Telcos could be forced to let customers roam rival networks during outages under plan Optus opposed

Customers could be able to roam rival networks in the event of outages like the Optus ‘network event’ under a proposal being developed by the government. Photograph: Bianca de Marchi/AAP

Telcos could be forced to allow customers to roam rival networks in the event of outages under emergency contingencies being developed by the federal government, despite Optus previously expressing opposition to the plan.

Millions of Optus customers were left without access to phone or internet services from 4am AEST to as late as 6pm on Wednesday, along with a number of broader services including trains, payment systems and call centres.