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Singtel Optus Pty Limited, commonly known as Optus, operates as a prominent Australian telecommunications company headquartered in Macquarie Park, situated in the Northern Sydney region of New South Wales, Australia. This telecommunications giant is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Singaporean company Singtel.
As of 2022, Optus holds the position as the second-largest wireless carrier in Australia, boasting a subscriber base exceeding 10 million. The extensive reach of its mobile network encompasses 98.5% of the Australian population.
Optus secured the second general carrier license in January 1991, marking a pivotal moment in its history. Following privatization, it transformed from AUSSAT to Optus, initially focusing on providing long-distance calls at more competitive rates than its primary competitor, Telstra. Customers were granted the option to preselect Optus as their preferred long-distance carrier, or alternatively, manually choose it for individual calls using an override code.
In its early stages, Optus concentrated on building an interstate fiber optic cable, establishing exchanges connecting Optus' interstate network with Telstra's local network, and laying fiber optics in key business areas. The company prioritized high-bandwidth local, interstate, and long-distance calls for businesses. While initially limited to offering local and long-distance calls through Telstra's local phone network, Optus expanded its services over time.
However, in a significant development in 2023, Optus experienced a nationwide outage on November 8th. The cause of the outage remains undetermined, but its impact was substantial, affecting over 10 million customers, including government services, hospitals, and businesses. Mobile customers observed 'SOS' on their phones, indicating network issues, while Optus landlines were unable to make emergency calls. This outage also disrupted Melbourne's train network, resulting in widespread delays and cancellations.
Resellers such as Dodo, Amaysim, and Coles Mobile, which rely on the Optus network, were similarly affected by the outage.
Optus offers a range of products and services through its Customer Solutions and Services (CS&S) organization, catering to business, corporate, and government clients. Retail services are distributed through various channels, including phone, internet, and retail outlets such as Optus World, Network Communications, Strathfield, Telechoice, and Allphones.
Key products and services provided by Optus encompass voice services (residential and commercial POTS, VoIP, VoDSL, and Intelligent Network applications), wireless services (GSM/GPRS, 3G/HSPA, 4G/LTE, 5G, and satellite telephony), internet access (NBN, residential dial-up, residential broadband, commercial and wholesale internet access, and secure gateway services for federal government departments), and television services (Optus Television in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane, including Foxtel Digital).
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