Optus

Who owns Optus?
Optus is wholly owned by Singapore Telecommunications Limited (Singtel), a publicly traded Singaporean telecommunications company listed on the Singapore Exchange under the ticker Z74. Singtel acquired Optus in 2001 for A$14 billion. Singtel is majority owned by Temasek Holdings, Singapore's sovereign wealth fund. In July 2026, Singtel confirmed it was in discussions to sell a meaningful minority stake in Optus to a local partner, though it cautioned that a transaction was not guaranteed.

Is Optus publicly traded?
No, Optus itself is not publicly traded. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Singtel, which is publicly traded on the Singapore Exchange under the ticker Z74. Investors can buy shares in Singtel to gain exposure to Optus's performance. Singtel is majority owned by Temasek Holdings, Singapore's sovereign wealth fund.

What is Optus's annual revenue?
Optus reported operating revenue of A$8.35 billion for FY2026 (ending March 2026), up 2.1 percent year over year. EBITDA was A$2.36 billion, up 6 percent, and EBIT was A$550 million, up 23.1 percent. The earnings growth was driven by mobile revenue growth, postpaid price rises, prepaid customer growth in amaysim, and higher network sharing revenue.

When was Optus founded?
Optus traces its origins to 1981, when the Australian government established AUSSAT (Australian Satellite Communications Limited) to provide satellite telecommunications services. The company was later privatized and renamed Optus in the early 1990s, becoming the first significant competitor to Telecom Australia (now Telstra). Singtel acquired Optus in 2001.

What happened in the Optus network outage?
On September 18, 2025, Optus suffered a critical network outage that disrupted Triple Zero (000) emergency call services for approximately 14 hours. During the outage, 75 percent of Triple Zero calls failed from 605 attempts, and the outage was linked to two deaths. An independent review by Dr Kerry Schott AO found that a routine network upgrade was plagued by multiple failures by Optus and its contractor Nokia, with as many as 10 crucial mistakes. In July 2026, the ACMA filed a lawsuit against Optus in the Federal Court, alleging breaches of legal obligations more than 1,000 times, with potential fines of up to A$502 million.

What was the Optus cyberattack?
In September 2022, Optus suffered a major cyberattack in which personal data of approximately 10 million current and former customers was compromised. The stolen data included names, dates of birth, phone numbers, email addresses, and in some cases passport and driver's license numbers. The breach was one of the largest in Australian history and triggered regulatory investigations and class action lawsuits.

How many employees does Optus have?
Optus employs approximately 8,000 people across Australia. The company's workforce includes network engineers, customer service representatives, retail staff, and corporate functions. Optus operates retail stores and service centers across Australia, providing customer service and sales support.

What is Optus's market position?
Optus is Australia's second-largest telecommunications provider, competing primarily with Telstra. The company serves over 10 million customers across mobile, broadband, enterprise, and entertainment services. Optus holds significant market share in mobile and broadband services, with its 5G network expansion and 5G Home Internet product providing differentiated offerings in the market.

Optus traces its origins to 1981, when the Australian government established AUSSAT (Australian Satellite Communications Limited) to provide satellite telecommunications services. AUSSAT was created to break the monopoly of Telecom Australia (now Telstra) and introduce competition into the Australian telecommunications market.

In the early 1990s, the Australian government privatized AUSSAT and granted the second telecommunications carrier license to a consortium that included Bell South, Cable and Wireless, and others. The company was renamed Optus Communications and began building a competing telecommunications network across Australia. Optus launched its mobile network in 1992 and began offering long-distance telephone services in competition with Telstra.

Throughout the 1990s, Optus invested heavily in mobile networks, fiber optic infrastructure, and pay television services. The company built a hybrid fiber coaxial cable network in major Australian cities, competing with Telstra's infrastructure. The pay television business, initially operated as Optus Vision, was later integrated into the company's broader service offering.

In 2001, Singapore Telecommunications Limited (Singtel) acquired Optus for A$14 billion, bringing the Australian company under Singaporean ownership. The acquisition was part of Singtel's strategy to expand beyond its domestic market and build a pan-Asian telecommunications group. Under Singtel ownership, Optus continued to compete with Telstra while benefiting from access to Singtel's international resources, technology partnerships, and procurement advantages.

In the 2000s and 2010s, Optus invested in 3G and 4G mobile networks, expanded its broadband offerings, and entered the entertainment streaming market with Optus Sport, which secured rights to broadcast English Premier League football in Australia. The company also expanded its enterprise and business telecommunications services, targeting government and corporate clients.

