Telstra outage chaos: Customers fume as they are unable to make phone calls or access mobile data… and an entire train network is shut down: 'I'm over this'

Testra Michael Ackland CFO said a software update brought the network down, but they don't know why.

He told Australians at a press conference on Wednesday that the issue came from a server box in a data centre.

'We know where the issue is, the teams are moving to restore them, we don't yet know what the root cause was,' he said.

Mr Ackland said the outage was national, but he had no idea how many people were impacted.

'I don't know, thousands?' he said. 'It could be tens of thousands, but I think it's more likely in the thousands.'

He also said there was no suggestion of malicious activity.

'At this stage, we have nothing to indicate malicious activity.

'We've been in contact with all regulators and government agencies to that effect.

'We continue to investigate, we continue to remain curious and explore every avenue, but we have nothing on that.'

The outage has also impacted government services, where verification codes sent via text message aren't being received by Telstra customers.

This type of verification is used for many essential services, including government services website MyGov.

'I have just tried to pay an ATO demand. They say connect to MyGov. That sends a login code to my phone. Doesn't work. Another bit of business as usual that Telstra have killed!,' one customer said.

Australians are being urged to restart their phones to reconnect to the Telstra network.

Mark Gregory, an associate professor at RMIT University, told the ABC restarting your phone is the best way to reconnect.

Not all devices will automatically reconnect to the service without restarting.

'It's important to turn your phone off and then turn it on again, like power it off and power it on periodically to try and reconnect to the network,' he said.

Telstra says it has 'just under 90 per cent of calls and data now flowing successfully across the network'.

'Our teams are working as quickly as possible to restore remaining services and get all customers back online,' it said in a statement.

The Commonwealth Bank say some of its ATMs might not be able to connect to the Telstra network.

It said: 'CommBank terminals can switch between network providers.'

Telstra customers have taken to social media to vent their rage.

One user said: 'Congratulations, Telstra, Imagine being Australia’s biggest telco and getting beaten by two tin cans connected to a piece of string.'

Another wrote: 'I love that we all had our billing price increased in May this year to “improve network performance, reliability and security.'

'Good job Telstra, You had one job.'

The Australian Communications Consumer Action Network said Telstra needs to offer customers a full explanation.

'Telstra needs to come out and provide clear, transparent information about what has happened, who is affected, and when services will be restored,' chief executive Carol Bennett told the ABC.

She said the impact was 'immediate and real'.

'This is only the latest in a spate of reliability flashpoints across the Australian telco sector,' she said.

'Consumers are right to ask: how much longer before these companies are held to account for their networks, with enforceable reliability requirements rather than voluntary commitments?'

'I think if we accepted trade-offs with something like airline safety, we'd be in real trouble.

'And this is now as important as that.

'It's a safety issue for Australians.

'And it's one of the reasons why their trust in this system is really at an all-time low.

'It's one of the least trusted sectors in Australia.

'And there is a reason for that.

'And it's because people's experience doesn't match what they're told they should expect and what they need to be relying on for their everyday lives.'

Former Panthers and NSW State of Origin star Luke Lewis had to leave his phone number with a cab driver because he couldn't pay his taxi fare due to the outage.

Lewis caught a cab to Sydney Airport before flying to Brisbane for Wednesday night's game.

'It’s been a little bit crazy. Even on the way here, the taxis today, their internet’s not working,' he told ABC Breakfast radio.

'I had to give [the taxi driver] my number, I said … just send it to me, and I’ll fix it up later.'

NSW Police issued a statement on Wednesday morning, saying triple-0 was not impacted by the outage.

'If you ae trying to call Triple Zero and can't get through, we recommend using another device, a landline or wifi calling,' it said.

'Telstra will provide an update on the network outage as their tech teams work through a fix.'

However, WA police say the outage 'may also include calls to Triple Zero from Telstra services'.

'If you have a vulnerable family member, friend, neighbour or co-worker, consider offering support during the service disruption,' it said in a statement.

'If you are affected and do not have access to an alternative mobile or landline service, police recommend making arrangements with a neighbour, family member, or friend so you can access a working telephone in an emergency.'

It said police communication systems were not affected.

SA Police said it can still receive Triple Zero calls, but people may need to use other means to contact emergency services.

A spokesperson said: 'If you're in an emergency, you can contact Triple Zero and get through to police.

'If people are with that network and they don't have mobile phone coverage, look for other ways to seek that help.

'Either through a neighbour, a local emergency service or wi-fi calling or some of those other community support networks.'

The head of South Australia's Department for Infrastructure and Transport says 378 traffic lights are offline because of the Telstra outage.

CEO Jon Whelan says they are still operating on a 'skip phase', meaning they are working on the basic programming rather than responding to demand from cars or being able to change remotely based on traffic conditions.

'That will cause some congestion this morning but our team are monitoring that,' he told 891 ABC Adelaide.

He said public transport was not affected by the outage.

There have been reports emergency services are experiencing computer issues in ambulances and fire trucks, but crews can still communicate and receive jobs via radio.

All regional train lines in Victoria have been shut down due to a radio network fault caused by the outage, sparking widespread commuter chaos.

'Very limited coach replacement services will be available. Passengers are advised to defer travel where possible,' V/Line states.

New South Wales Police says people may need to call Triple Zero using a non-Telstra device.

'The NSW Police Force understands a Telstra outage is affecting some network devices.

'Triple Zero systems are not affected, but you may not be able to reach Triple Zero if you are calling from a Telstra device.

'If you try to call Triple Zero and can't get through, we recommend using another device, a landline or Wi-Fi calling.

'Telstra will provide updates on the network outage as their tech teams work through a fix.'

Businesses have also been impacted, with some only able to accept cash transactions, as payment provider Tyro relies on the network.

'We're aware of an issue with a national telephone network provider and that some customers may not be able to connect to the 4G network right now to process EFTPOS transactions,' the company said.

'As an interim solution, until service is restored, please try connecting to your Ethernet or Wi-Fi network by following these steps.'

A NSW cafe owner says he'll have no choice but to close his business today if the Telstra outage isn't fixed.

'Communication is not the issue, this should never go down,' he told the ABC.

'We are in the world of satellite and it just shouldn't happen, and this is going to affect people left, right and centre.'

Many affected customers have expressed their frustration online.

'You've shut down an entire train network and people can't get to work. Sort it out,' one fumed.

Another added: 'I'm over this… we've had limited internet for three days and now we can't make or receive phone calls on either of our mobiles.'