Microsoft Copilot: what it’s like using the new AI desktop assistant

Adding generative AI features to everyday Windows 11 applications, Microsoft Copilot aims to help PC users get things done.

The rise of OpenAI’s ChatGPT saw generative AI make headlines for its ability to understand questions posed in plain English and then craft in-depth answers, which appear as if they were written by a person.

Microsoft’s Copilot brings generative AI to the desktop, primarily designed to help Windows users with day-to-day tasks rather than be a jack-of-all-trades like ChatGPT. It’s built into the new Bing Chat and was made available in Windows 11 at the start of November via the free Windows 11 2023 Update, also known as 23H2.

Meanwhile, Microsoft 365 enterprise users can pay to add Copilot to Office tools like Word, Excel and Outlook. These features will gradually become available to all Microsoft 365 users.

The Copilot taskbar icon calls up Microsoft’s AI assistant.

Using Microsoft Copilot to answer questions

Put to the test on the new Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 3 running the Windows 11 2023 Update, Copilot appears as a new “Copilot (preview)” icon in the taskbar.

Clicking the icon opens a menu on the right, where you can select whether you want a more creative, precise or balanced conversation style. Along with a few examples of what Microsoft Copilot can do, you’re presented with an “Ask me anything” window where you can type to engage with Copilot or click the microphone to speak your query aloud.

In this way, Copilot replaces Microsoft’s ill-fated Cortana smart assistant. Like all smart assistants, you can ask Copilot for simple objective facts, such as “How tall is Mount Kosciuszko” and generally trust the results.

You can also ask Copilot more complex subjective questions, such as “What’s the best holiday itinerary for two weeks in Australia?” The result is several hundred words long, written in plain English and with links to the sources.

Copilot can research topics and give you an clear written explanation.

If you want more detail, you can ask a follow-up question, such as “What if I want to swim with dolphins?” and it understands the context – knowing that you’re still talking about an Australian holiday. It will even give you links to places where you can swim with dolphins in Australia, including their TripAdvisor rating.

Copilot is also built into the Edge browser, letting you ask questions and request summaries of pages. You can also use Copilot to control your computer, such as opening apps, turning on features and getting guidance on how to use different aspects of Windows.

Microsoft Pilot can summarise a long online article.

Generating written content

Along with answering your questions, Microsoft Copilot can also write content, letting you specify details such as style and length. Here it can be a significant time-saver, at least when it comes to writing first drafts, although obviously it’s open to abuse.

Copilot understands the structure, style and requirements for different kinds of documents. For example, you can ask it to write a cover letter for a job application as a high school librarian or an email to the mayor requesting a new local dog park. In both situations, Copilot refers to its efforts as a “possible” option, while adding generic details and examples which clearly aren’t accurate – presumably expecting you to fill in the blanks.

You can hone the results by including more details, such as “write an email to the mayor requesting a new dog park in the City of Moonee Valley”. The result is far more customised but still can’t be trusted without fact-checking.

For example, Copilot addresses the email to the previous mayor of Moonee Valley, cites a survey from a non-existent local dog owners association and refers to a vacant lot on the corner of two streets that don’t actually intersect in the real world. You clearly can’t take everything it says at face value.

You’re on safer ground if you ask Copilot to stick to more established facts, such as “write a 100-word review of the novel 1984“. Once again, you can hone the results, such as “write a 100-word review of the novel 1984 for a primary school book report” which adapts the language and themes accordingly. It does a very impressive job – although you’re assuming it hasn’t made any obvious mistakes – and offers a taste of the challenges that generative AI will present teachers.

Microsoft Copilot’s ability to churn out impressive book reports will keep teachers on their toes.

Image creation

Microsoft Copilot can also create images from scratch, plus it will work with applications like Microsoft Paint and Photos.

Asking Copilot to “create an image of a whale” generates four options, after which you can ask for changes such as “make it fly a kite”. However ludicrous, Copilot will do its best to bring your ideas to life. You can also drop existing images into Copilot and ask it to analyse them.

If you can imagine it, Copilot can envision it

Generative AI is also coming to Microsoft Paint as a new “Cocreator” feature, as well as Photos, but these are currently only available to Windows 11 beta users and haven’t been released to the general public yet. 

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Optus customers furious at compensation offer after outage

An offer of bonus data from Optus as compensation following Wednesday’s nationwide outage has been widely met with derision as the under-siege telco continues to cop criticism.

