on our Internet site www.optus.com.au/msd

If, after calling Optus on the above number, you remain unsatisfied with our response to your query, you have the option of raising the matter with the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO).  Information on the TIO and contact details are available on the Internet (www.tio.com.au) and in the White Pages® telephone directory.