Singtel Says Optus CEO Needs More Time to Fix Issues After Emergency Call Outages

Optus’ chief executive will need more time to steady the company, Singtel’s group CEO said Tuesday, as scrutiny intensifies over the Australian telecom operator following two major emergency call outages in less than two weeks.

The disruptions, which left thousands of Australians without service and were linked to four deaths, have further damaged Optus’ reputation after a 2022 cyberattack exposed millions of customer records and a A$100 million ($65.8 million) penalty this year for sales misconduct.

Singtel chief executive Yuen Kuan Moon met with Australian officials on Tuesday morning. Some lawmakers and analysts have called for Optus CEO Stephen Rue to resign and for the company to potentially lose its operating license.

Asked by reporters if Rue still had his support, Yuen said restoring Australia’s second-largest telecom operator would not be immediate.
“We appointed Stephen 11 months ago to fix long-standing issues dating back to 2022–23,” Yuen told reporters in Sydney after meeting Communications Minister Anika Wells. “It’s still very early days. Turning around a company takes time.”

Singtel, majority-owned by Temasek Holdings, saw its shares fall as much as 2% in early trade Tuesday before recovering to close up 0.2%.

The latest Optus disruption on Sunday blocked “000” emergency calls for around 4,500 people, which the company blamed on a faulty tower south of Sydney. It came just 10 days after a misconfigured firewall upgrade caused a 13-hour outage that also disrupted emergency calls in two states and the Northern Territory, contributing to four deaths.

Optus chair John Arthur said the outages were not due to underinvestment by Singtel. Yuen described the fatal September 18 outage as a “people problem,” noting that “changing people takes time.”

‘Deeply serious’
Minister Wells said Optus faced a “very serious breakdown in trust” over its ability to handle emergency calls.
“Optus’ CEO now needs to work with its parent company, Singtel, to ensure systems and internal reforms are put in place to restore public confidence,” she said.

Wells also called for an external review of the company’s systems so Australians could get independent assurance, not just Optus’ word.

Optus later said it had appointed consultancy Kearney to immediately begin independent oversight, quality assurance, and verification of its mobile network.

Former Optus CEO Kelly Bayer Rosmarin stepped down in 2023 after a nationwide service blackout. Rue, who took over in November 2024, was tasked with rebuilding customer trust and raising service standards.

($1 = A$1.5191)