In 2021, Optus acquired amaysim, a prepaid mobile virtual network operator, for approximately A$18 million. The acquisition expanded Optus's prepaid customer base and added a distinct brand targeting budget-conscious consumers.

In September 2022, Optus suffered a major cyberattack in which personal data of approximately 10 million current and former customers was compromised. The breach was one of the largest in Australian history and led to regulatory action, class action lawsuits, and significant reputational damage. The Australian Information Commissioner investigated the breach, and Optus faced scrutiny over its data security practices.

In November 2023, Optus experienced a nationwide network outage that lasted approximately 12 hours, affecting millions of customers and disrupting emergency services. The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) investigated the outage and found that Optus failed in the management of its network in several areas and that the outage should have been preventable. Singtel Optus subsidiaries paid more than A$12 million in infringement notice penalties.

On September 18, 2025, Optus suffered another major network outage, this time disrupting Triple Zero (000) emergency call services for approximately 14 hours. During the outage, 75 percent of Triple Zero calls failed from a total of 605 attempts. The outage was linked to two deaths, as emergency calls from individuals in distress failed to connect. An independent review by Dr Kerry Schott AO, commissioned by the Optus Board and completed in December 2025, found widespread failures contributed to the outage, including as many as 10 crucial mistakes by Optus and its contractor Nokia during a routine network upgrade. The Optus Board accepted all 21 recommendations from the review.

In May 2026, Singtel announced its FY2026 results, which showed Optus delivering improved earnings despite the ongoing challenges. Singtel also disclosed that it was open to bringing in a "like-minded local partner" to hold a meaningful minority stake in Optus, in order to improve operational resilience and restore public trust. In July 2026, Singtel confirmed it was in discussions to sell a minority stake, though it cautioned that a transaction was not guaranteed.

In July 2026, the ACMA filed a lawsuit against Optus in the Federal Court over the September 2025 outage. The regulator alleged that Optus breached two legal obligations more than 1,000 times each, with potential fines of up to A$502 million.

Optus has faced significant controversy and regulatory action in recent years, primarily related to cybersecurity and network reliability failures.

In September 2022, Optus suffered a major cyberattack in which personal data of approximately 10 million current and former customers was compromised. The stolen data included names, dates of birth, phone numbers, email addresses, and in some cases passport and driver's license numbers. The breach was one of the largest in Australian history and triggered a major public backlash, regulatory investigations, and class action lawsuits. The Australian Information Commissioner's investigation into the breach was ongoing as of 2026. Optus faced criticism for its initial response, including the time taken to notify affected customers and the adequacy of remediation measures.

In November 2023, Optus experienced a nationwide network outage lasting approximately 12 hours, affecting millions of customers and disrupting emergency services. The ACMA investigated and found that Optus failed in the management of its network in several areas and that the outage should have been preventable. The regulator also found that Optus failed to follow up on the safety and wellbeing of more than 360 customers after the outage was resolved. Singtel Optus subsidiaries paid more than A$12 million in infringement notice penalties.

On September 18, 2025, Optus suffered a critical network outage that disrupted Triple Zero (000) emergency call services for approximately 14 hours. During the outage, 75 percent of Triple Zero calls failed from a total of 605 attempts. The outage was linked to two deaths, as emergency calls from individuals in distress failed to connect. An independent review by Dr Kerry Schott AO, commissioned by the Optus Board and completed in December 2025, found that a routine network upgrade was plagued by multiple failures by Optus and its contractor Nokia, with as many as 10 crucial mistakes. The review also found that the Optus call centre did not escalate warnings from five callers who reported that Triple Zero calls were failing. The Optus Board accepted all 21 recommendations.

In July 2026, the ACMA filed a lawsuit against Optus in the Federal Court over the September 2025 outage. The regulator alleged that Optus breached two legal obligations more than 1,000 times each, with potential fines of up to A$502 million. ACMA chair Nerida O'Loughlin stated that the recurrence of a major network outage affecting emergency calls so soon after the November 2023 outage was a significant concern. Communications Minister Anika Wells described the alleged failures as serious.

A Senate committee chaired by Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young reviewed the circumstances of the September 2025 outage. Senator Hanson-Young stated that Optus had not been prioritizing people's safety and that evidence from Optus to the committee was damning of cultural problems within the company.

Following the 2023 outage, the federal government introduced new laws establishing a Triple Zero Custodian and giving ACMA greater powers to hold telcos accountable for emergency call reliability. Tougher regulatory obligations were also introduced requiring telcos to communicate with customers and key stakeholders during major outages, improve network testing, and enhance complaints handling.