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’

Telstra customers in every major city have reported a network outage that has knocked out calls, mobile data and electronic payments.

Millions have been unable to make phone calls or access mobile data on Australia’s largest mobile network on Wednesday.

Telstra confirmed it is looking into ‘an issue affecting some mobile calls and data connections’.

‘If you’re having trouble connecting at first, try again as it may work on a retry,’ a Telstra update states.

‘We’re on it and will share an update as soon as it’s fixed. Thanks for bearing with us.’

The disruption has extended beyond Telstra, with Belong, Boost and Aldi Mobile customers also reporting widespread service issues. 

Businesses have also been impacted, with some only able to accept cash transactions with payment provider Tyro relying 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,’ it said in a statement.

‘As an interim solution, until service is restored, please try connecting to your ethernet or WiFi network by following these steps.’

‘As an interim solution, until service is restored, please try connecting to your ethernet or WiFi network by following these steps.’

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.

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.’

Two deaths were linked to an Optus outage in September 2025, which lasted almost 14 hours and affected hundreds of calls across four states and territories.

New rules were handed down by the Australian Communications and Media Authority in March, forcing telcos to publish when an outage started and when it was restored, as well as its cause.

The Australian Communications Consumer Action Network said Telstra needed to explain exactly what went wrong.

‘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 said.

She said the impact was ‘immediate and real’.

‘This is only the latest in a spate of reliability flashpoints across the Australian telco sector.’