Personal SMS messages of Telstra customers are being received by phone users of other networks across Australia after a fire disrupted services at an exchange in Sydney.
Unwitting recipients of the random messages took to Twitter to express their confusion.
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Fire causes Telstra outage
A Chatswood Exchange fire causes headaches for Telstra customers across Australia.
I am a Virgin/Optus customer and am getting heaps of texts "from" Telstra meant for other people. @Telstra_news
— Sophie Benjamin (@sophbenj) February 2, 2017
From unkn number, @Telstra outage causing some curious crossed wires. I hope this person gets the trifle they crave in time for tomorrow... pic.twitter.com/JhRzT7XKg1
— Anna Riddell (@a_r_riddell) February 2, 2017
I could have broken this guy's deal wide open lol RT @JustJen64: @Telstra WOW LOTS OF ISSUES THERE TELSTRA ...
— Iggy Busby (@IggyBusby) February 2, 2017
PRIVACY ISSUES FOR ONE.. pic.twitter.com/Uh5v8BG8uL
Telstra has acknowledged the technical glitch.
Due to today's incident, it's possible some SMS messages were incorrectly delivered. All messages will be held while we resolve the issue.
— Telstra (@Telstra) February 2, 2017
The security breach could have huge implications for the telco as online services rely on it for such things as sending password reset links.
Earlier, Telstra announced the location of the fire to be Chatswood Exchange, Sydney, via Twitter.
@owenbrandt Fire at the Chatswood Exchange has damaged power equipment. Customers’ service are impacted. More updates to come.
— Telstra (@Telstra) February 2, 2017
Users on website www.aussieoutages.com are complaining of outages of landline, mobile and NBN services from Australia's biggest telecommunications company.
The outage map on the site indicates that all states and territories are affected.
Screenshot from outage website aussieoutages.com showing affected areas.
The incident follows a fire last year at another exchange in Brunswick, Melbourne, caused by faulty wiring.
The outage has affected businesses also, including Jetstar and Circus Royale.
Some flights disrupted due to @Telstra outage. 9 AU flights delayed ~45mins; check-in for some flights paused; some ports manual check-in.
— Jetstar Airways (@JetstarAirways) February 2, 2017
Due to #Telstra outage we are experiencing problems with our phones. Please try again later or book online https://t.co/ynwWAlNFgr
— Circus Royale (@CircusRoyale) February 2, 2017
Customers took to Twitter to vent their frustrations.
Rubbish service... why does this always happen #Telstra
— Zoki 87  (@Zoko87) February 2, 2017
Some exec's at #Telstra busy working on #alternativefacts about the fire at the Chatswood exchange
— Greenie (@Aussie_Greenie) February 2, 2017
Another mass @Telstra outage in #Adelaide. No calls in, no calls out. #herewegoagain
— Rhett Burnie (@RhettBurnie) February 2, 2017
Fire may not be the fault of @Telstra but service outages are really disappointing. How can loss of one exchange have such impact? #telstra
— Cameron Glover (@cameronjglover) February 2, 2017
When your business relies on a #telstra residential connection, and you haven't read their SLA/Restoration guide.. that.
— Steve (@JarOfSteve) February 2, 2017
In an unrelated incident, the official website for the Australian Taxation Office crashed on Thursday morning.
At 3.09pm, Telstra announced services were beginning to return.
Services are beginning to restore. Thanks for your patience.
— Telstra (@Telstra) February 2, 2017
At around 3.25pm, Jetstar announced their systems were back online after​ manual check-in was used at several airports during the outage.
More to come.
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