Millions of Australians were left without phone and internet connectivity for upwards of 12 hours earlier in the week. Businesses and critical infrastructure, including hospitals and public transport, suffered significant disruptions as a result.

With services now back online, Optus has offered extra data to customers as part of its response headlined “We’re very sorry for the outage”. It includes at least an extra 200GB of data for eligible mobile and tablet customers, and unlimited data on weekends for the rest of the year on eligible prepaid plans.

This overwhelmingly exceeds Australia’s average monthly mobile data usage of 10.2GB, a figure reported by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) last year. Most Optus customers won’t benefit from the compensation offer, as pointed out by many people on social media.

On the popular r/Australia subreddit, it’s been described as “an insult” and “a token gesture” followed by unanimous criticism of Optus. Businesses impacted by the outage reported thousands of dollars in lost trade, as talks of more meaningful compensation heat up.

In an update for consumers and small businesses affected by the outage, the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) outlined how it can help if you’re not satisfied with Optus’ response. Its support for compensation claims includes being able to direct a telco to pay up to $100,000 in compensation as a result of financial loss.

Claims the TIO can help with include those resulting from “lost business profit due to connection delays or network faults” and the “costs of having to pay for alternative services when a telco does not supply agreed services”.

Optus outage and compensation fallout

A senate inquiry will take place to examine the outage explained by Optus as a “network event yesterday triggered a cascading failure”. Chaired by Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, the inquiry will cross-examine how Optus communicated with customers, compensation, and what the government can do to keep Australians connected.

“We want those affected to be fairly compensated and to work so this doesn’t happen again,” Senator Hanson-Young said. “The inquiry will look at what responsibility Optus has to protect the public, not just their profits.”

“The question of compensation will be asked and it’s our hope that the CEO will have the answers that Australians and 10 million Optus customers expect and deserve.”

Emergency roaming between networks has been floated as a potential solution in the event of future outages. If pursued, it would mirror Canada’s response to a substantial outage in 2022. Afterwards, the country’s telcos agreed to enable emergency roaming, so that if one network went down, users could remain connected.

Optus CEO Kelly Bayer Rosmarin, who was also at the helm during last year’s mass data breach, has faced substantial criticism over the most recent saga. In an interview with 7 News, she offered an apology for the telco’s performance.

“We know that there is nothing we can do to make up for yesterday and what customers want most is for our network to work all the time — which is our number one priority — but we also want to acknowledge their patience and loyalty by giving them additional data to help during the holidays, when so many people consume more data with friends and family,” Bayer Rosmarin said.

Optus customers are already leaving in droves, with telcos like Telstra and Vodafone – including brands using their networks – reporting high volumes of sign-ups.

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Discounted tech available via new Samsung Shop App

A new Samsung Shop App has just launched in Australia and throughout Southeast Asia, along with a discount for first-time users.

Much like the Apple Store app for i-devices, the Samsung Shop App offers a personalised shopping experience while cutting out the middleman of other retailers. It acts as a go-to destination for ordering phones, TVs, and anything else Samsung.

According to research conducted by the South Korean electronics company, online shopping continues to be a big way people buy gadgets. 42.6% of survey respondents across Southeast Asia and Oceania bought electronics or home appliances online in the past three months, as opposed to in-store. It’s flagged as a major reason behind the new app, as more people make major purchases while using phones.

An interesting feature highlighted as part of the Samsung Shop App is how the personalisation works. Particularly the touted comparisons between your current device and newer models available on the store. Without trying the app, it’s not yet known how this works, but it seems helpful when you’re eyeing an upgrade. Outside of that, there are a bunch of standard offers like free shipping and returns on eligible devices, in addition to live tracking of orders.

Samsung Shop App discounts

As an incentive to download it, you can get 10% off your first purchase exclusively through the app. A disclaimer on Samsung’s website indicates that it automatically applies to your cart and combines with other active offers, like education discounts.

Speaking of education discounts, there’s mention of exclusive discounts and offers for students via the Samsung Shop App. It’s unclear if these are separate from or in addition to the existing education store discounts. Regardless, it’s a good reminder you can grab a discount if you’re currently studying.

If you’re keen to check it out, you can download the app on either the Google Play Store or the App Store.

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Cheapest Vodafone SIM-only plans: save on your phone bill

Are you re-assessing your current phone plan? Whether due to price, coverage or service quality, it’s worth routinely checking if your current plan works for you. Vodafone currently has several affordable SIM-only plans suited to anyone keen to avoid a lock-in contract.

