Senate inquiry to examine Telstra outage cause and industry oversight

A Senate inquiry will examine the cause of Telstra's network outage last week and assess whether underinvestment in technology played a role. The inquiry will also review the impact on the public and the economy and consider whether the telecommunications sector's self-regulation has been sufficient. Greens senator and inquiry chair Sarah Hanson-Young will question Telstra executives on Friday.

Equipment and outage details The inquiry will review reports that a device no longer supported for nearly ten years and costing less than $22,000 to replace may have caused the outage. Sarah Hanson-Young said the cost figure raised questions about other equipment in the network.

A Telstra spokesperson said the company's internal investigation would cover events before, during, and after the incident and future steps. The spokesperson stated that mobile networks are complex and that additional regulation could increase costs and reduce investment.

Industry oversight and compensation The inquiry will consider whether minimum service requirements should apply to telecommunications companies, similar to those in the water and energy sectors. Sarah Hanson-Young said the contract for the Triple Zero service is under review and called for compensation for affected customers and rail networks.

Telstra reported profit of $2.3 billion on $23.6 billion in revenue for the last financial year. The company has conducted multiple rounds of job cuts and price increases in the past eighteen months. The Senate inquiry is the third review of the outage, alongside Telstra's internal investigation and a review by the Australian Communications and Media Authority.

The authority and the Department of Communications are expected to give evidence.