Optus, one of Australia’s leading telecommunications companies, recently experienced a 16-hour network meltdown that left customers across the country without service. In an embarrassing revelation, it has now been discovered that the unnamed “international peering network” responsible for the outage was Optus’ parent company, Singtel.
Additionally, it has come to light that Jorge Fernandes, a key executive who previously worked for Canadian telco Rogers Communications, which suffered a similar outage, is now employed by Singtel as its chief technology officer. It is important to note that this information does not suggest Fernandes was at fault for the recent outage.
Both Optus and Singtel were approached for comment, but Optus declined to respond. These revelations have surfaced just before an upcoming Senate inquiry where Optus CEO Kelly Bayer Rosmarin will address the outage and face scrutiny from senators.
A source close to Optus revealed that the Singtel Internet Exchange, known as STiX, was the third party responsible for the routing information that caused the outage. The changes in routing information overloaded key routers in the Optus network, forcing them to disconnect from the core network for protection. This necessitated the deployment of technicians to restore services, resulting in delays.
The Singtel Internet Exchange is one of many internet peering exchanges that facilitate the movement of data globally. Peering allows networks to directly connect and exchange traffic, reducing costs, improving performance, and increasing redundancy.
Despite Singtel’s involvement, an Optus engineer asserted that ultimately it was Optus’ responsibility to have filtering rules in place that would have prevented this issue. The engineer also mentioned that Optus believed another party, content distribution network Akamai, triggered the outage, but Akamai has since denied any involvement.
In the aftermath of the outage, Telstra, Optus’ competitor, has reported gaining new customers. Telstra’s CEO, Vicki Brady, acknowledged the significance of outages but cautioned against increased regulation that would require infrastructure sharing during disruptions. Telstra executives emphasized the resiliency and reliability of their network.
It remains to be seen how many Optus customers will switch providers as a result of the outage. Telstra has observed an increase in new customers signing up but does not anticipate major shifts in market share.
FAQ
1. What caused the Optus network meltdown?
The network meltdown was caused by routing information changes from the Singtel Internet Exchange (STiX), which led to the overload and subsequent disconnection of key routers in the Optus network.
2. Who is responsible for the outage?
While the Singtel Internet Exchange played a role in the outage, Optus is primarily responsible for not having sufficient filtering rules in place to prevent the issue from occurring.
3. Did another company trigger the outage?
Initially, Optus believed that content distribution network Akamai was to blame for the outage, but Akamai has since denied any involvement.
4. Did Telstra gain new customers as a result of the Optus outage?
Yes, Telstra reported an increase in new customers following the Optus network meltdown.
5. Will there be any changes in market share as a result of the outage?
Telstra does not anticipate major shifts in market share despite the outage, but the exact number of customers leaving Optus is yet to be determined.