Owned by TPG Telecom, Vodafone’s mobile network reaches 96% of Australians, making it the third largest in the country behind Optus (98.5%) and Telstra (99.5%). Depending on where you live, a Vodafone SIM-only plan could be a cost-effective option compared to the larger telcos.

To compare all of your phone options, check out the cheapest SIM plans from all carriers, and the best Telstra SIM-only plans. When considering your phone bill, it’s also worth seeing if you can save on home internet by comparing the cheapest NBN plans.

Contents

• What you need to know
• Cheapest Vodafone SIM-only plans
• Cheapest MVNO SIM-only plan using Vodafone

What you need to know

SIM-only plans make it easy to use your existing phone and number, too. You can purchase one online or in-store and pop it into your device once ready. Or, if you have a modern phone compatible with eSIM technology, there’s even less manual handling involved.

See Also

02/11/2023

Cheapest SIM plans in Australia – November 2023

Before you commit to any network, check the coverage map published on a company’s website to ensure it services your area. Vodafone’s coverage map indicates widespread metropolitan service, so it’s mainly regional areas you need to consider.

There are also companies like iiNet and Kogan that sell low-cost SIM-only plans using the Vodafone network. Referred to as mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs), these companies offer comparatively cheap mobile services minus some of the perks you get by being a Vodafone customer.

Unlimited calls and text messages are par for the course these days, so the main factor driving prices is data allowances. It’s where you can save the most money, too. On average, Australians use 10.2 GB of phone data every month, according to figures from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). There’s no point paying more for data you don’t use.

Cheapest Vodafone SIM-only plans

At $45 a month, the cheapest Vodafone SIM-only plan undercuts Telstra’s equivalent by a decent margin. It comes with a 40 GB monthly data allowance but new customers signing up before 13 November 2023 get 80 GB for as long as they stay connected. For international calls, you’ll need to either purchase an add-on pack starting from $5 or choose a more expensive plan that includes some international calls.

A cheaper alternative is the $30 prepaid plan, although it operates on a 28-day cycle instead of monthly. You do get $5 off by opting into automatic recharging, which is a nice sweetener. This plan includes 15 GB of data and 500 minutes of international calls to Zone 1 countries.

For the month of November, you can grab a $40 Vodafone prepaid starter pack at a discounted price of $20. In exchange, you get 50 GB for the first three recharges (up from 30 GB), 1,000 minutes of Zone 1 international calls, and 100 minutes for Zone 2 countries.

Cheapest MVNO SIM-only plan using Vodafone

Want to save the most money? Here’s where you’ll find the cheapest plans. For monthly SIM-only plans on the Vodafone network, it’s a battle between iiNet and Kogan Mobile for your money.

See Also

08/11/2023

Best Telstra SIM-only plans for those wanting to make the switch

New iiNet mobile customers get half-price monthly plans for the first six months, bringing its cheapest 8 GB offering down to $10, down from $19.99. Beyond that, Kogan Mobile offers more data (10 GB) in its cheapest plan for $15 a month, with the first month only costing $5. Over time, the Kogan offering is cheaper but there’s nothing stopping you from using iiNet for six months and then switching once the promo period ends.

On the prepaid side, providers like TPG, Lebara, and Felix come into play. Currently, the cheapest offering is a discounted TPG plan with 12 GB. New customers pay only $10 per monthly recharge for the first six months, down from $20. You can also pay an extra $5 a month for international calls, covering 37 countries like New Zealand and the UK.

Without discounts, Lebara is the next cheapest prepaid SIM-only plan on the Vodafone network. Its Extra Small Plan costs $14.90 on a 30-day recharge cycle, including 4 GB of data plus a bonus 4 GB for the first 30 days. 300 minutes of international calls are included which can be used to contact eight countries including the USA or China.

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Best Telstra SIM-only plans for those wanting to make the switch

Telstra, the biggest telco in Australia, cops a bit of flak for being one of the more expensive phone companies. On the flip side, its coverage reaches more Aussies (99.5%) than any other network. If you’re not happy with your current provider, Telstra SIM-only plans offer a good way to test the waters without a long-term commitment.

It’s also a decent option if you’re content with your current phone – simply order the SIM, install it to your device, and away you go. SIM-only plans like those offered by Telstra generally come with unlimited talk and text, so you only pay more if you need more data.

