A widespread Telstra outage has caused chaos for thousands of customers across New South Wales, with mobile and internet services dropping unexpectedly. The disruption, which began in the early hours, has left businesses and residents scrambling for alternatives.
What Happened?
Reports started flooding in around 6:30 AM, with users complaining of sudden loss of connectivity. Telstra confirmed the issue, stating they were investigating a "network fault" affecting multiple regions.
Affected Areas
- Sydney CBD and surrounding suburbs
- Central Coast
- Newcastle
- Wollongong
- Regional NSW towns
The outage appears to be impacting both 4G and 5G networks, with some landline services also affected.
Business Impact
Many businesses relying on Telstra services reported significant disruptions:
- Retail stores unable to process card payments
- Delivery services experiencing tracking issues
- Remote workers cut off from corporate networks
"This couldn't have come at a worse time," said one small business owner in Parramatta. "We're losing hundreds of dollars every hour we can't process transactions."
Telstra's Response
The telecommunications giant acknowledged the problem on social media, stating:
"We're aware of an issue affecting some mobile services in NSW. Our teams are working urgently to restore services. We apologise for the inconvenience."
However, frustrated customers have criticised the lack of detailed updates and estimated resolution time.
Alternative Solutions
While waiting for full service restoration, experts suggest:
- Connecting to WiFi where available
- Using messaging apps that work on minimal bandwidth
- Contacting essential services via landlines if possible
This marks the third major outage for Telstra in the past 12 months, raising questions about network reliability.
