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Amid a nationwide Optus network outage, brokers have been urgently contacting their clients through alternative means.
The Optus outage has wreaked havoc for brokers, as they anxiously await reconnection amid the nationwide disruption caused by an Optus outage on Wednesday, 8 November.
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Frustrated Optus users woke to widespread chaos on Wednesday, unable to access vital services such as banking, the internet and public transportation networks, as Optus experienced its most extensive outages, impacting millions of Australians.
Downdetector reported the initial Optus outages around 4am, peaking with over 8,000 reports just before 6am.
Optus responded to the outage, around 7am stating: “We’re aware of an issue impacting Optus mobile and nbn services and are working to restore services as quickly as possible.”
It has since provided an update stating the network has recovered.
“The Optus Network has been restored and most services should now be back on line. Some customers may need to restart their device or turn flight mode on then off,” it said on Wednesday evening.
The outage led to significant delays for commuters, disrupted health services and hindered online banking, with the cause remaining unidentified.
Communication Minister Michelle Rowland stated that the outage was caused by a deep fault within the network.
Brokers frustrated
Brokers expressed their frustration and concern over the outage’s duration and security.
Lumbini Wekunagoda at Mel Finance Services highlighted the impact on his clients and credit assessors, who had to resort to alternative communication methods like WhatsApp and Messenger.
He explained a dedicated staff member emailed active lenders to inform their credit assessors about the phone line outage and provide alternative contact details.
Additionally, a “major referrer" was contacted to assist with reaching out to prospects.
Fortunately, day-to-day operations and meetings remained unaffected, but CBA was the only institution that informed them of broker support line issues.
“I had to inform my offshore team about our phone lines being out of service and suggested they use Skype for communication,” Mr Wekunagoda said.
“Thankfully, our other day-to-day operations and meetings have been unaffected.
“Thus far, CBA has been the only institution to inform us of their broker support lines being impacted.”
Fabien Tribe at the Lending Lab faced phone line issues and concerns about clients needing his services.
Although he had alternative internet service, he expressed worry for brokers who could be at risk, especially if settlements were pending.
“We are nervously waiting to see if we have one or 100 voicemails and what issues are waiting below the surface that we aren’t aware of and can’t action,” Mr Tribe said.
Brokers like Ajay Kathpal at A4Finance had to rely on mobile hotspots from other network providers to submit urgent applications due to the outage.
The lack of communication from Optus further aggravated the situation, with brokers receiving no text messages or emails to provide updates on the outage’s status.
“What has been extremely frustrating is the lack of communication from Optus,” Mr Kathpal said.
[Related: Borrowers left in limbo as major bank's outage causes delays]
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