Best of all, you don’t even need to choose Telstra to access its network. A cheaper alternative is to choose a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO). This refers to companies that use another company’s infrastructure to provide you services. Belong – owned by Telstra – and Boost Mobile are MVNOs that operate on the Telstra network and sell phone plans at affordable prices.

A helpful tip to consider is how much data you actually need each month. Research from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) shows that Australians use only an average of 10.2 GB of phone data monthly. Choosing a plan with less data is an easy way to save money. To save on your home internet too, check out the cheapest NBN plans.

Without further ado, here are some of the best Telstra SIM-only plans currently available. If you want a different network, our cheapest SIM plan guide has a full overview of every carrier.

Contents

• Cheapest Telstra SIM-only plan
• Best MVNO SIM-only plan using Telstra

Cheapest Telstra SIM-only plan

As it currently stands, $35 is the cheapest SIM-only plan through Telstra with at least a 28-day recharge cycle. With it comes unlimited calls and SMS in Australia, plus some included credit for international calls.

For $35, you get 35 GB of data for the first three recharges before it reverts to the standard 15 GB allocation. Importantly, this also gives you access to the 5G network. As long as you have a 5G-compatible phone, you can enjoy a faster and more reliable connection. At this tier, download speeds are capped at 150 Mbps, which is still reasonably fast for most use cases.

An alternative is a Telstra Upfront SIM-only plan. It’s more expensive but automatically renews on a monthly basis (instead of a 28-day cycle) and includes more data. This particular offering starts at $62 per month, with 50 GB of data and a higher download speed cap of 250 Mbps.

Best MVNO SIM-only plan using Telstra

There are plenty of MVNOs that use either part of or the entire Telstra network. Here, you have even more options to choose from, which is helpful if you’re on a tight budget. For a monthly SIM-only plan, there’s a $20 option from Numobile, bundled with 10 GB of data. The caveat is that it only uses parts of Telstra’s 3G and 4G network, so check that it covers your area first.

If you’re a data fiend on a budget, $29 for the Belong plan is good value. Along with 25 GB of data, you also get 5G if it’s available in your area.

Prepaid SIM-only plans via Telstra MVNOs yield even more savings, suited to those who don’t need much data. Lycamobile, for example, costs just $15 on a 28-day cycle. Other companies cost slightly more in exchange for higher data caps.

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Karcher VC 7 YourMax vacuum review: lightweight and long-lasting

8

Karcher is a popular German brand that makes a variety of home and garden cleaning products and has a professional cleaning tools division. This includes everything from lawnmowers to high-pressure washers to floor polishers to window cleaners and a range of outdoor and indoor vacuums. I’ve been cleaning with the Karcher VC 7 Cordless YourMax stick vacuum for the past week to see how it performs.

The VC 7 is a mid-range model, with a price tag of $799. It boasts a low weight, bagless filter, dust sensor and 60-minute run time.

Inside its compact body is a 350-watt BLDC motor with variable suction. This depends on how much dirt the dust sensor detects, and this also helps extend the VC 7’s battery life. In the box, you also get a motorised power brush for cleaning carpets and hard floors, a crevice tool for nooks and crannies, a 2-in-1 nozzle for furniture and upholstery, and a soft brush for delicate surfaces. These connect to a metal suction tube, and there’s also a filter cleaning tool and bracket for mounting the VC 7 on a wall.

Motorised brush head

Soft brush, crevice tool, 2-in-1 brush and filter cleaner

Suction tube and wall bracket

Karcher VC 7 Cordless YourMax specifications

Price	$799
Warranty	60-day money back guarantee, 1 year
Product page	Karcher
Type of current (Phases/Volt/Hertz)	1 / 100 – 240 / 50 – 60
Sound power level (Decibel)	< 78
Container capacity (Millilitre)	800
Battery type	Lithium-ion battery
Voltage (Volt)	25.2
Capacity (Ampere-hour)	2.5
Runtime per battery charging (/Minute)	Normal mode: / Approx. 60 Boost mode: / Approx. 8
Charging time with standard charger (Minute)	220
Weight without accessories (Kilogram)	2.57
Weight incl. packaging (Kilogram)	5.65
Dimensions (L x W x H) (Millimetre)	235 x 266 x 1130
Accessories	Soft grip handle, metal suction tube, wall-mount bracket, 1 x battery, 2 x air intake filters, crevice nozzle, 2-in-1 brush, soft brush, motorised power brush, filter cleaning tool, AC charger

Design and ergonomics

In terms of design, the VC 7 is clad in Karcher’s signature yellow paint, which gives it a sort of industrial look, which I quite like. It has a long green LED indicator that changes depending on the suction level, and beneath is an LED battery charge indicator. There’s a large Boost button for maximum suction on the top of the unit and a comfortably shaped rubberised hand grip.

