The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) revealed that Optus has been fined $1.5 million for violating public safety rules on a large scale. The investigation found that Optus failed to upload the information of 200,000 mobile customers to the Integrated Public Number Database (IPND) between January 2021 and September 2023. The IPND is crucial for emergency services to warn Australians about disasters and provides location information of mobile phone users in emergencies.
Samantha Yorke, an ACMA member, emphasized that Optus’ negligence could have had “very serious” consequences for Australians’ safety. In addition to paying the fine, Optus will conduct an independent review of its IPND compliance and implement the recommendations provided by authorities. The ACMA warned that further non-compliance could result in a fine of up to $10 million.
An Optus spokesperson admitted to a lack of proper audits ensuring compliance with database regulations and apologized for not meeting community expectations. The company has since introduced audits and checks on its supplier’s performance to prevent similar issues in the future. Optus has accepted the ACMA’s findings and agreed to an enforceable undertaking.
This enforcement action by the ACMA comes as Optus faces a series of challenges, including a data breach affecting 10 million customers, a nationwide outage leading to the resignation of its CEO, and significant job cuts. The telco is working to address these issues and improve its reputation amidst ongoing challenges.