Affected by the Telstra Outage? Here’s How to Seek Compensation and Support
The Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) has issued guidance for consumers and small businesses affected by the recent Telstra network outage, outlining how to seek support, what records to keep, and where to turn if a resolution can’t be reached directly with the provider.
What Happened
Telstra recently experienced a mobile network outage that disrupted calls and data services for a significant number of customers. For many people, this meant more than a temporary inconvenience — it affected access to income, business operations, and in some cases, critical services.
The TIO has acknowledged the disruption and says it understands the flow-on effects many consumers and small businesses may have experienced, from lost income and interrupted business activity to difficulty reaching emergency or essential services during the outage.
Step One: Contact Your Provider
If you were affected by the outage, the TIO recommends contacting your provider first. This is the starting point for raising concerns or requesting compensation. Providers are expected to take individual circumstances into account when considering support — particularly for customers experiencing vulnerability, financial hardship, medical needs, safety concerns, or other significant impacts.
Keeping Records: What to Document
If you plan to apply for compensation, good record-keeping can make a real difference to the outcome. The TIO recommends keeping:
- Contact attempts — records of when you tried to reach your provider and what response you received
- Duration of disruption — how long your service was affected
- Extra costs incurred — for example, buying additional mobile data, travelling to access communications, or lost business sales
- Proof of expenses — receipts, invoices, or other documentation
- Evidence of impact — screenshots, emails, or messages showing disrupted work, missed appointments, or other consequences
Keeping this information organised as it happens — rather than trying to reconstruct it later — will make any claim easier to support.
If You Can’t Reach a Resolution
If you’re unable to resolve the matter directly with your provider, you can lodge a complaint with the TIO. The TIO independently assesses each complaint on its individual circumstances and works with both consumers and providers to help reach a fair outcome. This service is free for consumers to use.
What the Ombudsman Says
Ombudsman Cynthia Gebert says the responsibility for recovering from an outage shouldn’t fall solely on consumers:
“Consumers shouldn’t have to do all the heavy lifting after a major outage. Telcos need to proactively identify impacts, communicate clearly and early about available support, and consider remedies that are fair and appropriate for someone’s situation.”
Ms Gebert notes that while outages themselves are sometimes unavoidable, the way telcos respond is what matters most to consumers:
“People understand that service disruptions can happen, what matters is how telcos respond during and after the event. Consumers rightfully expect practical support and a simple process for raising concerns or requesting compensation if appropriate.”
She adds that consumers who aren’t satisfied with their provider’s response have somewhere to turn:
“If consumers aren’t happy with the outcome they receive from their telco, they can reach out to the TIO for free and independent help.”
More Information
For details on the outage itself, how it was resolved, and where to get help directly from Telstra, visit Telstra’s official update: Our recent mobile network outage has been resolved: here’s what happened
For independent help resolving a dispute with your telco, you can contact the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman.
This article is based on a media release issued by the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman.
