WA Police issue warning as Telstra outage disrupts calls to Triple Zero

People trying to call Triple Zero are being affected by a nationwide Telstra outage.

The network went dark about 2am (WA time) across the country, with more than 7000 being affected and no estimate of when the service will be restored. The outage is also impacting services including Aldi Mobile, Belong and Boost.

WA Police early on Wednesday issued advice for people relying on the telco to phone in an emergency.

“A Telstra outage is currently affecting customers nationwide, impacting their ability to make phone calls, including calls to Triple Zero from Telstra services,” a statement read.

“If you have a vulnerable family member, friend, neighbour or co-worker, consider offering support during the service disruption.

“If you are affected and do not have access to an alternative mobile or landline service, police recommend making arrangements with a neighbour, family member, or friend so you can access a working telephone in an emergency.”

Police communication systems are not affected and users are urged to check the Telstra website for updates.

The minister for emergency management Kristy McBain said the Government has been advised of the outage.

“We understand Telstra is working on resolving the issue, and arrangements are being made for affected rail passengers,” she said in a statement.

“Like all telcos, Telstra must notify customers and emergency services of any major outage. Australian phones are also required to fall back to other networks for 000 access.”

Website Downdetector indicated that 7649 users were having issues.

Initial reports were made about 2am with mobile and internet services worst hit.

Some users say their broadband internet has been impacted too.

Issues across Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, and locations in Victoria have been reported.

Someone on Downdetector said they were not able to contact triple zero.

A Telstra spokesperson could not confirm when services will be restored.

“We’re looking into an issue affecting some mobile calls and data connections,” they said.

“If you’re having trouble connecting, try again as it may work on a retry.

“We’re on it and will share an update as soon as it’s fixed.

“Thanks for sticking with us.”

What services are affected by Tesltra outage?

Financial and retail payments across EFTPOS and ATM networks rely on the Telstra 4G network and they process millions of transactions daily. Many remote ATMs rely on Telstra’s private data networks.

Essential utilities rely on the Telstra network to monitor power grids, water pressure and weather reporting in remote areas.

Remote telehealth consultations medical alert pendants, and networked hospital devices depend heavily on the continuous availability of Telstra’s mobile and fixed broadband services.

More to come.