Telstra’s Transparency Test: Can We Trust Their Plans?

A nationwide network outage that left millions without connectivity is a serious business for any telecommunications company. The incident raises questions about the effectiveness of Telstra’s crisis management processes, particularly when staff struggled to notify their bosses, including CEO Vicki Brady.

The revelation is surprising given Telstra’s boasts about its operational controls and strong leadership. When Telstra’s operations team couldn’t reach Brady directly because their own phones weren’t connecting – forcing them to resort to Microsoft Teams – it highlights a fundamental flaw in the company’s plan. If staff can’t get through to leaders during an emergency, how can they truly say that everything is working as it should? Brady’s two-and-a-half-hour response time after finally receiving notification only adds to concerns about Telstra’s crisis management processes.

Australia has seen similar outages before. In 2023, Optus suffered a disaster of its own, and the company learned from its mistakes by building a culture where staff feel empowered to take action without being hindered by bureaucratic red tape. It’s not just about having backup plans; it’s also about accountability and making executives genuinely accountable for their actions.

Telstra chief financial officer Michael Ackland downplayed the scale of the outage, initially suggesting that only thousands were affected. However, more information revealed a much bigger problem – over 600 Triple Zero calls failing and counting. Ackland’s attempt to blame the spread of incorrect routing information from server to server is a familiar refrain from the Optus outage.

The issue isn’t just about downplaying the severity of the problem; it’s also about trust. Can we trust Telstra to learn from its mistakes? To provide compensation and discounts to those affected by the outage? The company’s commitment to transparency is admirable, but until they can prove that they’re willing to put their money where their mouth is, skepticism remains.

During the press conference, Brady and Ackland came across as confident and knowledgeable. However, confidence doesn’t necessarily translate to competence in crisis management. As Telstra embarks on its investigation into what went wrong, we’ll be watching closely to see whether they’re willing to take a hard look at their own practices – and make real changes to prevent this kind of disaster from happening again.

Ultimately, this outage is about more than technical failures; it’s also about the company’s ability to inspire trust in its customers. Until Telstra can demonstrate that it’s serious about learning from its mistakes and putting right what went wrong, we’ll remain unconvinced by their promises of transparency and accountability.