Vodafone mobile network outage hits millions across Australia
Vodafone's Australian mobile network suffered a major outage from 7:15am local time; according to ABC News, voice and data services were down for hours across the largest metropolitan areas including Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. In an early statement the company said it was tracing a "core-network software fault." Emergency-call services also experienced partial disruption; the national regulator ACMA opened an inquiry.
Reports to user-tracking site Downdetector passed 80,000 by 7:30am, the highest in 18 months. According to ABC News, Vodafone's retail partners TPG Telecom and Felix were also affected. In a 9:45am update, the company said services were gradually returning, though data speeds remained weak.
Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said on Twitter that "alternative routing protocols have been activated for emergency calls" and that ACMA would conduct "an expedited inquiry." In Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, retailers dependent on card-payment systems reported severe difficulties.
Vodafone Australia merged with TPG Telecom in 2020 and has held its position as the country's third-largest mobile operator. TPG shares opened down 3.4 percent on the Sydney exchange. The company said it would announce a compensation package for account holders by end of day.
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