By Sherin Sunny and Kumar Tanishk
Sept 2 (Reuters) – Telstra CEO Vicki Brady said on Wednesday an external investigation found that a technical event in its network timing system caused the mobile outage in July, backing the initial account of Australia’s top telecoms firm.
The findings add to pressure on Australia’s telecoms sector after a series of high-profile network disruptions, including a 13-hour outage at Singtel-owned Optus last year that also hit emergency services.
Brady said the investigation, conducted by U.S.-based Technology Audit Partners, confirmed incorrect date information spread through parts of the mobile network after planned maintenance, triggering the disruption.
The finding was in line with Brady’s statement during a Senate inquiry in mid-July.
“This outage should not have happened, and the findings released today help explain why it did,” said Brady, who joined Telstra in 2016 from Optus.
The report found “gaps in ownership, visibility and operational support” slowed efforts to identify the problem, Brady said, accepting the findings.
“Implementing a company-wide remediation oversight programme suggests there may be similar classification gaps elsewhere,” said Hersh Oberoi, global research director at Balfour Capital Group.
“The more significant cost is recurring operating expenses, particularly in areas that are difficult to fund… these are permanent costs that do not generate revenue.”
Telstra said the measures were not expected to affect its outlook for the 2027 financial year.
Oberoi said Telstra’s premium pricing relies on its reputation for network reliability, and if that stops setting it apart, the impact is likely to show in average revenue per user and churn, or the rate at which customers leave a telecom provider.
Telstra shares were trading 2.1% higher at A$4.725, as of 0550 GMT, on track for their best session since July 17.
(Reporting by Sherin Sunny and Keshav Singh Chundawat in Bengaluru; Additional Reporting by Kumar Tanishk; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu)
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