What’s the Karcher VC 7 like to use?

The first thing I noticed when compared to my Dyson Gen5 Detect ‘daily driver’ was just how light and easy the VC 7 is to move about. The Dyson does feel a bit heavy after a while, and with the Karcher weighing just under 2.7kg versus the Dyson’s 4kg, you really feel the difference. (Note that these are weights without the accessories attached).

Another nice touch is there’s a power trigger that you hold to keep it operating, and you can also flip a lock switch so it stays on without pressing the trigger.

The bagless dust container is pretty much an expectation for a vacuum of this price point, and you can empty the container with one button. I’ve noticed that the Dyson’s release mechanism can sometimes get clogged up with gunk, so it’s good to see that the VC 7’s mechanism is simple and works well.

The dust container is also large enough to hold a fair amount of fur, dust and dirt, and strikes a usable balance between portability and practicality.

The battery is removable and can be charged directly

A handy lock switch keeps the power on

Long run time

A long battery is an important factor for a stick vac, as there’s nothing worse than cleaning part of your house or apartment and having to wait for the battery to charge up to finish it. The VC 7 has a 25.2-volt Lithium-ion battery that’s rated to last for 60 minutes. It’s also removable, so if you need to have another one handy, you can get right back to work. Bear in mind that you’ll need to buy a spare, as only one is included in the package.

It’s difficult to tell for certain if the battery lasts a full 60 minutes as the dust sensor will vary the suction depending on how much dirt it detects on the floor. So, if your house has a lot of dirt, your battery life may be less. Also, there’s a boost button that cranks the suction up to maximum, and this really drains the charge quickly. I watched the charge indicator go from three to two LEDs in about five minutes on Boost mode, so it will probably give you about 10 minutes overall before the battery runs flat.

The green LED bar indicates suction level

LED lights to help you spot dust

Also, keep in mind that a motorised accessory will impact your total battery life versus using a passive brush. Still, from my experience, there was plenty of charge left after a full cleaning of my flat, which is about 120 square meters, so you should be okay with cleaning most spaces.

When you need to top up the battery, you simply plug it into the included wall charger, or you can route power via the included wall-mountable bracket and charge it that way. Charging takes a couple of hours from empty to full.

Cleaning up

The motor is fairly quiet during normal operation and didn’t even worry my cat, whereas she hates the Dyson Gen5 Detect. It’s rated for less than 78 decibels and isn’t so bad when set on Boost mode either.

The motorised power brush has a bank of LEDs that help illuminate the floor just in front of it. While intended to help show up dust, which it does to some degree, it doesn’t hold a patch on Dyson’s bright green Fluffy Optic cleaner head.

Suction-wise, while Karcher doesn’t appear to provide a suction rating, it would be about average for the stick vacs that I’ve used. On fairly clean surfaces, it doesn’t appear to be working very hard at all but does leave a clean path behind it. In fact, the dust sensor appears to be quite accurate, as each time I put the vacuum head under my sofa, which hasn’t been cleaned in a while, the VC 7 detects the extra dust and increases the suction. So, when the floor gets dirtier, it works harder. However, I often found myself switching into Boost mode on dirtier areas of carpet just to make sure that I was getting the maximum clean.

For tiles and wooden floors, the same motorised brush head does well to suck up hair and fur as well as crumbs, grains of rice and cereal. It’s also able to get under low tables and the sofa. The 2-in-1 brush has removable bristles, so you can take these off when cleaning the top of coffee tables and other harder surfaces. There’s a layer of cushioned fabric to protect from scratching too. The crevice tool is nothing fancy, however, you can get a bendable tube attachment separately from the Karcher website should you need to get into some really tight spaces. 

Maintenance

Maintaining the VC 7 is fairly straightforward. Most surfaces can be wiped clean with a cloth and the HEPA filter can be washed with water, dried out and re-used. There’s a dust filter as well that you can clean with an included attachment. A spare dust filter is included in the package too, so you put the dirty one into the cleaning attachment, connect this to the vacuum tube, and put the replacement filter into the vacuum. You can switch on Boost mode and suck the dust out of the dirty filter. It’s good to see that you can clean the filters yourself without needing to buy new ones, however, you can order new ones from the Karcher site if you wish as well. The HEPA filter costs $29.90 and a new dust filter is $19.90.

There’s one pin to remove the motor brush but some anti-hair tangle technology would be welcome

Emptying the dust bin with the push of a button, and the dust filter can be cleaned with the included tool

Cleaning the motorised brush head requires the removal of one locking pin and then you can access the roller. There doesn’t appear to be any mechanism to help it manage hair tangles, or break it into little pieces, however, which you will find on some Dyson motorised brushes.

Who’s the Karcher VC 7 for?

This Karcher VC 7 is a handy stick vacuum that’s lightweight and easy to use. It’s also compact and the wall attachment makes it easy to conceal in a closet. The long battery life means you don’t need to worry about running out of charge in normal mode, and the Boost suction mode provides intensive cleaning for small dirtier areas. Still, the VC 7 is best suited for smaller homes or offices, and probably not ideal for a large family with younger kids, where something more heavy-duty will be needed to pick up larger messes. 

Given that you can now buy a Dyson V10 for $799 on sale, the Karcher VC 7 is on the expensive side given that the V10 comes with more attachments, and the technology is on another level. Assuming that the VC 7 can be found for less than its original asking price, it’s a good little stick vac that is both capable and pleasant to use, and the long run time is certainly a bonus.

Karcher Karcher VC 7 Cordless YourMax

The Karcher VC 7 is well designed, easy to use and has a long run time. It cleans well but not ideal for houses that have a lot of dirt. Also, it runs on the expensive side compared to some recent deals on Dyson's powerful V10 stick vac.

Features

8

Value for money

7.3

Performance

8.3

Ease of use

8.5

Design

8

Positives

Very light and easy to move about

Dust sensor means it will vary the suction to save battery life, which is rated at a lengthy 60 minutes

You can wash and reuse the filters

Removable battery

Negatives

Pricing is a bit steep

Lacks some of the innovation compared to Dyson's comparatively priced models

8

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Live: Nationwide Optus outage impacts millions, including hospitals

Millions of Australians are without mobile phone and internet connections due to a nationwide Optus outage. Individuals, businesses, and critical infrastructure including hospitals have all been affected. Our live blog has further updates following the developing story.

“We are aware of an outage impacting our customers,” a statement shared on Optus’ social media channels reads. “Our teams are working to restore services as soon as possible. We will provide updates as soon as possible. We apologise sincerely to our customers.”

As reported by The Guardian Australia, phone lines for hospitals across the country are down, with the outage also impacting public transport networks. Multiple other carriers that use Optus networks, like Amaysim, Dodo, and Aussie Broadband’s mobile service have also been interrupted.

The cause of the Optus outage is currently unknown, with Communications Minister Michelle Rowland due to hold a press conference at 11 AM AEDT. In an interview on ABC Radio National, she said the government is working to find out what happened, which is not believed to be hacking-related, and when services are expected to resume.

“[The severity of the outage] would indicate, potentially, a deep network problem, and one that is significant,” Rowland said. “There’s limited information at this stage, but Optus is trying to get to the bottom of it.”

A contrite Optus Chief Executive Kelly Bayer Rosmarin spoke on ABC Radio Sydney via WhatsApp, although there’s still no clear answer as to what happened or an expected recovery time.

“We’re really really sorry that this outage has occurred and we’re working to restore services for our customers as a priority,” Bayer Rosmarin said.

Further Optus outage details, who’s impacted

Customers started reporting interrupted services after 3 AM according to Downdetector, a site where people update and view real-time outage data. Thousands of reports spiked between 5-6 AM as Australians woke to the news. Retailers that use the Optus network to deliver mobile phone or internet services include the following:

• Amaysim
• Aussie Broadband
• Catch Connect
• Coles Mobile
• Dodo
• Moose Mobile
• Spintel
• Southern Phone

It’s also been reported that emergency calls made to 000 from Optus landline phones aren’t working. However, 000 calls made from a mobile should still connect when within range of another network.

We’ll keep you updated as we learn more, with further information expected once Minister Rowland addresses the nation. It adds further stress to Optus customers who fell victim to a significant data breach last year.

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Live updates

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